The Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR is one of the final examples of Volkswagen's Golf GTI until the new variant lands in Australia early next year. CarExpert performance editor Chris Atkinson gets behind the wheel for a timed lap and to set some acceleration times to see just how good it is.
CarExpert leaderboard: https://www.carexpert.com.au/lap-times
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Acceleration and braking figures: 00:24
Initial impressions: 00:40
Hot lap (no talking): 02:50
Hot lap debrief: 04:02
Atko's verdict: 05:55
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1
You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.
Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!
Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!
CarExpert:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au
#volkswagen #review #gti @volkswagen @volkswagenaustralia
CarExpert leaderboard: https://www.carexpert.com.au/lap-times
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Acceleration and braking figures: 00:24
Initial impressions: 00:40
Hot lap (no talking): 02:50
Hot lap debrief: 04:02
Atko's verdict: 05:55
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1
You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.
Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!
Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!
CarExpert:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au
#volkswagen #review #gti @volkswagen @volkswagenaustralia
Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:00 Hey guys, Chris here again from Car Expert.
00:02 We're back at Queensland Raceway
00:03 and today we've got the Golf GTI TCR.
00:06 This variant is focused on being a track specialist
00:10 based off the TCR racing series, which VW do very well at.
00:14 We've got 213 kilowatts and 350 newton meters of torque.
00:17 So as much power as a Golf R,
00:20 but a little bit less torque and only front wheel drive.
00:23 So I'm excited to see how this thing goes.
00:25 (car engine revving)
00:28 (car engine revving)
00:31 Okay, initial impressions.
00:42 Seating position is not bad.
00:43 I'm moving around a little bit.
00:45 It is a slightly supportive seat,
00:47 but still not the stability I'd ideally like on a track.
00:51 It does really feel like the seating position
00:54 you get in a lot of front wheel drive cars.
00:55 You're a little bit more on top of the car.
00:57 I would rather be down a little bit lower.
00:59 (car engine revving)
01:03 Engine feels good.
01:07 Nice, nice, smooth power band.
01:09 Like I said, 213 kilowatts.
01:11 So it's a good step up, similar power to the Golf R.
01:15 350 newton meters of torque.
01:17 And you've got to be careful in a front wheel drive car.
01:19 Torque can really kill traction.
01:22 So delivering that power is a key
01:25 and it does feel nice and smooth, so that's good.
01:28 Visibility is excellent in this car.
01:31 A pillars don't cause any issues
01:32 on the way into the corners, a big, big large screen.
01:35 Steering feels pretty precise.
01:38 It'd be interesting to see what the feedback's like
01:40 when we pick up the pace.
01:41 Let's test out the brakes a little.
01:43 They're not bad, I like that.
01:48 It actually braked even better than I expected.
01:51 I guess we've got quite a lightweight car,
01:53 so that's a big advantage.
01:54 But nice, firm, head-on feel, good response.
01:57 And for a car that's focused at the track,
01:59 it'll be interesting to see whether it holds up
02:01 after a couple of laps or whether it does still drop away.
02:04 Suspension doesn't feel overly firm.
02:06 You're getting some feedback from the road,
02:07 as you can imagine, but it's not too firm.
02:10 And I think they've got to be careful with that
02:11 because you do lose traction.
02:13 And in this car, being just front wheel drive,
02:16 traction is pretty key in terms of getting off the corner,
02:19 getting that two liter turbo power to the ground.
02:22 It's always a challenge.
02:23 And four wheel drive does have a big advantage over that.
02:26 All right, let's start to build up a bit of speed
02:28 and head out for a couple of hot laps.
02:31 So I've got traction control off,
02:33 I've got everything in sports mode, manual gear shift.
02:36 So just moving around a little bit in the seat,
02:39 like a bit more support in the upper body.
02:42 I'm gonna be leaning over a lot
02:43 'cause I feel like there's good lateral grip there.
02:46 All right, get a good exit
02:48 and let's see what lap time this does.
02:50 (car engine roaring)
02:53 (car engine roaring)
02:56 (car engine roaring)
03:00 (car engine roaring)
03:04 (car engine roaring)
03:07 (car engine roaring)
03:18 (car engine roaring)
03:31 (car engine roaring)
03:34 (car engine roaring)
03:46 (car engine roaring)
03:59 (car engine roaring)
04:02 There you go, 61.29 was the best lap, which is decent.
04:09 Unfortunately, the slowest car we've had on the track so far
04:13 but we've had some pretty impressive cars out here.
04:15 When you compare that to the S3, which is all wheel drive
04:19 and a bit more expensive, basically 1.2 seconds away.
04:22 And I think a lot of that's the all wheel drive
04:25 just off the slower corners, the traction,
04:27 that ability to just get going
04:29 and then all the way down the straight you're gaining time
04:31 'cause you've got a similar engine.
04:33 Although they say it's more track focused,
04:35 it's still not super stable.
04:37 And I was moving around a lot in the seat,
04:39 which made it hard in the high speed corners,
04:42 but it's still fun.
04:43 Quick change of directions are great.
04:45 It's quite precise and also a little bit nervous,
04:48 which is good for the track.
04:49 If I over committed, I had some understeer on entry.
04:51 So I did have to be a little bit careful.
04:54 The brakes were okay,
04:56 but I found the pedal a bit inconsistent.
04:58 They were always there,
04:59 but sometimes the pedal would be firm
05:01 and other times it would be a bit long.
05:02 It still stopped okay,
05:03 but just didn't inspire absolute confidence.
05:06 The engine was good and more than enough
05:09 for the traction that you got available
05:11 when you're with a front wheel drive car,
05:13 you're always limited by traction and torque is the killer.
05:16 Like getting that torque to the ground
05:18 through just two wheels is so difficult
05:20 and I really had to try and manage that.
05:22 No real issues with the differential.
05:25 You've got to allow a certain amount of freedom
05:26 on the differential to be able to get the cars
05:28 into the corner and it just missed that initial locking
05:31 to catch the slip,
05:33 which you're always going to get in a road car.
05:35 You don't want it to feel like a race car.
05:37 Although the suspension felt a little bit soft,
05:39 it did handle the curbs really well
05:41 and that didn't upset the car at all.
05:43 I did feel a little bit when I lent on the outside curbs
05:47 on the corner exit that I just lost a little bit of grip
05:50 when I didn't want to.
05:51 And that could just be a damper control issue,
05:53 just not quite enough support there.
05:57 So there you go guys, the Golf GTI TCR.
06:00 Great fun little car on the track,
06:02 but also a challenge to get a good time out of.
06:04 My three top tips with this are,
06:06 the first two are pretty connected.
06:07 It's about how you get off the corner.
06:09 So basically you've got to manage the throttle really well.
06:11 You've got front wheel drive, plenty of torque and power,
06:13 so you've got to control that on the exit.
06:15 And the best way to do that is by flattening the car out.
06:17 So opening the wheel, getting the car level,
06:19 getting both front wheels square on the ground
06:21 and you're going to get a good run down the straight.
06:23 Also be careful under braking.
06:24 Although the brakes are better than a normal GTI,
06:26 they still are a little bit on edge
06:28 when you push hard on a track.
06:29 So just be a little bit careful there.
06:31 Thanks again for watching guys.
06:32 If you found the video useful,
06:33 please hit the like, subscribe and the bell icon
06:36 so you get notified every time we publish a new video.
06:38 And if you have any questions or feedback,
06:40 go ahead and leave them in the comment section below.
06:42 Take care and I'll see you again next time.