Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

VW Golf GTD wagon makes us swoon ahead of Geneva reveal

Thu, Jan 29 2015 The European market is just crammed with power wagons we can't get our hands on: big ones like the Audi RS6 Avant and Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake, but also little ones like the new Mercedes CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake, Skoda Octavia RS and Seat Leon ST Cupra. Now there'll be one more, and as you might have guessed, it comes from the Volkswagen Group.

At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, VW will present the new Golf GTD Variant. And if you're wondering what it's all about, it's all right there in the name: those three letters tell us it's a performance diesel, and the Variant name tells us it's a wagon (which we'd more readily recognize as the SportWagen on this side of the Atlantic). So there you have it: a performance-oriented diesel wagon, but not one we're never likely to see on American roads.

If you ever did see one up close, though, you'd find a 2.0-liter turbodiesel four under the hood with 181 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque – enough to send this nimble oil tanker to 62 in 7.9 seconds, all the while returning over 53 miles per gallon (on the lenient European cycle, anyway).

Along with the engine, VW has thrown in other GTD performance-minded bits, including a sports suspension and progressive steering. Visual telltales include unique front and rear bumpers, grilles, 17-inch alloys, blacked-out roof rails, smoked taillight lenses and an interior with plaid sports seats, stainless steel pedals... the works.

European buyers will be able to enjoy all this and more while hauling all their stuff down the Autobahn, passing gas station after gas station in oil-burning bliss.
World premiere of the new Golf GTD Variant

- The perfect all-round package: sporty, economical, comfortable and spacious
- Launch set for Geneva Motor Show

Since 1982 Volkswagen's GTD logo has stood for Gran Turismo Diesel, with its promise of sporty yet economical motoring. Now for the first time, the GTD initials grace the Golf Variant, which like the Golf GTD, boasts the 184 PS (135 kW) TDI engine. The new Golf GTD Variant is set for its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, and is available to order as of now at a price of 31,975 euros.

The Golf GTD Variant* is excellently placed to establish itself as an iconic long-distance cruiser. The 184 PS TDI engine takes the Golf GTD Variant to 100 km/h in just 7.9 seconds with the 2-litre unit delivering a maximum torque of 380 Nm – and yet this sporty Variant car boasts impressive fuel consumption figures of only 4.4 litres per 100 km.

The car's sporty character is reflected in its exterior design: along with special GTD bumpers and the honeycomb radiator grille, the Golf GTD Variant also features smoked rear lights and flared sills. The look is completed by 17-inch Curitiba alloys, black roof rails and dual chrome tailpipes. Also standard on-board the Golf GTD Variant are bi-xenon headlights, sports suspension with ride height lowered by 15 mm, and progressive steering, which gives a sharper response during high-performance driving as well as ensuring greater comfort in ordinary conditions.

Inside, the dynamic theme continues, with sports seats in Clark tartan, illuminated door sills, black headliner and black pillar trims. Added to this, there are numerous decorative inserts and panels in Checkered Black, plus stainless steel pedal caps. Further refinements include the multifunction steering wheel with aluminium trim and the gear knob styled as a golf ball.

The Golf GTD Variant is optionally available with 18-inch Nogaro alloy wheels and seat covers in a choice of Alcantara or Vienna leather. And for an extra 965 euros there is the Sports and Design package featuring driving mode selection, Nogaro 18-inch alloy wheels, red brake callipers and tinted windows.

*Fuel consumption figures for Golf GTD Variant in l/100km: 4.8–4.4 (combined cycle); CO2 emissions in g/km: 125-115 (combined); efficiency class: A–B

By Noah Joseph


See also: VW still set on Phaeton redux despite cost-cutting drive and losing $32k per car, The best Super Bowl car commercials from the last 5 years, VW Group recalls 27k Touaregs, Audis and Porsches for fuel leak.