If you prefer a quick diesel to a petrol-powered car then the VW may have the answer. The somewhat understated new Volkswagen Golf GTD is effectively a diesel-powered GTI. It comes with plenty of power, but more importantly, trips to the fuel forecourt are much less frequent. Mixing this amount of fun with a large amount of common sense has rarely been this much fun. Performance 4.5/5 Under the bonnet, the Golf GTD is powered by a 182bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel and it has a maximum of 350Nm of torque, meaning that right the way through the six-speed DSG box there is plenty of oomph to keep the majority of drivers happy. Put your foot down and the GTD will reach the benchmark sprint from a standing start in 6.5 seconds. It also has a top speed of 151mph. Have too much fun and you will see the fuel needle start to drop, the great thing, however, is the power is there when you want and need it. Ride and handling 4.5/5 The standard Golf is a very well set-up car making it a good base chassis for the GTD. This diesel performance model is very similar to the iconic GTi in its make-up. The suspension tweaks to the GTD make this model stiffer and it is lower by 15mm when comparing to the standard car. These tweaks improve the handling characteristics and it also has the clever XDS+ technology. It can detect a slip at the front wheels and alters the amount of power to stop wheel spin. This works in conjunction with the ESP and reduces understeer making the car feel more precise and neutral. The GTD is a great car, there is no getting away from that, but somehow the chassis does not feel just as tight as the GTi which is a real shame. For the majority of drivers this will not matter too much given the savings on fuel that will be made by choosing the GTD over the GTi. Equipment 4/5 If you are familiar with the interior of the standard Golf, then the layout of the GTD will have a similar feel and look. That’s not a bad thing as the interior, although subtle, is decked out in quality materials. Standard kit on the GTD is good, but then again, it needs to be as this is the flagship diesel model in the range. Interior spec includes two zone automatic aircon, LED reading lights, front sports seats with height and lumbar adjustment, iPod connection cable and Isofix child seat preparation. There’s plenty of safety highlights including ABS, ESP, curtain airbags front and rear, driver’s knee airbag, front side seat impact airbags, remote central locking engine immobiliser and automatic distance control including front assist, radar sensor-controlled distance monitoring system, city emergency braking and cruise control. The GTD looks good too, standard kit includes 18-inch alloys, honeycomb radiator grille with red insert extending into headlights, front fog lights, heat insulating tinted rear glass and LED rear light clusters. Running costs 4.5/5 The Golf GTD has a battle on its hands and the trouble for VW is that the fight comes from within. Its biggest rival is the SEAT Leon FR and the Skoda Octavia vRS. The badge on the Golf may prove to be the incentive for many, as the prestige badge is still favoured by a huge number of motorists - even though the Golf is based on the same platform that the Leon FR and the Octavia vRS are built on.On the up side, the figures for the GTD are very good – this model mated to a six-speed DSG gearbox has a claimed economy of 44.1mpg and it emits 148g/km of CO2. MT Verdict 4.5/5 Overall, the GTD is not quite as entertaining to drive as the GTI, however, this is a brilliant car for mixing performance with an economical daily driver and starts at £28,195. This diesel performance car is expected to sell at least double of what the GTi will do thanks to huge interest from the fleet market. If you opt for the GTD over the GTi, you’ll not be disappointed.
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