2010 VW GTI: An Economical Ride for the Driving Enthusiast

What's New About the GTI:

VW’s sixth-generation pocket rocket, the GTI, makes its return with an all-new exterior design for the 2010 model year as both a three-door and five-door hatchback. Also new for the GTI this year is an Electronic Limited Slip system, which monitors the input from various wheel sensors in the event of slippage on wet roads, transferring additional torque to the wheel or wheels with the most traction. This feature is designed to keep the GTI firmly planted on the ground.

Must Have Goodies:

While the GTI is well-equipped with such standard features as heated seats and a subscription-based Satellite radio system, there are a few options you can consider adding to this VW to enhance the driving experience. Some of the goodies include low-profile 18-inch tires, bi-xenon headlamps to improve nighttime driving, a 300-watt premium-class audio system, a 6-speed automatic transmission, a navigational system and an Autobahn package, which consist of leather seats and a power sunroof.

What Rocked:

Who doesn’t love the clean looking exterior design? The aggressive front-end, with the smoked black grille and the optional 18-inch low-profile tires make this vehicle a standout amongst its competitors. Now we know why VW enthusiasts refer to the GTI as the pocket rocket, with its great handling ability due to the European-tuned suspension. As we noticed during our review, the GTI can easily fire out 200-horsepower from underneath the hood, with its 2.0-liter turbocharged six-speed manual transmission, making this one fun-to-drive drive and fast five-seater economy vehicle. (Ok, the GTI can hold up to four adults with its roomy interior too.)

And not only is the vehicle extremely fast – capable of going from zero to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds – we also found this VW to be fuel-efficient, too. In fact, the GTI achieves about 31 miles per gallon on the highway and over 21 in city driving, according to fueleconomy.gov.
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Also the front occupants will find that the form-fitted, heavily bolstered front seats, with the rotary-dial heat settings, are suitable for all shapes and sizes when using the sliding adjustable front center armrest, which also serves as storage.

Moreover, as it did with us, the Multi-function trip computer will constantly keep the driver aware of its surroundings and the capability of the vehicle with such features as a directional compass, a miles-to-empty fuel data, fuel consumption information and an exterior temperature gauge.

Lastly, VW owners can save a few bucks with maintenance being included for 3 years or 36,000 miles.

What We Hated:

For a price point of $24,000, there really isn’t much not to like about this compact VW. While the GTI maybe missing some of the latest high-tech safety gadgets such as lane changing sensors and a back-up cameras, we strongly believe this wouldn’t keep most VW lovers from straying away from the vehicle. By the way, why would any one order an automatic in a GTI? Can you really get the true experience of driving a GTI if you’re not shifting gears?

Any Juice:

This 4-cylinder turbo will surprise you. It’s not the horsepower that gives the GTI the extra lift from a stop light, but the 207-lbs ft. of torque, which zooms from 1,800 all the way up to 5,000 rpm.

Verdict:

The base GTI starts out at around $24,000, but if you add on the $8,800 list of options available from VW, it can easily push the price close to $35,000. The GTI is a sport-tuner dream car. There’s nothing that needs to be done to enhance the driving experience or the overall look of the fuel-efficient fun-to-drive vehicle. Everything you need to personalize the GTI is available directly from the factory. Since VW and Audi both share the same family tree, the GTI is like having all of the design and performance benefits of the premium-class Audi, without paying the premium luxury car price or having the benefit of a longer warranty. However, if you want to match the 4-year/50,000 mile warranty offered by Audi, you could consider purchasing an extended service contract.

Competitors: Audi A3, BMW 1-Series, Mini Cooper, Mazda MazdaSpeed3 and Subaru Impreza WRX