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4. Volkswagen Golf GTD 2013-2020

Used Volkswagen Golf GTD 2013-2020 review 8

The VW Golf GTD's facelift improves on the Golf's usual charm and adds a tad of dynamic appeal – but it still lacks the edge shown by the Ford Focus ST

Matt Saunders

Published:

6 June 2013 Share

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Close Find Used Volkswagen Golf GTD 2013-2020 review deals Used car dealsFrom £2,989Other ServicesSell your car84% get more money with

Maybe the most aspirational company car currently made by the manufacturer that invented the aspirational hatchback: this is the Mk 7 Volkswagen Golf GTD.

It has become a status symbol for the upwardly mobile middle-management set, just as the original GTI came to represent the cash-rich ‘yuppie’ over 30 years ago, and continues to thrive in spite of the charge of cars such as the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series. In a normal year, VW sells twice as many GTDs as GTIs.

The GTD is one of the most roundly talented fleet hatchbacks available, and combines sporting brio with genuine 50mpg cruising economyMatt SaundersRoad test editor

But, evidently, Wolfsburg would like you to take this car a bit more seriously as a performance machine. For this latest version, performance levels have therefore been increased, along with efficiency, in an attempt to make the car ‘the business’ as much as it is about day-to-day business.

Power is up from 168bhp to 181bhp, and torque rises to 280lb ft. The 0-62mph dash is cut to 7.5sec while the DSG version cuts that time by 0.1sec. On the emissions front the standard GTD rolling on 18in wheels produce between 122 and 129g/km, while the GTD Bluemotion models reduce the CO2 output to between 116 and 129g/km, which is largely down to the Volkswagen Golf riding on 17in alloy wheels.

On the equipment front, the GTD has gained numerous standard additions as part of the 2017 Golf range facelift. The outside has been given a light makeover, with new bumpers and LED rear lights clusters added to the package. As for the rest of the package, the GTD comes with the same equipment that is standard on the GT trimmed Golfs, which includes tinted rear windows, LED foglights, ambient interior lighting and Volkswagen Discover infotainment system complete with an 8.0in touchscreen display, sat nav, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, smartphone integration and access to Volkswagen's online services.

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Added to the sportiest diesel in the Volkswagen Golf range is an aggressive looking bodykit, LED headlights, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control and 12.3in Volkswagen's Active Info Display, which is similar to Audi's Virtual Cockpit found orginally on the Audi TT.

On the inside, there’s the usual obvious material quality to admire, as well as an appealing smattering of classic GTI trim additions: tartan cloth seats, a special steering wheel and instrument cluster, and the obligatory golf ball-themed gearlever.

Underneath, you get lowered and stiffened sports suspension and an enhanced version of VW’s ‘XDS’ limited-slip diff-apeing traction control system, working here on all four wheels instead of just the front two, to reduce power-on understeer. You also get beefier brakes and the quickened, variable-ratio steering setup from the Golf GTI.

The four-cylinder engine is refined for a high-output diesel. More importantly, it’s responsive for an oil-burner and delivers a pretty potent turn of speed. The torquey dig you get as you flatten the accelerator comes promptly, and it’s hefty. The motor also seems happy enough to rev beyond 3500rpm, without rewriting the rulebook on the best way to get outright performance from a diesel: you're better off staying in the mid-range, in other words.

VW’s ‘progressive’ steering rack brings extra directness to the car’s handling mix at normal speeds, and as hard as we could push it on the road, and it doesn’t seem to add unwanted understeer off-centre. Chassis balance is good, albeit not great. Our test car – fitted with VW’s optional ACC adaptive dampers – rode fairly firmly at low speed, even in Comfort mode.

At cross-country pace, the chassis has a good breadth of ability, with the softer settings allowing better ride comfort and some body movement, and Sport tightening things up to a level of body control unknown even by the previous-generation Golf GTI.

But you still wouldn’t describe the car’s handling as exciting. The GTD continues to go about its business in an effective but slightly aloof way. It’s quick enough, but doesn’t grip or involve quite like a full-fat petrol hot hatch. It balances the wish for occasional thrills against the one for an easy, undemanding everyday drive. But again, that’s probably exactly as it should be. Advertisement Back to top

used Volkswagen Golf GTD 2013-2020 cars for sale

Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI Match DSG Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr £10,995 Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI BlueMotion Tech ACT GT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr £11,548 Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI SE Nav Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr £13,290 Volkswagen GOLF 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Tech GTD DSG Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr £11,499 Volkswagen GOLF 2.0 TSI GTI DSG Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr £19,499 Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TSI R DSG 4Motion Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr £21,000 Volkswagen GOLF 1.6 TDI BlueMotion Tech GT Edition Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr £10,985 Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TSI BlueMotion Tech R DSG 4Motion Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr £17,990 Volkswagen GOLF 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Tech Match Euro 5 (s/s) 5dr £6,200 View all 6965 cars Verdict Model tested: Rating: 8

Used Volkswagen Golf GTD 2013-2020 review

GoodFast and frugalRefined, quiet engine. Especially for a dieselDirect steering makes it easy to placeBadNot exciting to drive, despite powerCould be too understated for some tastes Advertisement

VERDICT

Verdict Model tested: Rating: 8

Used Volkswagen Golf GTD 2013-2020 review

GoodFast and frugalRefined, quiet engine. Especially for a dieselDirect steering makes it easy to placeBadNot exciting to drive, despite powerCould be too understated for some tastes

As an alternative to a Ford Focus ST, it’s lacking edge. But next to a BMW 120d – a poverty-spec 320d Efficient Dynamics, even - it’s easy to see the equipment-rich, understated sporting appeal.

Volkswagen Golf GTD 2013-2020 news

The EV that lost just eight miles of range after 107,000 miles The EV that lost just eight miles of range after 107,000 miles The EV that lost just eight miles of range after 107,000 miles The EV that lost just eight miles of range after 107,000 miles The EV that lost just eight miles of range after 107,000 miles The EV that lost just eight miles of range after 107,000 miles The EV that lost just eight miles of range after 107,000 miles The EV that lost just eight miles of range after 107,000 miles

Matt Saunders

Title: Road test editor Follow:

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.

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