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New V6 adds muscle... and dollars

ON THE face of it, the new
VW GTi VR6 seems like a
dream come true for someone
who wants a “pocket rocket”
that doubles as a practical

’ five-passenger hatchback.

The front-wheel-drive GTi VR6
offers a powerful 172 horsepower,
2.8-litre V6 engine, the same
smooth-revving V6 offered in the

_ Jetta GLX, Passat GLX and
Corrado, The
GTi VR6 will
zip from zero to
160 km-h (61
m.p.h.) in just .
7.7 seconds and
-. has a top track
speed of 210
kem-h (130
m.p.h.}, consid -
erably better
» than the base
GTi model
_ which uses a
” ‘conservative 115
_ horsepower, 2.0-
--fitre four-cylin-
der powerplant,
the same engine as the Golf GL.

The GTiVR6 has an easy-chang-

“ing five-speed manual transmission
(an automatic is not offered), four-
wheel disc brakes with ABS, and the

Golf's semi-independent suspension

_ system which offers superb handling
characteristics. The GT1's perfor-

.Mmance-look is enhanced by low-pro-

$6 But as impressive
as the GTi VR6
appears, there is a
price to be paid for -
installing a relatively
powerful engine in a
~~ ‘small, front-wheel-
drive car. 99

file 50-series 15-inch radials, BBS
alloy wheels, front chin and rear roof
spoilers, fog lights, blacked-out tail-
lights, and a Mashy paint job. Inside,
Reearo-Jike front sport seats, leather-
rimmed steering wheel and gearshift
knob, and racing-style upholstery
graphics add to the sporty image.

But as impressive as the GTi
VR6 appears, there is a price to be
paid for installing a relatively power-
ful engine in a small, front-wheel-
drive car. The most obvious is the
retail price. Even though the GTi
VR6 comes fully equipped with fea-
tures like power windows, air-condi-
tioning, dual airbags and a premium
stereo, its base price of $25,995 is
surprisingly high. In fact, it's thou-
sands of dollars more than « compa-
rably equipped four-cylinder GTi.

Secondly, the V6 engine is so
powerful, it creates some torque
steer, which is unwanted steering-
wheel motion caused by excessive
engine power going through the
front axles. The engine actually
steers the steering wheel under hard
acceleration, requiring the driver to
hang on tight to retain steering con-
trol. In addition,
the bigger V6
engine adds more
weight over the
front wheels,
increasing nose-
dive under brak-
ing, and creating
more understeer
(ploughing) when
cornering.

Lastly, and
perhaps not as
importantly for
car enthusiasts,
fuel consumption
increases substan-
tially, The GTi
VR6 averages 10.6 litres per 100
kilometres (27 m.p.g.) compared to
8.3 litres per 100 kilometres (34
m.p.g.) for the four-cylinder GTi.

Gn the plus side, the GTi VR6 is
considerably quieter and more
relaxed at highway cruising speeds
than the four-cylinder GTi. The V6
engine turns over 2,600 rp.m. at 100

Entry Level, But All The Comforts!

NEWS phote Cindy Goodman

THE 1995 VW Golf GTi VAG is powered by the most powerful V6 engine in its class and offers four
wheel disc brakes with ABS, low-profile 15-inch performance radia!s, and the convenience of a
hatchback design. inquire about the VRE at Wetmore Motors, 2203 Marine Dr., West Vancouver.

km-h and has lots of reserve power
to pull out and pass slower cars.
And like all Golfs, the GTi VR6
is a very practical car. There’s plenty
of headroom and adequate legroom
for four or five adults. Outward visi-
bility is excellent. And the large
hatchback opening and split folding

rear seats enables large objects to be

carried in the cargo area. -

The interior is well finished but
there are one or two oddities. There's
no glovebox because of the position
of the passenger-side airbag; the
cowl is high by today's standards;
the rear windows don't roll down or
swing out; and the fuel door can’t be
opened unless both passenger doors
are unlocked. But for sheer power

and charisma, the Golf GTi VR6 has
few equals, The only other small
sporty car on the market with a V6 «

MSRP: $25,995 ,
Type: two-door, five-passenger
subcompact hatchback
Layout: transverse
engine/front-wheel-drive
Engine: 2.8-litre V6, 12 valves,
DOHC, Bosch Motronic fuel
injection

Horsepower: 172 @ 5,800 r.p.m.
Torque: 173 @ 4,200 r.p.m.
Transmission: five-speed manual
Tires: 205/50 RI5

front

engine is the Mazda MX-3 Precidia.
Otherwise, the GTi VR6 is in a
class by itself, re

Curb weight: 1,281: kg (2,824
Ibs.) : q
Wheelbase: 2,475 mm (97.4 in.)"
Length: 4,078 mm (160.5 in.)
Width: 1,695 mm (66.7 in.)
Height: 1,427 mm (56.2 in.) :
Cargo capacity: 495 liters (17.5.
cu, ft.) . : ae
Fuel consumpiion:. City: 12.7 |
Vi00 km (22 m.p.g.); Hwy: 8.6"
1/100 km (33 m.p.g.) Sy
Warranty: three yrs/60,000 km

A Unique Automobile!

Company car. — loaded
MSRP $25,993

a

Our GM's

Exciting new 1995 Achieva
‘84 Coupe Supreme

MSRP $21,535

. *17,998
A pa

$208/mo.
$2727
down,

36 mos.
lease

We have a selection in
Steck — immediate delivery!

YES

Full Size ‘95 Delta 88 Royale.
Fully optioned MSRP $30,585
7 in

1995 Olds Cutlass Supreme
Fully optioned, : ; ;
. $22,998 |

MSRP $25,730 °
19 in i Pee

Stock! |

“The V8 luxury automo- | wa uals
bile that .competes:in fF nn ae
_every way with Lexus, : 93-9 Mon-Thurs
; ; 9-6 Saturday ©. .,
987-5231 Cae

_ Cadillac & Infinity.
a eee 7 Sunday mS