Volkswagen Golf GTD Confirmed for America
Denied it for decades, fans of diesel-powered Volkswagens across America are about to get the car of their dreams: the GTD.
If that name doesn’t mean anything to you, think of a GTI hot hatch but with a diesel engine? Sound dull? It shouldn’t, not with 182 hp and a tremendous 280 lb-ft of torque from a turbo-diesel 2.0-liter 4-cylinder. Riding on the new Golf platform, all new Golf models will shes 220 lbs from last year’s car.
In addition to the engine, it will come outfitted with the usual GTI-gear, like 17-inch wheels with 225/45/17 tires, special body work with dual exhaust pipes, a rear spoiler and sports suspension. The usual GTI-styled goodies will also be inside with a sports steering wheel, stainless steel pedals, a special GTD shifter and instrument cluster plus the trademark plaid seats.
Volkswagen claims the car get an an incredible 67 miles per gallon, though that’s on the more generous European test cycle. Still, look for some solid fuel economy numbers when it arrives here, likely later this year as a 2014 model.
GALLERY: 2014 VW Golf GTD
[Source: Car & Driver]
Discuss this story at VWForum.com
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
More by Colum Wood
Comments
Join the conversation
From autoMedia"So understandably, a lot of people got excited when Car And Driver sent out a Tweet yesterday, claiming the GTD was bound for the U.S. Other sites like AutoBlog ran with the story, but perhaps we need to pump the brakes for a second. The official Volkswagen USA Twitter page (@VW) this morning responded to a fans question by posting: We have no plans to bring the GTD to the US at this time. Then we received a message that clears things up a bit. Our official position is that we are investigating bringing the car to the U.S., but there is no decision, Volkswagen USA Product and Technology Manager Mark Gillies said in an e-mail to autoMedia "
This would very highly likely be my next car.