The flat-bottomed steering wheel is grippy and looks like it was pulled straight out of an Audi. Red stitching is found everywhere you look, which is cool. The GTI benefits from a high-quality finish, but the handbrake lever’s casing came off when we pulled on the handle to engage it, which is a lot less cool.
Interior room is actually quite good. Two adults can easily fit in the back seat, although getting in there is easier by going through the passenger-side door because the front seats moves forward when you incline the seatback. The trunk can hold 420 litres of cargo, but fold down the rear seat and you get 1,310 litres of space, which is pretty good for a compact hatchback.
Base price for the 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI 3-door is $30,040 including freight, and our tester also includes the $975 Detroit alloy wheels. Add another $1,000 if you want a 5-door GTI which, for people like me who have kids, is a better idea.
Competition includes the $34,390 MAZDASPEED3, the $32,305 Chevrolet HHR SS, the $27,275 Honda Civic Si Coupe, the $31,595 MINI Cooper S, the $35,298 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart and the $32,710 Volvo C30 T5.
So not only does the new GTI offer great performance, reasonable fuel economy and a lower price than virtually all its rivals, but it now has the looks that set it apart from the rest of the Golf family. That now makes the GTI a pretty compelling choice.
Interior room is actually quite good. Two adults can easily fit in the back seat, although getting in there is easier by going through the passenger-side door because the front seats moves forward when you incline the seatback. The trunk can hold 420 litres of cargo, but fold down the rear seat and you get 1,310 litres of space, which is pretty good for a compact hatchback.
Base price for the 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI 3-door is $30,040 including freight, and our tester also includes the $975 Detroit alloy wheels. Add another $1,000 if you want a 5-door GTI which, for people like me who have kids, is a better idea.
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| Base price for the 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI 3-door is $30,040 including freight. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Competition includes the $34,390 MAZDASPEED3, the $32,305 Chevrolet HHR SS, the $27,275 Honda Civic Si Coupe, the $31,595 MINI Cooper S, the $35,298 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart and the $32,710 Volvo C30 T5.
So not only does the new GTI offer great performance, reasonable fuel economy and a lower price than virtually all its rivals, but it now has the looks that set it apart from the rest of the Golf family. That now makes the GTI a pretty compelling choice.
2010 Volkswagen gti 2.0 TSI 3-door
2010 Volkswagen gti 2.0 TSI 3-door
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