OK, so you've seen Volkswagen's shenanigans involving a new GTI covered in GoPro cameras. But have you seen rallycross champion Tanner Foust drive the hot hatch like he stole it. Of course you haven't, since that's the subject of a recently released promo video from Vdub titled "Turbocharge the Everyday".
In it, the ace gives the Golf GTI a full Gymkhana treatment and gets away with some pretty awesome tricks most buyers will never actually attempt. Still, we're not known to turn up our noses at dubstep music and handbrake turns.
Bigger, faster and more powerful than the car it replaces, the new GTI is available in two engine flavors, both 2-liter turbocharged. Base models get 210 hp, while a performance pack adds another 10 hp. Perhaps more importantly, torque is up in a big way. A six-speed stick shifter is standard and DSG is also available, costing another $1,100. Yours from $25,000 (plus destination), the now-Mexico-made hot hatch faces stiff competition from the Ford Focus ST and Honda Civic ST. But until they too have a billion GoPro cameras stuck onto them, the German remains our favorite.
At the last Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen announced it would be entering the Red Bull Global Rallycross (GRC) series with Tanner Foust as its star driver, champion in 2011 and 2012. Partnering with Andretti Autosports, the German automaker has put together a hot version of the Beetle coupe that goes from 0 to 60 mph in two seconds.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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