Volkswagen Golf GT TDI Sport 2007 Review

RRP: $37,490
Price as tested: $40,070 (metallic paint $690, sunroof $1890)
Crash rating: Five stars EuroNCAP
Fuel: Diesel
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 6.3 (manual)
CO2 emissions (g/km): 168
Also consider: Alfa Romeo 147 JTD, BMW 120d, Volvo S40 D5

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.0/5.0
Safety: 4.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

The Golf GT Sport turbodiesel runs its own race. It doesn't try to match the refinement of its twincharger petrol namesake, nor does it apologise for being a diesel. In fact, it revels in it. It doesn't have a direct diesel rival and only one other hot hatch under $40,000 can better its combination of 125kW and 350Nm -- Mazda's significantly thirstier 3 MPS (190kW and 380Nm, $39,990). Hotshoes like the XR5 and Megane Sport, have significantly less torque. None of the competitors mentioned offer the choice of manual transmission or an automated manual such as VW's pioneering DSG -- although the next generation of XR5 will be offered with such a transmission, we understand.

As a manual (as tested), it can cruise at 100km/h sitting on just 1750rpm and has the grunt to keep it that way uphill, down dale, while the cruise control is engaged. A combination of hard and fast mountain cornering, highway cruising and stop-start city work delivered a fuel consumption figure of 5.8L/100km over a test distance of 480km. With a claimed 0-100km/h time of 8.2sec and a top speed of 218km/h, the hotrod oiler version of the Golf GT should have your attention by now.

Transferring most of the Golf GTI's top-shelf cachet, looks and appointments to a hot hatch diesel is inspired when the diesel's torque is superior to the GTI's petrol engine. Providing you keep the foot planted in the diesel between 1750 and 2500rpm, there would be little separating them over most roads. Indeed, if any diesel can wear a GT badge with honour and credibility, this Golf can, but it does come at some cost in refinement.

On paper, the engine looks the same as the cooking Golf 2.0 TDI Comfortline diesel but a boost in compression ratio and other tweaks lift torque by 30Nm and power by 22kW, with a fuel consumption reduction of around 15 per cent. In other words, it is a win-win and win situation. Well, not quite.

Just like a petrol engine that's been tweaked for extra grunt, there can be a pay-off in tractability and refinement. The Golf GT diesel almost always sounds like a hive of very angry bees trapped in a large tin can.

Although it doesn't quite feel like it is ready to break its moorings and come in and bite you in the cabin, the powertrain is somewhere along that spectrum. With so much torque, this diesel won't forgive drivers who lift and stab at the throttle as passengers will soon tire of having their necks snapped forward and back.

Should this be marked down as too crude, or is such a sign of life and excitement with a fuel consumption of 5.8L/100km something that should be celebrated?

After you take into consideration the overall excellence of the rest of the package, serious drivers will soon recognise this slightly feral powertrain is the difference between another forgettable hatchback and something you would put aside a day over a weekend just to enjoy the driving.

Two days driving around town convinced this tester it would be an opportunity lost if the coming weekend was not cleared for a long, hard blat in the Golf GT diesel. That the fuel budget was a fraction of what was expected was a bonus.

The Golf GT comes with an exceptional pair of contoured front pews, ideal for long distances but the driver's seat should have tilt adjustment at this level, as well as height. The manual shift can also take some getting used to when the crowded six-speed gate doesn't have a positive enough reverse lock-out for spirited driving.

And while the diesel has mountains of torque to reduce the number of gearshifts around town, getting the best out of this engine in a performance context is like keeping a quarry within the crosshairs of a telescopic sight. The gearshift is critical to accessing the fairly narrow 800rpm band where this engine delivers its absolute best.

Most petrol engine drivers will stall this engine several times when moving off the line before the hair-trigger point of clutch take-up and adequate engine revs becomes second nature. A ham-fisted attempt to overcome this by increasing the revs and slipping the clutch can wake-up the turbo and generate violent axle tramp before the car's electronic systems step in and shut it down.

The Golf GT TDI thus brings all the efficiency benefits of a diesel, some of the characteristics of a hot petrol engine with its willingness to rev, the pig grunt of a petrol V8 (once the turbo steps in) and a fairly coarse soundtrack that continues higher into the rev range than you would normally expect in a refined petrol or diesel model.

Over the years, the link between extra induction and exhaust roar and extra performance in a petrol engine has made certain engine sounds desirable. Because hot diesels have not been around long enough for Australian drivers (and passengers) to associate their extra clatter and nasally roar with performance, the Golf GT's diesel can initially seem out of step with the refinements of one of the best small hatches on today's market.

The GT's big 17-inch wheels and 45-series tyres also allow more road shock through than your average diesel driver would tolerate. Yet approach it from the GT-badge perspective and revel in their extra grip and steering sharpness, and the ride-handling compromise (in combination with the usual Golf balance) moves much closer to the ideal.

You can take it as read that the dual-zone climate control, tactile cabin materials, plenty of oddment storage, standard temperature gauge, the neat cupholder divider that doubles as a bottle opener, sunglass compartment, outstanding driver vision, grab handles and general feel, are as class-leading as ever.

Even if the relatively feral diesel engine in such a classy setting might take a little getting used to, it is hard to think of another car on the market that can match the price, performance and fuel economy equation of this one.