2002 Volkswagen Golf GT TDi PD from UK and Ireland - Comments

No faults.

Storming engine - a diesel that gives true hot hatch grunt with an almost supercar-like mid range! Sounds a bit like a tractor when cold, but always returns a steady 48-50 mpg no matter how it's driven. Entertaining chuffing and hissing noises from the turbo installation too.

Chassis is only OK. Puma would blow it away in the corners, although it's hardly a secret that the Golf GTI has become a bit of a lardy tourer these days. Not horrendous, but easily the car's weakest point.

Quality interior is a delight. Lovely Recaros and the grooviest instrument lighting on the planet. A nice place to be.

Reliability top notch so far. Never needed to see the dealer, and the first service is still a little way away.

Heavy on front tyres. All that torque and weight seems to be taking its toll. Fronts probably only have another 1,000 miles left in them.

I agree that the cornering is not great on the GT TDI or the petrol GTIs for that matter. But I do not think that this is due to any fault or weakness of the chassis.

I have owned 2 Mk4 GTIs and 3 GT TDIs and the springs are far too soft on them all even with the factory fit sports suspension option with I opted for on my current Golf.

But on the last one, I took it back to the VW dealer and told them that it was just too sloppy for a GTI and they suggested the 'dealer fit' sports lowering springs.

It cost about £200 and was not obviously lower to the untrained eye. But the handling was changed dramatically.

Instantly it was a true Golf GTI. The difference in cornering was amazing, and the chassis took to it with ease, no problem, but then hard driving showed another weakness of the Golf, brakes.

They are powerful enough for normal driving, but persistent high speed braking causes them to fade badly.

So with the new Golf I have just accepted that VW don't want them too sporty.

Still the best car on the road by far for the money!

Terry B

UK.

I have just sold my 110bhp Peugeot 406 HDi and am still 6 weeks away from delivery of my 150bhp Golf GT TDi with full leather Recaro trim. I can`t wait!!! I have a hired 1.4 litre petrol Nissan Almera which I believe will certainly make me appreciate the Golf when it finally arrives.

I have driven a demo model in the dealership and can safely say it is the most impressive diesel car on the market. My best mate has a `02 GTI and, although the figures would suggest otherwise, I believe the GT TDi to be a more powerful car with a marginally quicker 0 - 60 and obviously a lot more torque. With a power band starting at 1900 rpm the power starts to be delivered exactly where you need. In actual fact I think VW should market this as a safety feature... My wife is delighted that there will be no more brown skid marks on my boxers after hairy overtaking. I will leave a more detailed account of this car after a month of ownership, although I do feel that the 9/10 might have been a 10/10 had you invested in the sexy leather.