VW Golf diesel hot hatch has landed

Volkswagen has released a fun-to-drive car for those who don't enjoy filling up.

With a fuel consumption average of just 5.5L/100km the new, diesel-powered Golf GTD can stretch more than 1000km between refills and yet is only marginally slower than the iconic GTI hot hatch.

It even shares the GTI's body-kit and styling, except the red highlights in the grille have been replaced by chrome.

The GTD is also $800 cheaper than a five-door Golf GTI -- $39,290 for the six-speed manual and $41,790 for the six-speed twin-clutch automated DSG.

Volkswagen hopes its first diesel-powered hot hatch in Australia will boost its sales of diesel Golfs overall.

With the previous generation Mark V Golf, diesel versions accounted for half of all Golf sales.

Since the introduction of the latest generation Mark VI Golf, diesel versions have accounted for 35 per cent of all Golf sales.

That said, the overall numbers have remained relatively stable given that the Golf has enjoyed a massive 22 per cent growth in sales in the first five months of this year compared to the same period last year.

The arrival of the GTD brings the number of diesel Golf variants to three (the other two are the more affordable Golf 77TDI and the Golf 103TDI).

This is the first time the Golf GTD has been introduced in Australia; it was added to the Mark V line-up in Europe mid-way through the previous model's lifecycle.

But it is not the first diesel hot hatch locally: that honour went to the Renault Megane Sport diesel in June 2008.

"A lot of customers have been asking us for the Golf GTD for some time, but we wanted to wait until the Mark VI," said Vladin Dimic, Volkswagen Australia's product marketing manager.

"This is a very exciting car for us because for us it brings GTI dynamics to the diesel class."

Volkswagen Australia is being coy about how many GTDs it expects to sell, although Dimic admitted that some customers will make the switch from the Golf 103TDI -- and even the iconic GTI hot hatch.

"We expect less than 10 per cent of 103TDI customers will upgrade to a GTD. We know there is a strong interest out there. And we also expect maybe four per cent of GTI customers may come across to the GTD. Basically you get most of the GTI performance but don't have to stop for fuel as often."

He said the GTD would appeal most to those who have long commutes to and from work.

"Of course all our cars have class leading economy but the GTD means you can have fun and save money."

The GTD is expected to add another step up in growth of the booming Golf sales, but Volkswagen would not indicate how many GTDs it expected to sell -- or what percentage they add up to in the overall Golf mix.

"We have an idea but we want to let the market decide," he said.

The Golf brand will get another boost, too, when later today (June 11, 2010) the company releases the new generation Golf R hot hatch.

How they compare: GTD versus GTI

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