2013年7月19日 星期五

Hot laps

To demonstrate the new Volkswagen Golf GTI's abilities, the German carmaker is putting it through its paces in Changi.儲存倉 By Samuel EeSO what do you do if you want to find out how well a car handles? Take it for a spin up north or burn rubber surreptitiously in an empty car park here?For Volkswagen Group Singapore, it did the latter. Except it isn't surreptitious and it's more like a plane park. This weekend, the German direct dealership is hosting 300 participants of the Golf GTI Driving Experience at the Changi Exhibition Centre.A nearly one kilometre long circuit is marked out on the sprawling grounds off Aviation Park Drive, and the new Volkswagen Golf GTI and two other models - the Golf TSI and Scirocco - are let loose for an extreme test drive under the watchful eyes of three German and three local instructors.The GTI was unveiled in Singapore this month - the first country in the Asia-Pacific to launch the seventh-generation hot hatch. The new car has a brand new body that is bigger but lighter, and put together in modular fashion using components shared by other marques under the Volkswagen Group umbrella.The GTI continues to use a two-litre turbocharged engine to drive the front wheels but it now has 10 hp more at 220 hp, and 70 Nm more at 350 Nm.The extra power is achieved using less fuel, thanks to a dual injection system (the unit now has both direct and multi-point injection), as well as the addition of exhaust valve variable timing and lift to the existing intake valve variable timing.But what chief instructor Martin Escher likes most about the new car is its progressive steering. This is the first time the GTI is getting variable ratios instead of the usual constant ratio steering. With the new steering rack's variable tooth spacing, full lock requires just one turn instead of the previous one-and-a-half turns, thus translating into less effort and smaller steering wheel movements. Yet, the steering is direct and accurate."It gives the impression that the car is more dynamic迷你倉沙田but still precise," explains Mr Escher, who is the head of training for the Volkswagen Driving Experience.He also likes the new driving profile selector, which offers a wider variety of driving modes. With a choice of Comfort, Normal and Sport settings to tweak the variable dampers, steering weight and throttle response, Mr Escher calls the GTI "three cars in one".On the circuit, the difference in character is instantly felt. Comfort offers a softer suspension set-up with a lighter steering, while the GTI is more firmly sprung in Sport, with heavier steering and an engine that revs aggressively at the slightest tap of the right foot.But perhaps the most impressive new feature is XDS+. When it was first introduced two generations ago, XDS endowed the GTI with sparkling agility by braking the inside front wheel in a fast corner.XDS+ is an extension of XDS. Integrated into the electronic stability control, it now brakes the inside wheels of both axles. So, with faster steering, the nimble GTI is even nimbler.Its vehicle dynamics actually rise to a new level of sophistication because XDS+ also covers unbraked driving situations. For example, when taking a bend too quickly, the GTI should understeer and immediately run wide. But instead, XDS+ "pulls" the car back in towards the apex, without the driver stepping on the brakes and even with his foot flat on the throttle.The end result is that the new Volkswagen Golf GTI is a very forgiving car. It flatters the average driver but is not so easy to drive that it lacks excitement. Far from it, as the GTI Driving Experience shows, this VW hot hatch combines great dynamics with clever electronics to deliver scintillating driving fun.samuelee@sph.com.sgSPECSVolkswagen Golf GTIEngine 1,984cc turbochargedTransmission 6-speed dual clutchMax power 220 hp @ 4,500-6,200 rpmMax torque 350 Nm @ 1,500-4,400 rpm0-100 kmh 6.5 secsTop speed 244 kmhCO2 emissions 153 g/kmAverage OMV $33,500Price $199,800 (with COE)Distributor Volkswagen Group SingaporeTel 6474 8288迷你倉價錢

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