Want a used sports coupe? Got a few kids or like camping? Need a vehicle that multi-tasks performance and utility? If so, you’re probably readying to enter the hot-hatch market.
Competitors like the Mini Cooper S, Mazdaspeed3 and Dodge Caliber SRT-4 all play here-- and so does the Volkswagen GTI. The latter is largely credited as the ‘original’ hot-hatch, and it’s the topic of today’s used-car review.
The 2010 GTI is on fire right out of the gate-- having already won much international recognition despite a short time on sale. Shoppers looking for the same sort of fun on a tighter budget can check out the former 2007 to 2009 GTI for much of the same refinement, flexibility and excitement at a lower price.
The last-generation GTI hit the market as a 2007 model with new styling and power. A striking and distinctive looker, it packed a two-litre turbo engine, available paddle-shift transmission and updated visuals including xenon lights, a model-specific grille and 17 or 18-inch alloy wheels. Both three and five-door body styles were available, depending on the shoppers needs.
The GTI offered an upscale equipment roster which included fog lamps, available leather seats, a sunroof, tinted glass, 10-speaker audio system and a tilt and telescopic steering wheel. All of the staple power features were on board, and heated seats and mirrors helped drivers deal with winter in northern climates.
Power on all models came from a two-litre four-cylinder engine with direct injection and an intercooled turbocharger that was good for 200 horsepower. A six-speed manual was available, and a dual-clutch ‘Direct Shift Gearbox’ or DSG was available. The latter transmission functions as an automatic, but can also fire off perfectly rev-matched and lightning-fast shifts via shift paddles mounted to the steering wheel.
Thankfully, it looks like the two-litre engine in this generation GTI is mainly free of the reliability issues that affected the 1.8 litre unit in the model before it. I found no mentions of oil-sludge problems resulting in engine failure on the two-litre powerplant, and owner-posted complaints of bad coil-packs resulting in a misfire were far rarer.
 |
| 2007 Volkswagen GTI |
Competitors like the Mini Cooper S, Mazdaspeed3 and Dodge Caliber SRT-4 all play here-- and so does the Volkswagen GTI. The latter is largely credited as the ‘original’ hot-hatch, and it’s the topic of today’s used-car review.
The 2010 GTI is on fire right out of the gate-- having already won much international recognition despite a short time on sale. Shoppers looking for the same sort of fun on a tighter budget can check out the former 2007 to 2009 GTI for much of the same refinement, flexibility and excitement at a lower price.
The last-generation GTI hit the market as a 2007 model with new styling and power. A striking and distinctive looker, it packed a two-litre turbo engine, available paddle-shift transmission and updated visuals including xenon lights, a model-specific grille and 17 or 18-inch alloy wheels. Both three and five-door body styles were available, depending on the shoppers needs.
The GTI offered an upscale equipment roster which included fog lamps, available leather seats, a sunroof, tinted glass, 10-speaker audio system and a tilt and telescopic steering wheel. All of the staple power features were on board, and heated seats and mirrors helped drivers deal with winter in northern climates.
Power on all models came from a two-litre four-cylinder engine with direct injection and an intercooled turbocharger that was good for 200 horsepower. A six-speed manual was available, and a dual-clutch ‘Direct Shift Gearbox’ or DSG was available. The latter transmission functions as an automatic, but can also fire off perfectly rev-matched and lightning-fast shifts via shift paddles mounted to the steering wheel.
Thankfully, it looks like the two-litre engine in this generation GTI is mainly free of the reliability issues that affected the 1.8 litre unit in the model before it. I found no mentions of oil-sludge problems resulting in engine failure on the two-litre powerplant, and owner-posted complaints of bad coil-packs resulting in a misfire were far rarer.
 |
| 2008 Volkswagen GTI |