Lively Golf suits the wet roads

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), July 8, 2005

Byline: By Stewart Smith

4wd sensor system has a gripping answer to thunderstorm

When heavy rain floods the roads and surfaces become slippery and dangerous it is reassuring to have the added grip that four-wheel-drive provides.

It came into its own when I was testing the Golf GT FSI 4Motion in some of the worst thunderstorms so far this summer.

In normal driving 90 per cent of the 150bhp is delivered to the front wheels of this nippy Golf, but when the system senses loss of traction it switches power to the wheels with the most grip.

Handy when you are about to slide wide on a greasy stretch of asphalt. It may not happen very often, but it's reassuring to know the system will cut in and prevent a possible off-road detour.

It's also a bonus on this version of the Golf. With huge pulling power, and a top speed of near 130mph, the GT five-door is a bit of a speed machine.

It's one in the massive line-up of the Mk V Golfs which went on sale in the UK last January.

I've never been a great admirer of the Golf's shape, but I can see why it has so many fans and has picked up so many awards as the top hatchback.

The latest version is longer, wider and higher than the Mk IV which is good news for driver and passengers who have a little more room to play with.

It's part of a trend in the small and medium car sector which has seen many models being pumped up to give more head and legroom and luggage space.

With the rear seat folded down the Golf now offers 1,305 litres of space, an increase of 121 litres over the old model.

Power for the GT comes from the two-litre FSI unit which, as well as giving a sprint time of nine seconds from 0-62mph, returns a reasonably frugal 33mpg on a combined run.

The power unit is allied to a six-speed manual gearbox which is slick and precise with a very short lever movement providing accurate and quick changes.

The Golf's handling is one of its main attributes and the GT I drove has sports suspension as standard.

On open roads the GT Golf is a good long-distance motor with very little wind or road noise. The cabin is nicely laid out with all knobs, buttons and switches in the right place.

At pounds 18,545, the 4Motion GT FSI five-door isn't cheap, but you do get a lot of car for the cash.

Standard features include front and curtain airbags, front sport seats, alarm and engine immobiliser, and automatic dimming interior rear view mirror.

In all this is a first class product.

Facts and figures

Make: Volkswagen

Model: Golf 2.0 GT FSI 4Motion 5dr

Price: pounds 18,545

Mechanical: 150bhp, 1,984cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving all four wheels via 6 speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 129mph

0-62mph: 9.2 seconds

Combined mpg: 32.8

Insurance group: 13

CO2 emissions: 206g/km