Golf GTI - evolution of the classic

Mk 1 - The Legend

There’s no denying that the GTI was a fantastic thing - taut, responsive, affordable and most importantly, huge fun to drive. The 108bhp engine wasn’t the last word in refinement but the Golf’s body control was leagues better than the lardy ‘sports’ saloons and coupes that keen drivers had been weaned on. A kerb weight of just 830kg meant that the Golf GTI could accelerate to 60mph in just 9.6 seconds, which may not sound staggering in modern terms, but for the £5,135 Volkswagen was asking, it wasn’t a bad return.

As Car magazine noted in 1996, “every generation needs icons in cars, fashion and music”. The GTI was a cut above the rest, a car you aspired to own.

Mk 2 - The Best?

There are many Golf aficionados who hold that the Mk1 was merely a stepping stone to the best Golf in the entire panoply - the Mk 2 GTI. Available in 8 valve and 16 valve forms, the Mk2 was bigger and 120kg heavier, but the suspension system was more sophisticated. It carried over the 110bhp 1781cc engine from the later Mk1 GTIs but, in 1986, Volkswagen did the right thing and fitted the 137bhp 16V engine to both the Golf and its booted sibling, the Jetta. To this day, this vehicle remains a desirable choice for track day drivers, being tough, repairable when things do go wrong and easy to source suspension upgrades for.

Mk 3 - The Troubled One

For every great GTI there has to be a lemon, and the lowest point in the Golf GTI’s lifeline has to be the Mk 3. This was the car that really piled on the pounds, tacking another 115kg onto the kerb weight without pumping up power. Consequently, the GTi’s power-to weight ratio slipped from 133 bhp per ton to 113. Couple that with suspension that seemed better suited to motorways than a twisty country lane and it didn’t take long before the general consensus was that the Mk 3 Golf GTI had lost the plot. This was probably a little harsh as Volkswagen seemed to be trying to change the car’s focus, and responded with a more powerful 174bhp VR6 flagship. Unfortunately, it released a pre-production version to Car magazine to run as a long termer. As is often the case with such vehicles it suffered a number of teething problems and led to the infamous ‘Lemon’ cover story. It makes a cracking used buy if you’re after a GTI bargain and don’t mind the Mk 3 stigma.

Mk 4 - Hey Good Looking

The Golf Mk 4 arrived in 1997 and offered yet another new take on the GTI. Ignore the rather cynical 115bhp 2.0-litre model which does the GT badge a disservice and instead run straight to the Golf GTI 1.8T, the first mainstream GTI model to be fitted with a turbocharger and the first to feature a 20v engine. Despite some issues with faulty coil packs, the Golf GTI 1.8T was a well-received car and, in 2002, the Golf GTI Anniversary arrived, to celebrate 25 years of the GTI. This packed 180bhp and, despite the later launch of the racy V6 R32, remains the Mk 4 GTI of choice among collectors.

Mk 5 - Hitting Its Stride

The Golf Mk 5 had us worried. At the time of its introduced in 2004, there was no GTI model in the range. Did Volkswagen think that, after a quarter of a century, the GTI line had run its course? We needn’t have worried as the GTI appeared the following year. The original Golf’s 108bhp had swelled to 197bhp and although the weight had crept up, the Mk 5 managed 150bhp per ton, compared to 110bhp per ton for the Mk 4 and 133bhp per ton for the final 1.8-litre version of the Mk 1 GTI.

The fact that the Mk 5 was the quickest and most able GTI to date went a long way to re-establish it as the hot hatch to beat. It was the heaviest yet - the result of safety legislation and customers wanting more refinement and kit - but also quite superb car, with beautiful handling, an engine that won International Engine of the Year so many times the competition threw the toys out of the pram, and build quality like no Golf before it.

Mk 6 - Onwards and Upwards

So hard was it to improve on the Golf GTI Mk 5 that Volkswagen didn’t really try with its successor, instead opting to smooth the styling and improve its efficiency. Power rose to 210bhp but CO2 emissions dropped from 189g/km to 170g/km. The Mk 6 also combined best-ever pace (0-60mph in 6.7s) with great handling, a decent ride and more air conditioned, leather-trimmed, multi-airbagged comfort, safety and convenience than you could shake a stick at. All this and 38.7mpg. A 1979 Golf GTI? 36.7mpg.