Unisex appeal makes its mark

In Paris, it was a cult car. Same in Berlin, where to drive one was to thumb your nose at the establishment. In London, it was sporty and welcome at the best addresses. In Madrid, it was luxury. In Rome, it evoked envy.

Above all, it became a freewheeling symbol of the 1970s unisex culture, when the concept itself desperately needed something more to hang its hat on than men and women sharing hairdressers.

Volkswagen executives remember the Mark I Golf GTi for what it was: a lightweight two-door that pretty much created a whole new class of car - the hot hatchback.

They will remember the latest Mark V model for containing what the Mk II, Mk III, and Mk IV Golf GTis of the 1980s and '90s didn't have: pretty much all of the sassiness of the first-generation original.

Only this time it is wrapped in a high-tech electronic package with engine componentry, brakes, safety and dynamic aids unheard of nearly 30 years ago.

That's one of the reasons why it weighs upwards of 1300kg, around 500kg more than the original. "We did pay attention to reducing weight as much as possible, but the fundamentals of car design have changed in 30 years," says a VW engineer.

One of those fundamentals is building a car to meet modern safety requirements. In this case, the Mk V GTi Golf meets the highest standards: it was awarded the maximum five stars in European New Car Assessment Programme crash tests.

The new model should land in New Zealand in May next year. No price yet, but expect the five-door model to start around $54,000.

The GTi Golf is powered by a turbocharged 2-litre FSI direct-injection petrol engine, producing 147kW (200bhp) between 5100-6000rpm and 280Nm of torque between 1800-5000rpm.

The highlight here is the spread of torque, largely one of the benefits of combining turbocharging with direct-injection fuel technology.

The engine is mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox.

The DSG unit is already available in the mainstream Golf range and combines the advantages of a conventional six-speed manual gearbox with the qualities of a modern automatic transmission.

Basically, DSG allows two gears to be engaged at the same time - a pre-selection process - thereby reducing shift times and providing an almost uninterrupted flow of power, unlike a conventional automatic, where power ends up getting lost through the torque converter.

With the manual gearbox, the new GTi sprints from zero to 100km/h in a claimed 7.2sec and on to a top speed of 235km/h (146mph). With the DSG, it gets to 100km/h in 6.9sec.

A test drive of the car on roads and a high-speed circuit in Europe indicated that the sprint time in both cases is conservative. In the right hands, the GTi should have no trouble recording a time closer to six seconds.

The weight hasn't blunted its turbocharged urge, audible as a snarl from the twin exhaust pipes. It's the fastest Golf since the 3.2-litre V6 R32, the all-wheel-drive limited-edition model.

But it feels quicker and more nimble on the road and track, with a sharp throttle response and the spread of engine torque through the slick gear ratios of both manual and DSG boxes delivering power smoothly.

Torque steer - where the driven front wheels get a mind of their own under throttle - is negligible, even on the worst surfaces.

It was on those same surfaces where the GTi and its torsionally stiff chassis seemed at its best. It was balanced and stable through the most demanding of corners, the multi-link rear and front-strut suspension set-up, aided by beefed-up anti-roll bars front and rear, helping the largely accurate steering and 225/45 tyres chart a precise course.

The ride is firm but well-damped and the brakes and their bright red calipers behind the 17-inch alloy wheels set a performance hatchback benchmark.

On the Paul Ricard test track (owned by Formula One bigwig Bernie Ecclestone) in the south of France, the car was rock-solid on the straightaway at 200km/h before sweeping unperturbed at around 160km/h through a sweeping right-hander.

The fun part was going too fast leaving the sweeper into the first of three or four severe corners: under such forces the car's physical mass became locked in a fight with its electronic stability programme.

The GTi wanted to ignore the helm and push wide - and it did.

But the ESP system was thinking ahead and intervened to slow and stabilise the car before things got ugly.

Lifting off the accelerator at speed late in a corner in a front-drive car more often than not results in snap oversteer, where the tail swings out and the inexperienced driver heads for a hedge.

Not on the GTi. There was just a hint of oversteer on the track as ESP cut in to slow the car and turn it inward on its intended course.

The GTI sits a full 15mm lower than the standard car and stands out from mainstream models via a full length honeycomb grille, roof spoiler and GTI badges that emulate those used on the first-generation model.

The car is just as appealing on the inside, complete with supportive bucket seats sporting a GTi logo

A squared-off leather steering wheel and striking alloy pedals and driver's footrest add to the quality feel.

Standard equipment includes electronic climate control; 10-speaker CD player; multifunction computer; Electronic Stabilisation Programme; dual front, side and curtain airbags; and automatic driving lights.

Like the original, the latest GTi model will be aimed at today's unisex market: it will appeal as much to an adventurous 65-year-old grandpa as it will to a spirited 25-year-old woman. It's that kind of car, still very much a symbol of a free spirit.