Front-wheel drive is not for the weak.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI is often regarded as one of the most iconic cars ever produced. The GTI’s simple design and outstanding performance have been appreciated by generations. The Golf GTI TCR is a faster version of the GTI. The car gets its name from the TCR racing series, a front-wheel-drive-only racing series with competitors such as the Honda Civic Type R, and Mazda3. The GTI TCR is slightly more powerful than the Golf GTI and has other racey features. Sport Auto Magazine took the GTI TCR for a lap around the Nurburgring Nordschleife to show just how powerful it is.
The GTI TCR is very similar to a regular GTI. Most of the work was done underneath the hood. The front-wheel-drive Golf is the fastest ever, with 228 horsepower (or 170 kilowatts) increasing to 286 horsepower (213 megawatts). The TCR has more power and sits lower. It also features a locking front differential, perforated brake disks, and special brake pad. Christian Gebhardt, Sport Auto’s test driver, took the hot hatch around Green Hell in 8:04.92.
We immediately see the VW’s extra performance around Hatzenbach corner at Hatzenbach at the beginning of the lap. The GTI TCR’s lap is slightly slower than the Honda Civic Type-R front-wheel drive king. It did 7:43.8 around this ring. The TCR’s power outputs are similar to the Civic’s but the Civic’s grip is so much better and the front axle is more well-engineered that it can’t keep up.
Although this lap time is impressive, we still have to wonder if the TCR is worth the extra $8,000 that it costs. The GTI TCR is an impressive car.