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VW Golf GTI - the comfortable Sprinter in the 1976 AR test (ZQ)

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Created on November 4, 1976

Text:

"AR"-Test-Team

Photos:

Archiv

16

Archiv

16

VW Golf GTI (1976) - the wolf in sheep's clothing

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VW Golf GTI (1975) - pre-production vehicle

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - when cornering at speed, the rear wheel on the inside of the bend sometimes lifts off the ground

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - Steering wheel and dashboard

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - Seats with checked pattern and good lateral support

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - packed engine compartment

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VW Golf GTI (1975) - the injection engine of the GTI

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - Acceleration diagram compared to the Golf LS

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VW Golf GTI (1977) - still without navigation system, map reading was the order of the day

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VW Golf GTI (1977) - at home on country roads

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VW Golf GTI (1975) - the GTI was initially only available in two colors - red and silver

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VW Golf GTI (1977) - classless image

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VW Golf GTI (1975) - still with the pre-series GTI badge

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - Interior of the sportiest Golf

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - seen at a car show

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - a facelift with new bumpers after a few years

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Summary

"A Volkswagen that is fully suitable for everyday use, unobtrusive, with a top speed of more than 180 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 10 seconds and correspondingly safe handling? Such a car would have been considered pure utopia in the past, and even when the Golf was launched in the summer of 1974, no one could have expected such a treat. But today it is on the market as the Golf GTI." This is how the 1976 test of the Golf GTI conducted by Automobil Revue began. We have reworked and republished it. Because this car, which initiated a new class of vehicles, deserves a place in the automotive genealogy. This is also shown by the summarized findings of the AR testers: "The Golf GTI from VW is one of those few affordable cars that are fully suitable for everyday use and can bring joy to the enthusiastic expert on the road thanks to their performance and handling. With the rear door and the rear folding bench, this spacious two-door car can be transformed into a station wagon if required, just like any Golf, and it also offers the good winter performance of a front-wheel drive car. As always, it is up to the driver to use this fast, safe vehicle in traffic in such a way that it does not attract unpleasant attention."

This article contains the following chapters

The heart of the GTI
Eager to corner
Red or silver
Test results and technical data

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

A Volkswagen fully suitable for everyday use, unobtrusive, with a top speed of more than 180 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 10 seconds and correspondingly safe handling? A car like this would have been considered pure utopia in the past, and even when the Golf was launched in the summer of 1974, no one could have expected such a treat. But today it is on the market as the Golf GTI. It seems to meet a genuine demand, because anyone ordering this novelty at present will have to accept a longer delivery period. The idea of using existing components within a brand to develop a more powerful, sporty version of a saloon that does not have above-average performance is not new in itself. After all, the Golf GTI was launched on the market before the Audi 80 GTE, and with the Ford Escort RS 2000 (test "AR" 19/76), the Opel Kadett GT/E (test "AR" 32/76) and the Renault 5 Alpine, other major companies have also followed this path. With a price of 15,790 francs, the GTI is the cheapest of these sporty two-door models. For around 3000 additional francs compared to the Golf LS with the same engine capacity, you get 35 hp more, an improved chassis, more powerful brakes and sporty attributes inside and out.

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