Golf gets a bit naughty at 40

Volkswagen loves a good anniversary Golf GTI. We get one every five years, whether we need it or not.

Luckily, 40 years is a really big birthday, so this one is welcome. Although it’s also a bit confusing, because there are several variations of the latest celebration-Golf.

You will have heard about the Clubsport S, which is the most powerful production Golf GTI ever made (228kW) and currently holds the record for FWD cars around the Nurburgring. It’s a two-seat, threedoor model and just 400 were made. None for NZ.

The standard Clubsport looks the same, but it’s more mainstream. It’s for those who want something special but don’t spend their days roaring around a circuit. However (more confusion), in NZ the Clubsport isn’t called the Clubsport at all: it’s badged the GTI Edition 40 and it comes only in five-door form.

For an extra $7000 over the standard GTI, the Edition 40 gains 33kW to make 195kW, thanks to an ‘‘overboost’’ function that gives 10 per cent more turbo-power for 10 seconds under full-throttle acceleration. It only trims 0.3 second off the 0-100kmh time, but it gives you bragging rights and a cool-sounding tech-story to tell.

It also looks quite special, with black strakes along the front bumper that line up with the black side-decals, new skirts, a rear diffuser, two-piece roof spoiler, black side-mirror caps and special 19-inch alloy wheels. Bi-Xenon headlights with cornering function are also standard.

Unfortunately, the visual effect on our test car was somewhat undone by a bunch of children (I am guessing) that went crazy with extra black-andred stickers. Oh well.

Proper hot hatches are front-drive, of course. VW embraces this convention with the GTI wholeheartedly, first because it invented the genre and second because it’s big enough to have other model lines with AWD, like the Golf R, and keep them completely separate.

The GTI is a magnificent machine in standard trim, a rare combination of hot-hatch performance and real-world composure and comfort. You get all of that and more in the Edition 40, which has DCC adaptive suspension and pushbutton driving mode selection as standard (it’s a $2000 option on the regular GTI).

I swear the engine is noisier and the Sport-mode gearchanges more explosive in the Edition 40 as well. Or maybe I was just excited.

But there are times when 195kW is too much for this car’s front wheels. Like off-camber roads or a hint of moisture under the tyres.

That’s not really a deal-breaker for the VW, which has so many other things going for it. Besides, if you can’t get a bit carried away on your 40th birthday, when can you?