Volkswagen Golf / GTI Volkswagen Golf / GTI 2016

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Volkswagen Golf / GTI Specs at TrueDelta: Powertrains and tires by trim level (2016)

How powerful is the engine? How much room is in the back seat? Get the 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI specs.

2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Specs - Exterior and Interior Dimensions

Body 2dr Hatch 4dr Hatch 4dr Wagon
Wheelbase 103.8 in 103.8 in 103.5 in
Length 167.5 in 167.5 in 179.6 in
Width 70.5 in 70.8 in 70.8 in
Height 57.2 in 57.2 in 58.3 in
Curb Weight 2961 lb. 3023 lb. 3123 lb.
Fuel Capacity 13.2 gal. 13.2 gal. 13.2 gal.
Headroom, Row 1 38.4 in 38.4 in 38.6 in
Shoulder Room, Row 1 55.9 in 55.9 in 55.9 in
Legroom, Row 1 41.2 in 41.2 in 41.2 in
Headroom, Row 2 38.1 in 38.1 in 38.6 in
Shoulder Room, Row 2 53.9 in 53.9 in 53.9 in
Legroom, Row 2 35.6 in 35.6 in 35.6 in
Total Legroom 76.8 in (over 2 rows) 76.8 in (over 2 rows) 76.8 in (over 2 rows)
Cargo Volume, Minimum 22.8 ft3 22.8 ft3 30.4 ft3
Cargo Volume, Maximum 52.7 ft3 52.7 ft3 66.5 ft3

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TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
YearComment
2015 The original Golf revolutionized the automotive world by demonstrating how practical a small car could be. Though the latest, seventh-generation Golf is much larger than the original, and every major auto maker now offers a Golf-like compact, the Volkswagen continues to impress with its practicality. Let's start with the front seat. The seat itself is shaped and padded to provide nearly ideal comfort and support in daily driving. The performance buckets in the GTI and R have firmer bolsters that provide more lateral support, but the regular Golf's buckets are cushier and more comfortably contoured. The e-Golf uses the same exemplary seats. In comparison, the seats in the Soul EV are merely okay. The view forward from the e-Golf's driver seat is also about as good as it gets in a current compact, with a reasonably-sized instrument panel and an expansive, comfortably raked windshield flanked by relatively thin pillars. This said, some people might prefer the higher driving position in the quasi-crossover Soul EV. For me, a conventional car's lower position continues to feel more natural, especially in turns. Battery packs take up space. Even with the (roughly) 1.5-kWh battery packs used by hybrids cargo capacity usually takes a hit. In the Soul EV, rear seat legroom suffers a three-inch reduction due to the underfloor location of the car's 27-kWh battery pack. But VW engineers managed to design and package a 24-kWh battery pack so cleverly that the e-Golf's passenger and cargo room are identical to those of a regular Golf. Adults will comfortably fit in the car's back seat. The same can't be said about most other EVs--the Soul being a second exception. Even with the three-inch cut, the Kia's back seat is about as roomy as the Golf's. The i3's back seat is far tighter. Which EV treats its passengers best depends on the season. The e-Golf includes rear air vents, while the Soul EV+ includes rear seat bun warmers. Moving to the cargo area, the Soul EV's battery pack eats up a dozen cubic feet, leaving just under 50. The uncompromised e-Golf can contain a couple more. But these figures don't convey the differing proportions of the cars' cargo holds. The e-Golf's is a few inches longer, while the Soul EV's is a few inches taller. Which is the better cargo hauler depends on the shape of your cargo. The much larger Tesla Model S can hold a few more cubic feet, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class about the same as the e-Golf. No other EV comes close, especially not the 12-cube BMW i3. see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review
 

What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
YearBody/PowertrainComment
2016 2dr Hatch turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4
6-speed manual FWD
Difficult ingress and egress see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review
 

2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 2-door Hatch Specs - Powertrains and Tire Sizes

Trim 1.8T 1.8T S GTI S GTI SE
Standard Engineturbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
184 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
184 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
210 hp@4500
258 lb-ft@1500
turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
210 hp@4500
258 lb-ft@1500
Optional Engine(s)turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
199 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
199 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
220 hp@4700
258 lb-ft@1500
turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
220 hp@4700
258 lb-ft@1500
Standard Transmission5-speed manual5-speed manual6-speed manual6-speed manual
Optional Transmission(s)6-speed manually-shiftable automatic6-speed manually-shiftable automatic6-speed automated manual6-speed automated manual
Standard DrivetrainFWDFWDFWDFWD
Standard Tires195/65HR15 tires195/65HR15 tires225/40HR18 tires225/40HR18 tires
Optional Tires225/40HR18 tires225/40HR18 tires  

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2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4-door Hatch Specs - Powertrains and Tire Sizes

Trim 1.8T S GTI S 1.8T SE GTI SE 1.8T SEL GTI Autobahn R e-Golf SE e-Golf SEL Premium
Standard Engineturbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
184 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
210 hp@4500
258 lb-ft@1500
turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
199 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
210 hp@4500
258 lb-ft@1500
turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
199 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
210 hp@4500
258 lb-ft@1500
turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
292 hp@5400
280 lb-ft@1800
Electric
115 hp
199 lb-ft
Electric
115 hp
199 lb-ft
Optional Engine(s)turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
199 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
220 hp@4700
258 lb-ft@1500
 turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
220 hp@4700
258 lb-ft@1500
 turbocharged
2.0L I4
DOHC-4v
220 hp@4700
258 lb-ft@1500
   
