GT The Golf Mk5
GT features a choice of either 1.4 L
petrol engine in
twincharger (TSI) configuration, a 2.0 litre
TDI diesel engine or a 2.0 (FSI) direct injection petrol engine. TSI petrol and diesels are available as versions. The
PD diesel engine has of torque, which is more than the range topping R32. The petrol engined offering contains the new TSI engine, which is based on the recent
Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI), but with a pair of chargers forcing the induction of the air. The chargers are a single
supercharger that disengages after a specified rev-range, at which point charging of the air is handled by a single
turbocharger. This system benefits from both of the efficiency of the supercharger in the lower rev ranges, with the longevity of the turbocharger higher in the rev range. This results in little
turbo lag, constant power delivery along the rev range, and better fuel efficiency than similarly powered 2.4 L
V6 engine due to its small size. However, the power delivery of the petrol TSI engine was criticised as being very jerky by
Jeremy Clarkson. In the UK the GT sport badge was marketed as offering both high power and low emissions, sparking some controversy. The diesel offers 156g/km and returns 47.9 mpg combined with the petrol equivalent offering 175g/km and 38.2 mpg respectively. Both petrol and diesel versions are also available with
Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG). Performance figures for the petrol vehicle are 0- in 7.9 seconds (6-speed manual) and 7.7 seconds (DSG), with the diesel taking 8.2 seconds, and both reaching top speed of . The Golf GT features the same brakes as the Golf GTI, with ventilated front discs, and solid rears. It has also lowered suspension, which lowers its centre of gravity, it borrows the GTI's suspension/damper settings, uses 7Jx17" "ClassiXs" alloy wheels fitted with wide 225/45 R17
tyres, and has twin exhaust outlets.
GTI The Golf GTI features a 2.0 litre
turbocharged inline 4-cylinder petrol engine with
Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) direct-injection technology, which produces . It is available in both 3-door and 5-door hatchback body shapes, and comes with a choice of either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed
Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG), which reduces
shift time to 8ms. Some Mk 5 GTIs bound for the North American Market produced in late 2008 and early 2009 came with a different engine. The EA113 engines used in the earlier years were traded for a new design in late 2008 as VW Audi Group began producing new engines for the upcoming Mk 6 GTI (among other models) which was released for sale in late 2009. Some of the Mk 5s exported to North America in these years received this new engine and were delivered to customers with the redesigned EA888 engine. This early version of the EA888 engine produced very similar horsepower and torque numbers compared to the EA113. The main design changes came in the form of addressing known issues with the previous platform. A new high pressure fuel pump cam follower design that did not require periodic replacement due to wear was chief among them. Failure of this component in the EA113 design had the potential to lead to catastrophic engine failure if not replaced often enough. Further, the timing belt was replaced with a timing chain. This was done to address the reported problems with failed timing belts and tensioner assemblies that caused severe damage when not maintained properly in this interference engine design. One other notable change was the air intake and intake manifold design. The air intake was no longer integrated into the plastic engine cover and instead was routed around the right hand side near the battery. This design provided slightly reduced intake restriction and access to cooler air further from the engine. The concept GTI was first shown to the public at the
Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003. The first production model was initially unveiled at the
Mondial de l'Automobile in
Paris in September 2004, and went on sale around the world shortly thereafter. At the
Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006, the GTI made its long-awaited
North American debut in 3-door guise (a 5-door variant was eventually made available), where it is marketed solely under the 'GTI' moniker, with no reference to the Rabbit. The new GTI has a considerable price increase over the previous model, mainly due to the features mentioned above, and the fact that the exterior itself had not seen such a dramatic design change in years. The price is further raised because it is built in Germany, unlike the Mk4 some of which were built in Brazil. The innovative DSG transmission and the TFSI engine all helped raise the retail price of the car. The Mk5 GTI was named 2007 Automobile of the Year by
Automobile Magazine, in December 2006. This generation marked the only generation in
Canada to have the GTI as a separate nameplate rather than a trim of the Golf. When Volkswagen announced the revival of the Golf in the US and Canada for the 2010 model year, Volkswagen reverted the GTI nameplate as a Golf trim, although the GTI remains a separate nameplate in the United States. In Mexico, it is only sold as a 3-door hatchback. A special edition of the GTI was sold in 170 copies under a "Pirelli" limited edition with a 230 CV engine and only in a black colour.
R32 In September 2005, the Mk5
R32 went on sale in Europe. United Kingdom sales began in November that year. It features an updated 3.2-litre
VR6 engine of that fitted to the previous Mk4 version, with an extra due to a reworked inlet manifold. Maximum power is now at 6,300 rpm;
torque is unchanged at . It reaches an electronically governed top speed of . Going from 0 to will take 6.5 s, reduced to 6.2 s with the
Direct-Shift Gearbox. Compared with the previous Mk4 R32, it is 0.1 seconds faster for the manual version, while the newer R32 is about heavier. As with the previous R32; there is the
Haldex Traction-based
4motion part-time
four-wheel drive, now through 18" Zolder 20-spoke alloy wheels. Stopping the R32 comes in the form of blue-painted brake calipers with discs at the front and disks at the rear. The Mk5 R32 was released in the US in August 2007 with a limited production run of 5000. Each R32 has its production number laser etched on its steering wheel. In Chile, the Golf Mk5 was only offered in this model, while the standard Golf model offered was the Brazilian-made Mk4. ==Special editions==