Some 36 years and 1.8 million sales after the introduction of the original Golf GTI hot hatch, Volkswagen is now getting ready for the European launch of the first convertible version of the series.
First seen as a concept at the 2011 Wörthersee GTI meeting in Austria before VW rolled out the production model at the Geneva Show in March this year, the new Golf GTI Cabriolet will begin arriving in dealerships across the continent from mid-June (UK deliveries to start in July) with prices in Germany starting at €31,350 (about US$39,900).
The Golf GTI Cabriolet features the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four with 207hp (210PS) and 280Nm as the hatchback model with a standard six-speed manual or an optional dual-clutch DGS transmission driving the front wheels.
The four-seater convertible accelerates from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.3 seconds and tops out at 237 km/h or 147mph (DSG: 235 km/h), while returning a combined fuel consumption of 7.6 lt/100 km and CO2 emissions of 177 g/km (DSG: 7.7 l/100 km and 180 g/km CO2).
Like the standard Golf Cabriolet variant, the GTI model’s electro-hydraulic cloth top opens in 9.0 seconds and can be operated while driving at speeds of up to 30 km/h (19mph).
Volkswagen has not mentioned if it has any plans to offer the Golf GTI Cabriolet in North America.
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