VAGSG, a Volkswagen AG enthusiast club, set up a get-together at the VW showroom on a Sunday afternoon specially for forum members to learn about VW's newest toy, the TSI engine in the Golf GT. After which, test drive slots were provided and I instantly grabbed mine.



The presentation lasted an hour, and amongst its distinguished guests were Dr. Olaf Duebel, the big boss of Volkswagen Singapore as well as the head of the TSI team, Mr Hermann Middledorf ,flown from Germany specially for the launch of the Golf GT in Singapore.

VW hosted us very well. They had LCD TVs for the presentation..



The PR Head of VGS welcomed us...



The guy from VAGSG who organised this GTG...



Dr. Olaf Duebel himself...



Mr. Hermann Middledorf... (shh... Don't tell him, but he's boring at presentations!)



They spoke about the engine in detail, how it works and how the team had to work around its obstacles to finally come up with it. It's a very complicated engine with a valve that opens and closes which essentially selects whether to use the supercharger and turbocharger, depending on the driver's input. It's amazing to say the least, and I really marvel at its fruition.

Then they let us touch every part of the car after the presentation. Some pics...









The interior's really improved:




The boost gauge is cool.






Black trim that's really neat.

Some insights to the showroom:















Next came the test drive.

We had an awesome SE who really let us test the limits of the car. He was 'go go, just floor it!' and we did. We were like boy racers as we sped from traffic light to traffic light, going crazy. As a passenger I felt it was more comfortable than the GTI, but then you sort of feel the power deficiency. You don't really feel pushed to your seats like in the GTI. My dad also said too that there's some lag at initial acceleration. This is weird because isn't the Twincharger supposed to eliminate lag? It's probably due to the weight. Also my dad didn't feel it but the car vibrated a little from standstill to movement, I don't know why.

But the power? Just unimaginable from a 1.4. The wheels chipped always and the power delivery up to 7krpm was smooth and linear. The DSG was a little hesitant at times though, holding gears when we're nearing a traffic light. But I guess it's just trying to learn after all the test drives, with people driving in different styles. But if you drive it like that you're gonna get about 9.9L/100km, which comes dangerously close to the GTI if you ask me. And since the car's 5/6ths the price of a GTI, I think I'll still go for the GTI. It's the hard-edged, sports car kind of machine. The GT's a cruiser with some fun if you want it, but it isn't a sports car. People who like a good balance of both will love the GT.

That's all, hope you guys enjoyed the review.