Midrand - It was a Wörthersee concept that came to life, and now it’s set to be a reality for a few lucky South African GTI fans.
The Golf GTI TCR edition has finally been confirmed for South Africa, Volkswagen SA announced at the 2019 Festival of Motoring on Wednesday. But hurry because only 300 of them will be coming to our shores at an as yet unspecified price of under R700 000 - which of course begs a certain Golf R question.
So what’s it got?
With its 2-litre turbopetrol engine tuned to 213kW and 370Nm, it is significantly more powerful than the standard GTI, which produces 169kW and 350Nm, although it still falls short of the Golf R’s 228kW and 400Nm.
Against the clock, the GTI TCR will screech from 0-100km/h in just 5.6 seconds, according to claims, which is a good 0.9 seconds quicker than the stock GTI, while the top speed can be optionally raised to 260km/h.
As with all GTIs, power still goes through the front wheels (rather than the R’s AWD set-up), via a seven-speed DSG dual clutch gearbox.
There are plenty of special touches setting it apart from VW’s regular performance hatches, including 18-inch Belvedere alloys, a unique front splitter, roof spoiler and diffuser as well as sill extensions and black mirror caps.
The TCR is highly upgradable too, thanks to numerous options and packages that allow clients to specify 19-inch alloy wheels, carbon mirror caps, a black painted roof and the DCC adaptive chassis control system, among other offerings.
The TCR’s cabin states its case with bold new seat upholstery, a unique steering wheel and seat belts with red edging.
The almost R700 000 question is - would you have this over a Golf R, which in any case costs R681 000?
