Lighter, faster, stronger, better. That's what we can expect from the seventh-generation
Volkswagen Golf, due to be unveiled at the
2012 Paris Motor Show before it hits dealerships across Europe this fall and eventually lands on U.S. shores as a 2013 model.
So what makes it special? A combination of new manufacturing processes,
an all-new platform, a range of upgraded engines and what will go down
as one of the greatest democratizations of active safety and in-car
technology in automotive history.
What's more, the next GTI will be an order of magnitude better because
of it, bringing it back in line with the original hot hatch while packed
with even more standard features.
It all starts with Volkswagen's new Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB)
platform, which is set to underpin every front-wheel-drive VW product
from the
Polo to the
Passat, along with the 2013
Audi A3.
To hear VW tell it, it will redefine the automaker's manufacturing
processes while curing world hunger and eradicating leprosy.
Read on to find out what's got
Volkswagen so excited.
VW's turbocharged 2.0-liter will max-out at 280 hp.
The new platform is like a set of chassis Legos, allowing Volkswagen to
swap out five of the six modular blocks to accommodate everything from
longer wheelbases to alternative powertrains, battery packs and fuel
tanks. The only component that's fixed is the space between the front
axle and firewall, which is set 40mm further back than the current Golf
and on paper should make this new model less nose heavy and more
balanced.
More impressive is the overall weight reduction VW hopes to achieve
through the use of high-strength steel, aluminum and a new patented
manufacturing process that can weld the two together on the same line.
Across the board, the 2013 Golf will be around 150 pounds lighter than
the Mk6 (which is essentially a slightly modified Mk5) thanks to
molten-molded, extra high-strength steel used throughout the chassis,
along with reworked suspension components, lightened engines and
auxiliary bits. VW officials tell us that it wants the next Golf to be
the same weight as the Mk4 model from the 90s, and the proliferation of
aluminum in the chassis and roof means the next
GTI should be over 200 pounds lighter than the current model.
However, in the process of reducing overall weight, VW plans to stuff
the new Golf with a range of standard and optional infotainment and
safety features that used to be the exclusive purview of luxury models
costing three-times as much.
We already revealed VW's new line of
NVIDIA-powered modular infotainment systems,
and along with that, the new Golf will be available with radar- and
camera-based adaptive cruise control, parking assist, auto-dimming
headlights, an electronic parking brake and a Mercedes-like fatigue
detection system that will let the driver know when it's time for a nap
and a cup of coffee.
Engines will span the spectrum from 1.4- to 2.0-liters, but in the U.S.,
don't expect the turbo'd 1.4 to arrive for a few more years. However,
the new 1.8T is set to put out up to 180 horsepower and the turbocharged
2.0-liter – making use of Audi's Valvelift system – will max-out at 280
hp. But fear not, your front tires are safe. Sorta. The GTI variant is
likely to be limited to around 230-240 hp, but torque will be up to
nearly 260 pound-feet. And if that's not enough twist for you, VW is
working on a new 2.0-liter turbo diesel that's set to output 190 hp and
280 lb-ft of torque, which means the
GTD – the Euro-only diesel-flavored GTI – will be even more potent. Let's hope VW sees the light and ships it our way.
Both the old and new models will be sharing dealership space. And that could be a problem.
Finally, a reworked suspension and all-new electric steering rack that
will be more direct and more efficient will work in concert with a new
type of electronically-controlled mechanical limited-slip differential
that nixes the much-maligned brake-based system on current GTIs. It's
already been tested at the Nürburgring and VW claims it's 8.5 seconds
quicker around Green Hell than its standard counterpart.
So when do we get it? Well, the Golf is likely to arrive in the States
in 2013, with the Mk7 GTI landing a year or so after that. We've been
told the 2013 GTI will be a carryover of the Mk6 in the U.S., so both
the old and new models will be sharing dealership space. And that could
be a problem.
Because of the new manufacturing and material processes, parts costs
will be cut by around 20 percent and manufacturing costs will be reduced
by one-third, meaning the next Golf should be less expensive than the
current model, while packing even more content, providing more power and
even better handling. Sell that alongside the current GTI and people
will ask, "Why upgrade?" We wouldn't either, but then again, we'd wait
for the next GTI anyway, or maybe that oil-burning GTD...
