2012 Volkswagen GTD Diesel - Car And Driver

You wouldn’t know it from their dietary habits, but Germans revel in choice. Whereas we come to a fork in the road when deciding on an affordable, peppy VW hatchback—green-certified Golf TDI or hot-gas-hatch GTI?—the German market has a third tine: the turbo-diesel GTD. It’s a hot and greasy combo meal, a wurst-stuffed pretzel.

This fun economist mixes GTI chassis and looks with a 168-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-diesel. (Fun fact: The GTD’s front fascia is only similar, not identical, to the GTI’s.) Now, after seeing success with a line of American oil-burners, VW is considering bringing us our own GTD with the next-gen Golf. The Euro-spec MkVI pictured here was sent to our offices to tempt us and to induce envy, painted in a hue (Minzgrün!) also not available here.

The a la carte menu is extensive: European buyers can check-box a GTD well past this test car’s 41,727 euros (more than $52,000) sticker. Many of the options aren’t offered on our Golfs and all have wonderfully straight-to-the-point German names. The Adaptive Fahrwerksregelung DCC (adaptive chassis control) was the tastiest, at times distracting us from the powertrain.

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Yes, it’s a quicker diesel Golf; it splits the 0-to-60-mph difference between a TDI and a GTI. Yes, fuel economy is closer to the TDI’s than the GTI’s. And yes, it drives as nicely as any GTI, with an equally sweet powertrain.

But the three-mode adaptive suspension was somehow more transformative. The normal/comfort/sport button also affects the steering, which always remains light and communicative but gets varying degrees of effort to accompany the damper tuning.

Since a Golf TDI costs slightly more than a GTI in the States, expect to pay a premium for the GTD were it to arrive as a MkVII. As much as we like the idea—and the additional choice—it seems that a grand or so for the chassis tech would be money better spent. Sometimes, choice trumps choice.

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 3-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED (Germany): $52,600BASE PRICE (Germany): $36,000

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve diesel inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 120 cu in, 1968 ccPower: 168 hp @ 4200 rpmTorque: 258 lb-ft @ 1750 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:Wheelbase: 101.5 inLength: 165.9 inWidth: 70.0 in Height: 57.8 inCurb weight: 3194 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS: Zero to 60 mph: 7.1 sec Zero to 100 mph: 21.2 sec Zero to 120 mph: 39.4 sec Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 8.3 sec Standing ¼-mile: 15.6 @ 89 mph Top speed (drag limited): 135 mph Braking, 70-0 mph: 171 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.87 g

PROJECTED FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST): EPA city/highway: 28/40 mpgC/D observed: 31 mpg

TEST NOTES: The dual-clutch automatic inhibits launch histrionics. And a driver-operated clutch and stick would be quicker.