Gran Turismo 6: Playing Golf

Having looked at the Volkswagen Vision GTI on Tuesday, I figured it would be a good idea to try out some of the more contemporary premium performance VW Golfs in the game which inspired the show-stopping concept car. First up is the Mark V GTI from 2005, the spiritual successor to the Mark I GTI, utilising sports-orientated styling, red trimming and supportive plaid seats. The 2.0 TSI engine produces 200 hp, shifting the 1336kg hatchback through the front wheels.

Silverstone Stowe circuit in wet conditions set the scene for the Golf shoot-out. Being a compact track with tight corners and limited grip, it is the ideal proving ground for a hot hatch. Of course, the Golf GTI didn't feel anywhere near as alive and responsive as the Vision GTI, but it feels composed whilst being able to set hot laps, as a stock hot hatch should. The Golf V GTI copes well with fast flowing corners, but if you bring it to a tight hairpin corner, the lack of grip can cause understeer. However, for a damp track, the Golf V GTI performed to a satisfactory standard.

There were times in the history of the Golf GTI when it wasn't thrilling hot hatch, with the Golf IV GTI being an example. If you were to remove the GTI badges, it would look the same as the lesser models in the Golf IV range. At the time, there were faster models such as the V5, V6 4Motion and R32, but the GTI wasn't as hot as it was in the past, potentially harming the image of a well known badge.

The Golf IV GTI wasn't as exciting to drive around Stowe as the GTI V. Okay, it is 50hp short of the GTI V so I shouldn't expect this to be faster in a straight line, but even with a 56kg weight deficit, it was still incompetent in the corners. The softer suspension was to blame, it lead to large amounts of body roll and understeer. The Golf IV GTI may have been a well-equipped model at the time, but calling it a performance car is a bit of a stretch.

Not wanting to end on a negative review, I decided to check out the third premium Golf model in Gran Turismo 6, the Golf R. I know this doesn't qualify as a GTI, but it is the most recent and fastest road going Golf in the game, the perfect car to use to see how far the performance Golf has come since the original GTI in GT6.

Unlike the GTIs, the Golf R is 4 wheel drive, but the drive train makes it weigh nearly 200kg more than the GTI V. On the wet Stowe circuit, the 4 wheel drive system is able to hide the extra weight of the R and the power sent to the rear wheels makes it cope with tighter corners much better than the other two cars. The extra boost supplied to the 2.0 TSI gives the Golf R 252 hp, but the straight line speed advantage is marginal on a short course. The Golf V GTI already strikes a great balance between power and handling, highlighting how impressive the Golf R is to top its level.

The performance Golf has come a long way since its origins. The normally aspirated lightweight mark 1 has evolved into a turbocharged hatchback laden with technology and Vision Gran Turismo projects such as the Roadster and upcoming Supersport concept showcases the potential of the GTI without any real world boundaries.