The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

19 W ednesday , A ugust 18, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m Sixth generation Volkswagen Golf GTI back for another run Story and photos by Lorne DruryMetroland NewspapersCarguide Magazine Volkswagen calls its Golf GTI the ultimate performance package and who can argue. Named the Canadian Car of the Year for 2010 by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), the Golf GTI was one of the first hot hatches on the mar- ket when it debuted more than a quarter cen- tury ago. Priced at $700 less than last year, the orig- inal pocket rocket now has more standard features than ever before. While at Circuit Mont Tremblant in Quebec for the launch of the new Golf family last fall, journalists had a chance to do some laps with the 200 hp 2010 GTI, playing Follow the Leader with the front-runners being Canadian racing legends Patrick Carpentier and Richard Spenard. During these controlled laps it was easy to see why the GTI has become such an icon in the hot hatch category. It gets off the line quickly as its turbocharged 16-valve 2.0-litre TSI four-cylinder engine roars into action. The handling is sure and precise, even in tight hairpin turns. But the real fun was watching the pros in action during the hot laps at the end of the track session. Thats when you really see what these cars can do in the right hands. The GTI is available with a six-speed man- ual or six-speed DSG automatic with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters. DSG stands for direct shift gearbox and it enables the driver to shift smoothly and quickly with the convenience of an automatic and the per- formance of a manual. In short, it does every- thing so well and so quickly youll feel like a pro behind the wheel. Interestingly, the DSG transmissionequipped GTI gets better fuel economy than those with the manual trans- mission. After my short time in the seat at launch last year, I was anxious to get more seat time in the car that my colleagues and I chose as Car of the Year for 2010, besting nine other category winners such as the Audi S4. Mazda3, Audi A5 Cabriolet, Porsche Panamera Turbo, BMW 335d Sedan, Ford Taurus and another Golf family member, the Golf Wagon TDI. My tester was a three-door GTI with the six-speed DSG transmission. Dressed in Carbon Steel Metallic Grey and with 18-inch Detroit alloy wheels ($975) and the Luxury Leather Package ($2,600), the car priced out at $33,650. For the performance enthusiast, the GTI has a lot to offer over the basic Golf. Of course, the fully independent sport suspen- sion is upgraded and lowered, 10 mm from the previous GTI. It features MacPherson struts with lower control arms in front, com- plemented by an anti-roll bar. The rear has a four link independent set up. This automotive segment once had a lot of competition, but many competitors have dropped off the map. In the three-door hatchback area, the only real competitors that come to mind are the Volvo C30 and MINI Cooper. In the five-door arena there is more competition, including the likes of the Audi A3, Mazdaspeed3 and Subaru Impreza WRX. While the Golf and Golf GTI are all new for 2010, the basic Golf design dates back 35 years and six generations. At launch, Volkswagen noted the Golf is the all-time best selling model in the firms lineup with sales of 26 million units, ahead of even the legendary Beetle model. During those rears, the Golf has also been known as the Rabbit in North America, but that name is gone for 2010 as the car returns to the Golf name on this side of the Atlantic. While the new Golf Wagon is built in Mexico, the GTI and other Golf hatchbacks come from Wolfsburg, Germany. The interior is not all that different than the outgoing model although there are minor tweaks here and there. Something could have been done to brighten it up a touch, though, as my tester was a bit drab looking inside. Red stitching on the thick, easy-to-grip steering wheel did help a bit. The interior materials, however, are nice and soft to the touch all round. Standard on the GTI is an eight-speaker premium sound system with 6.5-inch touch screen and in-dash six-disc CD changer. It had a great sound, although with the Technology Package (a $1,990 option) comes a satellite navigation system featuring a 30 GG hard drive and a 300-watt digital sound system with eight speakers, which probably performs even better. Other standard features include 60/40 split folding rear seats with a centre armrest and pass-through, eight-way manually adjusting sport seats with lumbar support, bi-xenon headlights with adaptive front light system, Bluetooth phone connectivity, dual zone cli- mate control, heatable front seats, and multi- function sport wheel with available paddle shifters. The three-door GTI model holds five peo- ple, but the back seat is a bit of a challenge getting in and out. If youre going to be using the back seat on a regular basis, Id opt for the five-door GTI model. Behind the seats is a generous amount of cargo room that can be made even four times larger with the 60/40 split rear seats folded. Just as with my first stint behind the wheel, I found the GTI a pleasure to drive just the right mix of power, performance and utility. For the record, the Golf GTI posted a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 6.9 seconds during AJAC testing at Car of the Year last fall, and a braking distance of 42.8m in the 100-0 km/h test. While the price can add up quickly if you opt for some of the option packages, the Golf GTI is a lot of car for the money and sure to please even the most ardent enthusiast. No wonder its become such an icon in the hot hatch segment. Volkswagen Golf GTI 2010At A Glance:BODY STYLE:three- or five-door compact hatchback.DRIVE METHOD:front engine, front- wheel drive.ENGINE:2.0-litre four-cylinder, in-line, turbocharged with intercooler and direct injection (200 hp, 207 lb/ft of torque).FUEL ECONOMY:Manual, 10L/100km (28 mpg) city, 6.6L/100 km (43 mpg) highway;automatic, 8.7L/100km (32 mpg) city, 6.3L/100 km (45 mpg) highway.PRICE:$28,675, as tested $33,650,plus $1,360 freight and PDI.WEB SITE:www.vw.ca The original pocket rocket hatchback is back in the form of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI. Sporting a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, the GTI makes 200 hp and 207 lb/ft of torque. It is available in three and five-door hatchback configurations. 345 Speers Rd. (at Dorval), Oakville 905-842-9299 Valid at all GTA locations. Expiry: September 30, 2010 Code: 5669 / Cineplex Entertainment LP or used under license. with oil change FREE CINEPLEX MOVIE TICKET