Volkswagen GT packs punch to spearhead TSI technology

Volkswagen's innovative twin-charged Golf GT has arrived Down Under. On sale in Europe for more than 12 months, the unique TSI-engined GT will be offered in limited quantities (at least initially) and will sit in the Wolfsburg marque's Golf range between the 2.0FSI and GTI.

Priced from $34,990, just 420 GTs will be offered -- around three quarters of them fitted with the optional ($2300) six-speed DSG sequential paddle-shift gearbox. According to VW Australia boss, Jutta Dierks, the company will decide on the local timetable for the wider future of the supercharged and turbocharged powerplant based on buyer response to the GT.

The GT pioneers VW's use of twin-charged engine technology locally. A hit in Europe, where 60,000 TSI-engined VWs are already in owners' hands, the technology promises to deliver turbodiesel like torque and excellent fuel economy in a petrol powerplant.

In the case of the GT, the base powerplant is a 1.4-litre inline four. Thanks to the addition of a supercharger and turbocharger, which work in series, the pocket-sized engine produces 125kW and 240Nm of torque. In fact, it has better than 200Nm of torque on tap from 1200rpm (just off idle) through to 6000rpm.

VW equates the powerplant's characteristics to that a conventional engine of  around 2.3-litres. Accordingly, it offers the TSI in a range of larger vehicle in its home market. The models include the Jetta sedan and the Touran peoplemover. There is no engine capacity badging on the GT.

The twincharger's power does not come at the expense of fuel economy, however. VW claims a combined figure of 7.7lt/100km for the Golf GT. At this week's launch we recorded 8.9lt/100km over a tight, twisting drive route through the Gold Coast Hinterland, and an impressive 6.6lt/100km on the highway. The GT is happy on 95 RON fuel, says VW  -- unlike some of its European counterparts.

The Golf GT arrives with an equipment level that shares specification with the 2.0 FSI, but benefits from the lowered sports suspension of the GTI. According to VW Australia staffers, the GTI's damper and spring settings are carried over. That said, our relatively quick drive of the GT suggested that it was a degree or so more compliant than the hotshoe model.

Pricing and overall performance is such that some buyers may opt for specced-up GT rather than a 'base' GTI. We would… The GT is nonetheless unlikely to knock the GTI of its perch as the best selling Golf model Down Under.

According to Dierks a decision to leverage the TSI powerplant in Australia must be made soon -- "in the next few months." As such, the initial reaction to the Golf GT will count for much.

Dierks says she is confident the market will embrace the technology, as it has with VW's TDI turbodiesel models. TSI will play a significant part in VW's future, she says.

"Two years ago we could not have launched such a model but we have a strong acceptance of TDI and we believe the market is now ready to look at this type of technology," she said.

"We're confident that TSI will be accepted. We have more or less pushed the button [to add TSI models] but we will watch closely what happens with the GT in the next month or so. We can hit the brake if we need to, but I do not anticipate this will be the case."

TSI project chief Niels Moeller, in Australia for the launch, confirmed that VW's upcoming compact SUV, the Tiguan, would be offered with a TSI powerplant [in Europe at least] and that the engine would likely replace the existing four in the Polo GTI.

Though Moeller would not comment, it's believed that similar twin-charging technology will be applied to engines in the 1.0-litre range (VW has a suitable three-cylinder engine that shares components/architecture with the GT's 1.4) to produce powerplants to replace existing engines in the 1.5-1.8-litre range.

With the 1.4's specific output of around 90kW per litre, the twin-charger TSI triple of less than 1.0-litre capacity would easily match current conventional powerplants.

To read The Carsales Network's international launch review of the Golf GT, click here

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