VW GTI one hot little hatchback

With the whole world screaming for more horsepower, I find myself attracted once again to the whisper of balance.

Five-hundred-horsepower sport sedans may be all the rage, but I still haven’t met one that offers more thrills on my favorite I-90 on-ramp than Volkswagen’s new GTI. Sadly, I spend more time than I do on the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca or the Nurburgring’s Veedol Schikane.

And therein lies the joy of VW’s resurgent little hot hatch; fun is never further away than your neighborhood on-ramp or favorite set of lefts and rights.

With its beefy, three-spoke steering wheel in hand and six-speed gearbox at his beck and call, the GTI driver is in command of a tightly packaged pocket-rocket. The average GTI owner will have more daily driving fun than the guy who needs track-time to find his car’s limits.

The GTI’s turbocharged, 2.0-liter four makes 200 hp, enough grunt to make things happen in a hurry, but not so much that it easily overwhelms a decent driver’s skill set. A sport-tuned chassis, all-independent suspension and 17-inch wheel-and-tire package create a sophisticated context in which that that power can operate efficiently.

On the road, the GTI is balanced, responsive and stable. Electronic stability control is standard, helping to keep the GTI pointing in the right direction and a very good anti-lock braking system hauls it down from speed.

This, the fifth-generation GTI, is widely hailed as the best in years. It’s a sophisticated little package that blends world-class mechanicals with a compelling set of comfort and convenience features.

With a base price of $22,620, including destination, the basic package includes high-intensity discharge headlights; fog lamps; heated seats; power windows, mirrors and door locks; remote keyless entry; air conditioning and AM/FM/CD audio.

Safety gear includes a full set of airbags, including curtain-style bags, and active headrests that minimize the possibility of whiplash injury.

Based on the Golf, the GTI is a three-door hatchback that accommodates two large adults and not much more. The deeply contoured front seats are manually adjustable eight ways and offer adjustable lumbar support. Grippy, plaid “heritage” upholstery helps keep occupants’ backsides planted during quick sessions through the twisties.

The leather-wrapped steering wheel tilts and telescopes, enabling every driver to find a comfortable driving position, and houses satellite audio and telephone controls.

The back seat is predictably tiny, although VW minimizes ingress and egress issues with a clever easy-entry system. The split seatbacks fold down to increase luggage space in the cargo hatch.

Dashing brushed-metal trim details brighten the dark-toned interior and all interior surfaces are made of high-quality materials. Fit-and-finish is generally excellent, knobs and switches work with a reassuring heft and the controls are neatly arranged in a large center panel.

And, even fitted with low-profile performance tires, the interior is essentially racket-free.

VW employed advanced laser-welding processes to create a unibody that’s substantially more rigid than the previous generation. The increase in laser-welded seams produces tighter seams and narrower body gaps, increases body strength, heightens crash protection, improves driving dynamics and reduces cabin noise.

The processes require a new generation of robotics and elaborate checkpoint measurements, but the tightness of the structure proves the value of the effort.

In this and many other ways, the GTI benefits from the effects of trickle-down technology. Because it competes in up-level markets with its Audi and Bentley divisions, as well as with the Phaeton sedan, Volkswagen AG has no choice but to innovate.

The optional six-speed DSG automatic manual transmission is another obvious example. Developed for use in Audi products, DSG uses two clutch plates — one aligned with the even gears and one with the odd — to create seamless shifts more quickly than a skilled driver could.

You can let it do its magic on its own or make the shifts happen via a set of steering wheel-mounted shift levers.

The other alternative is to save $1,075 and stick with the standard, six-speed manual.

If our tester had a weak link, though, this was it. Poorly defined gates hampered shift speed, with the third-to-fourth shift proving particularly imprecise. This may have resulted from shabby treatment at the hands of journalists who had driven it before I did, but I’d want to know that for sure before putting my money down.

We’ve seen the powerplant before — it’s become the default entry-level engine for both VW and Audi and it’s a good one, with a preternaturally smooth idle and wide torque band. It’s much quicker at low engine revolutions than the Civic Si we tested last week, but has less power at high rpm.

Zero-to-60 mph comes up in about 6 seconds, a remarkable achievement considering the GTI’s cost and overall quality. Driven hard, the GTI is responsive and stable. It tracks cleanly and communicates clearly with the driver, leaving little room for surprise.

It’s good to see VW back on top of its game in this class; the 2006 GTI does the old banner proud.