Standard Transmission5-speed manual6-speed manual6-speed manually-shiftable automatic6-speed manual6-speed manually-shiftable automatic6-speed manual6-speed manual1-speed automatic1-speed automatic
Optional Transmission(s)6-speed manually-shiftable automatic6-speed automated manual 6-speed automated manual 6-speed automated manual6-speed automated manual  
Standard DrivetrainFWDFWDFWDFWDFWDFWDAWDFWDFWD
Standard Tires195/65HR15 tires225/40HR18 tires225/45HR17 tires225/40HR18 tires225/40HR18 tires225/40HR18 tires225/40YR18 tires205/55HR16 tires205/55HR16 tires
Optional Tires225/40HR18 tires 225/40HR18 tires   235/35YR19 tires  

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2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4-door Wagon Specs - Powertrains and Tire Sizes

Trim 1.8T S 1.8T Limited Edition 1.8T SE 1.8T SEL
Standard Engineturbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
184 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
199 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
199 lb-ft@1600
turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
199 lb-ft@1600
Optional Engine(s)turbocharged
1.8L I4
DOHC-4v
170 hp@4500
199 lb-ft@1600
   
Standard Transmission5-speed manual6-speed manually-shiftable automatic6-speed manually-shiftable automatic6-speed manually-shiftable automatic
Optional Transmission(s)6-speed manually-shiftable automatic   
Standard DrivetrainFWDFWDFWDFWD
Standard Tires195/65HR15 tires225/45HR17 tires225/45HR17 tires225/40HR18 tires

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TrueDelta Reviews the Powertrain of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Powertrain: Pros
YearComment
2015 With 72 more horsepower than the GTI and twice as much rubber transferring this power to the pavement, the Volkswagen Golf R is a very quick car. With a hard launch (facilitated by standard launch control) it can get from a dead stop to 60 MPH in under five seconds, perhaps a second quicker than a GTI with the optional Performance Package (which bumps horsepower from 210 to 220 and adds a limited-slip differential). Though it is a little more powerful, at least according to the spec sheet (305 vs. 292 horsepower), and also tips the scales at around 3,400 pounds, the Subaru WRX STI isn't quite as quick. Why not? Credit the lightning-quick shifts of the VW's six-speed dual-clutch automated transmission (DSG in VW parlance, DCT in generic). A human driver cannot shift the Subaru's six-speed manual transmission nearly as quickly as the DSG can shift itself. But what if you prefer the more thorough involvement provided by a manual transmission? The Golf R is available with one for 2016. Just expect your jollies to come at the expense of at least a few tenths. Beyond full-throttle acceleration, the Golf R's performance isn't much of an improvement over the GTI. The opposite, in fact. The way to get more power without increasing the size of the engine (still 2.0 liters) is to pump more air into the engine, which tends to require a larger turbo. Larger turbos take longer to spool up. As a result, in typical driving the Golf R engine's power delivery feels more laggy and less linear--like that of the non-STI 2.0-liter Subaru WRX, if not to the same degree. The WRX STI has a 2.5-liter engine, so it doesn't require nearly as much boost to yield its 305 horsepower. Then there's the sound made by the Golf R's engine, or by the audio system in an attempt to enhance the inherent sound of the engine. There's quite a bit of this sound in the Golf R, especially in sport mode, and it's not of an appealing quality. A deepish monotone drone, it sounds entirely synthetic even if it's not. The "whump" evoked each time the DSG makes one of its firm, lightning-quick shifts, though, I like. see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review
 

What Our Members Are Saying about the Powertrain of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Powertrain: Pros
YearBody/PowertrainComment
2016 2dr Hatch turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4
6-speed manual FWD
Excellent Power and torque see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review
 

What Our Members Are Saying about the Tires of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

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2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI MSRP and Invoice Prices

Body Trim Base Price Invoice Destination
2dr Hatch 1.8T 18,495 17,755 820
2dr Hatch 1.8T S 19,575 18,793 820
2dr Hatch GTI S 24,995 23,995 820
2dr Hatch GTI SE 28,025 26,904 820
4dr Hatch 1.8T S 20,175 19,368 820
4dr Hatch GTI S 25,595 24,571 820
4dr Hatch 1.8T SE 25,225 24,217 820
4dr Hatch GTI SE 28,625 27,481 820
4dr Hatch 1.8T SEL 27,425 26,328 820
4dr Hatch GTI Autobahn 30,135 28,930 820
4dr Hatch R 35,650 34,225 820
4dr Hatch e-Golf SE 28,995 27,835 820
4dr Hatch e-Golf SEL Premium 35,595 34,171 820
4dr Wagon 1.8T S 21,625 20,760 820
4dr Wagon 1.8T Limited Edition 24,995 23,995 820
4dr Wagon 1.8T SE 27,025 25,944 820
4dr Wagon 1.8T SEL 29,385 28,210 820

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