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Special Feature - Volkswagen Golf ABT VSR GTI

29 Jan 2010|29,566 views

Instead of sticking with the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, Autovox went ahead anyway to take a brand new Volkswagen Golf GTI to the next level of power and performance.

Now, not only does it take you to warp speed and back, it still manages to be refined enough not to give the missus a bout of nausea every time you mash the throttle.

The recent encounter with this beast of a Golf GTI wasn’t our first time. Noooo™our first encounter with the Golf goes back to last November (sounds like ages ago doesn’t it?) when Autovox brought in the ABT DTM Championship car to delight enthusiasts.

That was when I first got a taste of what a properly tuned car felt like. Brinal, the Director at Autovox, was kind enough to take my Editor and I out for a spin along a quiet twisty stretch of road. Imagine this, the car was carrying Brinal, my Editor and I but despite the weight of three rather big and tall adults, the wall of torque we felt when Brinal launched it from the lights left us both speechless and breathless.

First impressions

The car was impressive even before we ever got to the twisty bits. When we did get to the twisty bits a very short while later, the car impressed again when Brinal took us on a fast-paced orientation drive. I’m sure even the macaques lining both sides of the road were blown away by its performance in the bends.

Watching the VSR GTI attack apex after apex without so much as a drift. Taking every lateral challenge in its stride and never missing a beat.

Later when my Editor took over the wheel, he was once again blown away by the increase in performance over the standard Golf GTI. Having driven the stock GTI previously, he remarked that unlike the stock car, the VSR GTI had zero body roll while the stock despite already having pretty decent road holding ability, still had some body roll when attacking tight bends.

How they made it even better

This difference in performance was no doubt helped by the KW Variant 3 coilover suspension fitted on the car. These babies are height, rebound and compression adjustable. The kit includes a signal canceller for the Adaptive Chassis Control (ACC) aka Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC).

You would expect that with the VW adaptive suspension system disabled, you’ll be shaken to bits by the performance oriented coilovers.

After spending an entire day in it, I can tell you in God’s honest truth that it won’t be the case. Despite the coilovers, there was no low-frequency bounce over small roads at all. And on the highways, the car was settled despite going over those annoying drops/gaps at speed.

Personally I think this would be a Golf for the working professional with a streak of hooliganism in him. The VSR GTI is able to veil itself in aristocratic civility while shuttling your business associates about. When push comes to shove and you need to blow that annoying Civic or Type R away, the VSR will break free of its restraint and blow ‘em away.

Turn the key and all you hear is a slight burble from the LTA approved ABT quad-pipe stainless steel muffler stacked in a unique vertical arrangement. Move off and the barely audible bellow is the only indication that this GTI is special.

Power in this beast was upped through a simple ABT ECU upgrade. A high-flow carbon fibre air box takes care of the engine’s respiratory systems and increasing the power even further. During our chase photo shoot, I could hear the carbon fibre air box giving off a constant sinister sounding ‘whoosh’ that sounded as if the Dark Lord of the Sith decided to make the space under the bonnet his home.

A recent trip to the dyno shows that this gentleman racer puts out 275bhp and 400Nm of torque which to be honest is about as far as you can go without tearing up the DSG gearbox. Rather than putting down the power in one great lump, the car is refined in such a way that the charged power builds in a linear fashion all the way up to the redline. Giving you a much greater powerband over the stock car.

Reining the power in are a pair of ABT Sportsline brake kit with 345mm discs. From what I’m told, these are the same brakes used on the last R32 Golf. Stainless steel braided brake hoses make sure that no hydraulic effort is lost through hose expansion. Personally I loved the firm pressure on the pedal that gave a better feel while the stopping power gave me the confidence to brake much later into a corner.

The VSR badge adorning the rear tailgate of this GTI is only bestowed upon those that have been loaded with the complete ABT performance package. So if you do see one, just bear in mind that its docility is just camouflage.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to bring your Mk6 Golf GTI to its full potential, you could consider cloning the VSR Golf GTI. Despite the huge performance gains, the car remains docile enough to be used on a daily basis without being annoyingly jarring. What’s the damage for bringing your stock standard Golf GTI to the VSR standard? It’s not as much as one would expect honestly. It would cost approximately $15,000 to load your car up with all the ABT goodies but it’ll be a car that I’m sure even the missus would approve.