Long-term: Hello junior GTI

In the expansive and often confusing realm of automotive nomenclatures, very few can match the cache associated with the initials G T I.

The story surrounding the Grand Turismo Injection denominator’s rise to prominence and legendary status is of course well known. Etched onto the bootlid and grille of a sportier looking and more powerful version of the then flagship 1.6-litre Volkswagen Golf in 1975, the impact was unprecedented.

Aside from what is always regarded as the first true hot hatch, the use of the GTi name and what it stood for was such that by the mid-80s and early ‘90s, it was no longer only featuring on the Golf or on any model made exclusively by Wolfsburg.

Instead, it was also used by Peugeot (106, 205, 309, 505 and 604), Citroën (AX, BX, CX), Toyota (Carina E and Corolla), Nissan (Sunny and Almera), Proton (Satria), Daihatsu (Charade), Rover (200 and 400) and even Ford (Escort). Put simply, the car world, like the turbo craze of the same era, had gone GTi mad.

Of course, the GTI name today is owned by Volkswagen and while still seen as representing only the pinnacle of the Golf range, it is also used on the up!, Polo and if recent reports are to believed, on the next generation Tiguan, a move that will come as a surprise to many after boss, Herbert Diess, told Britain’s Autocar two years ago that no SUV or indeed any other car bar those mentioned would be called GTI.

Regardless of whether a Tiguan GTI is given the go-ahead or not, the indefinite absence of the up! GTI has placed the Polo squarely in the firing line of purists who remain unconvinced of its existence as a junior or entry-level GTI ever since the rather disappointing 110 kW original of 15 years ago.

Another apparent area of content is in the sales department. Despite no individual figures being revealed, seemingly only a small percentage of the often 3 000 Polos sold in South Africa monthly are GTIs whereas 33% of all Golfs sold last year were; one of the highest uptakes in the world. Adding further pressure on the Polo are buyers’ seemingly willingness to spend more on the outgoing Mk 7.5 Golf GTI than opting for the R176 100 credit that goes with its R401 900 price tag.

As much as the debate around it looks set to rumble on, what is unlikely to be disputed is the locally built GTI’s dominance of its segment given a lack of rivals as Ford has ruled out the Fiesta ST, Renault announcing no RS version of the new Clio and Toyota still deciding on local availability of the four-wheel-drive GR Yaris.  Until then, Uitenhage’s finest has the stage all to itself and over the next few months, we will be getting to know it better as it joins The Citizen Motoring’s long-term test fleet.

Arriving fresh out of the box with a mere 1 416 km on its odometer, our Pure White GTI comes optionally fitted with the 18-inch Brescia alloy wheels (R6 000), as well as other niceties such as front and rear Park Distance Control (R3 350), inductive smartphone charging (R2 550), Blind Spot Detection with heated folding mirrors (R4 100), the Light & Vision Package (R4 050), leather sport seats with heated front chairs (R9 950), a panoramic sunroof (R11 900), the Active Info Display digital instrument cluster (R9 000), LED headlights (R12 000), keyless access (R5 250), Climatronic Air-conditioning (R3 950) and the Sport Select system (R5 500) with four modes (Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual) that takes the final sticker price to R479 500.

In contrast to predecessors, downsizing has taken a backseat with motivation coming from the familiar EA888 2.0 TSI engine that produces 147kW/320Nm. Hooked to six-speed DSG, the GTI will get from 0-100 km/h in 6.7 seconds and top out at 237 km/h, but expect those figures to be put to the test once Road Test Editor Mark Jones has his way at Gerotek.

No sooner had it arrived, the GTI was immediately put to work by yours truly in the form of a road-trip but more about this in the next update.

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