Britain has very lovely summers, which is why the Brits love convertible cars. So VW is gearing up to launch the new drop-top version of the Golf GTI in July. The car is priced at £29,310 for the manual version and £30,610 for the one with DSG transmission. Powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine as the hatchback, the GTI Cabrio promises twice the fun.
The 210 PS engine takes the GTI from 0 to 62 mph in 6.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 147 mph (146 DSG). Combined fuel consumption is 37.2 mpg (36.7 DSG), with CO2 emissions of 177 g/km (180 DSG). So you get the same satisfying performance, and the same peppy handling, plus the joys of open-top motoring.
The only drawback we can think of is the way the GTI looks with its soft-top up. It’s a tad ungainly. But hey, press a button and in 9.5 seconds the roof is gone, and all is well.
Golf GTI Cabriolet comes as standard with bespoke rear diffuser framed by a chrome tailpipe on either side, smoked LED tail lights and 18-inch ‘Monza Shadow’ alloy wheels. Inside you get classic tartan ‘Jacara’ cloth upholstery (Vienna optional), leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, handbrake and gear lever gaiter, all finished with contrasting red stitching, Steel pedals and black ‘Edge’ decorative inlays.
As for the safety features, the GTI comes with automatically deploying rollover protection, front and side head/thorax airbags and a driver’s knee airbag as standard, and a five-star (96 per cent) rating for adult occupancy in Euro NCAP crash tests.
