We're still a week from the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, but Volkswagen has already revealed images of its new Golf GTI.
This new GTI is for the European market, but keep an eye on the car, because we'll be getting something similar soon. The turbocharged hatchback will go on sale in Europe in May.
The GTI has a turbocharged, direct-injection 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine that is rated for 258 lb-ft torque at 1500 rpm and can make 220 hp at 4500 rpm. Spinning the wheels on the front-wheel-drive hatchback is a six-speed manual or a direct-shift gearbox dual-clutch transmission. Yet despite the power, the new GTI increases its fuel economy by 18 percent.
According to Volkswagen, with the manual transmission, the GTI can hit 62 mph in 6.4 seconds and tops out at 155 mph. And an optional performance package will boost the GTI to 230 hp and will add a torque-sensing limited-slip differential and larger brakes.
The new GTI will come with all the flashy accessories we expect from the high performance Golf too. The new model will come with a lowered suspension, side skirts, twin chrome tailpipes, a rear diffuser, LED tail-lights and 17-inch "Brooklyn" wheels. We're not sure what "Brooklyn wheels" are, but they look sleek and cool.
The design of the car looks great too. Of course, this may be because the 2014 GTI is based on the seventh-generation Golf, which has still not gone on sale in the United States. But as Autoweek reports, we'll be seeing this GTI in the beginning of 2014. A spokesman from Volkswagen said that this model is "essentially" the car that we'll get in the United States (though it's unsure whether we'll get the performance package). Our GTI specs haven't been finalized, but expect something close to the European variant.
