The
one major problem I see that is caused by the artificial and slightly
high car prices in Malaysia is that people think the car they bought is
manna from heaven or as I stated earlier their car is a golden chalice
from heaven. Some also think that their RM100,000 to160,000 car is a
super-duper luxurious status symbol of a car. I see this problem in many
owners of cars that cost a tad bit more than the usual below RM100,000
bread and butter models. Yes they work hard to pay their monthly car
installments and all that but it is the fact that we are paying so much
duty and excise tax that we think we actually bought gems in the first
place. One should actually keep a level perspective in the first place
and not think like what I will say in the next paragraph.
What I intend to say is this -
They think that their Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0GT is a Lancer Evolution.
They think that their Honda Civic 2.0 is a Civic Type R. They think that
their Volkswagen Golf GTI is a supercar. They end up paying RM215,000
for a slab sided, dull looking hot hatchback and think that they can
chase down Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and to a lesser extent
properly tuned (the word here in properly tuned and driveable) Subaru
Impreza WRXs and Lancer Evolutions. The VW Golf GTI folks is what it is –
a fast fabulous handling front drive hot hatch and nothing more than
that (which is already quite a lot actually).
You have at the most 210bhp going
through the front wheels and you think you can beat the crap out of a
280bhp Lancer Evolution or a 300bhp Porsche 911 Carerra? It must be the
RM195,000 9 year loan you took that is doing the talking instead of the
actual car itself. What the Golf is, is a very fast hot hatchback and
not a giant killer like most of the Malaysian owners think. Try adding
more power (or close to 300bhp) and those front wheels will torque steer
you to the other side of the road. Spending RM215,000 or so does not
mean that you're buying something great. It basically means that you
chose to buy a slab sided fast hatchback instead of a RM235,000 Audi A4
1.8TFSI which is a much nicer car to own in the long run for only a
little bit more.
Anyway, before I digress a little
too much from the actual over RM100,000 to RM155,000 price range I
shall rein it all back in by stating that it is the high prices that
cause artificial feelings of grandeur in Malaysian car buyers. If we
were in the UK or Australia we'd have a Golf going for GBP25,000 or so
and this would mean that a Golf GTI would cost someone the price of a
Toyota Corolla Altis or a Volkswagen Polo 1.2TSI here in Malaysia. So I
suppose it is rational, or irrational, that people think that their
RM100,000 over car is a sex symbol. So sometimes, if you buy a RM200,000
hatchback, the delusions of grandeur gets worse – which is why some who
buy the Golf GTI think its an Audi R8 in drag.
Now those that cannot own a Golf
GTI but yearn for one THINK that they can get away with owning a
RM155,000 Volkswagen Golf 1.4TSI. It has the same shape (it IS a
Golf....how different can a variant be?) and it has a turbocharged and
supercharged 1.4liter engine. But is it a mini GTI or a luxury
continental like what some of the people who end up buying this VW or
the smaller 1.2liter Polo (This little car is also looked as if its a
hot hatch or a luxury car but it actually isn't). I love to blow your
bubble but the Volkswagen 1.4TSI is actually a bread and butter model
that is actually a family sized hatchback and nothing more.
The 5 door hatch comes with that
1.4liter 160ps , 240Nm torque and balloon 205/55/16 inch tyres. It is
very well built internally and externally but it is slightly dull in
terms of styling. The only exciting bit about the exterior are the LED
daytime driving lights and the only interesting to say about the very,
very well built interior is that the interior is very, very well built
and it feels good. Aside from that the exterior and interior are styled
by humourless Germans who think that everything should look like a
laboratory.
Driving one is like driving any
other VW Group car. Everything is in the same position and while this
makes it very easy, it also makes me feel like there is no point to
upgrade to another VW or Audi or Skoda once you buy one . If you bought
this car and then graduated to an Audi A6 you wouldn't be confused. You
could get in and drive right away without feeling awkward. If you
downgraded from a A6 to a Golf, it would feel like you haven't
downgraded at all. However if you bought a Polo, it would feel different
because the Polo is truly austere and plain. A different story there as
that folks, is a VW that is built to a much cheaper budget and spec.
But this standardization is a
little bit dull. I think VW hasn't found a proper way to differentiate
their interiors like how BMW or Mercedes Benz can. And so, I find it a
little tedious and boring to jump from one VW group car to another. Of
course if you bought one it is one of the best interiors to be sitting
in day in, day out. But don't expect it to be anything but clinical and
plain.
So the VW Golf TSI is off to a
decent start. It feels good sitting in one with everything in place.
The seats are good, the interior is dull but well put together. It comes
with a 7 speed DSG gearbox. Not the same one fitted in the GTI but
still a dual clutch thingamajig. In this newly registered car it has
some creep issues which may be due to quality issues. It isn't a deal
breaker as in traffic it still feels competent. The DSG box mated to the
TSI engine feels good in the cut and thrust traffic of the Federal
Highway.
The engine is indeed a marvel of
modern technology. The 160ps turbocharged and supercharged engine is
very torquey at low speeds and pulls from low revs with gusto. Gun it
from a junction and it feels fast. The 8 or so seconds it requires to
reach 100km/h feels pretty spot on and the DSG gearbox suits the engine
perfectly. It can cruise at 90km/h easily in 7th gear and reacts pretty well upon kickdown. It will accelerate pretty briskly afterwards.
It does start to lose its grunt
above 160km/h but what do you expect from a such a tiny engine even
though it is force inducted time two. I am a fan of this engine. It is
like the 1.4liter turbocharged Alfa Mito engine I tried a few years ago –
small in size but more than ample poke. It pulls hard from idle and has
a zesty mid-range too. It feels close to a normally aspirated 2.0liter
engine in performance but that force inducted torque makes it feel like
it has an even stronger mid-range pull.
The car's visibility all round
feels good and you can easily maneuver the car in traffic and tight
spots. But I have to note that the steering feel is lifeless – light for
maneuvering but feels numb. There is a distinct lack of feel in this
department. It does what it is supposed to do, which is a device for you
to guide the car through corners and nothing more.
The ride is disappointing too. It
feels all springs and under damped absorbers. Much like how Audi was
with the B6 Audi A4 but with even softer dampers. It feels artificially
nimble due to this as the car feels like it is eager to change direction
but this eagerness is offset by the fact that the car floats where it
isn't supposed to do so. It feels like its at sea. Honestly. On the long
sweeping corner/interchange at the Subang Jaya end of the New Pantai
Expressway heading towards the Federal Highway it felt as if the Golf
TSI wanted to punt me over the concrete barrier and into the rows of
houses down below. And that slightly inert and numb steering isn't
helping by filtering out all the feel from the road. Again, this betrays
its family hatchback design background. It isn't a mini Golf GTI in
terms of handling. Want it to handle? Get rid of those balloon 16 inch
tyres for a set of 17inch tyres and invest in a set of coilovers. This
means at least spending RM 7,000 before it can corner like a psudo Golf
GTI. Expensive in my opinion. Springs alone won't do as it is the
dampers that isn't helping the handling here.
