Automobile Magazine announced today that the sixth generation GTI has been named its Automobile of the Year
Not once but twice
For the second time in its history, Automobile Magazine has bestowed upon the Volkswagen GTI its car of the year award and the first time in its history that the magazine has awarded it twice to the same model.
“At a time when the world’s economy is in shambles and fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are on everyone’s minds, there remains only one car that ticks all the enthusiast boxes without setting off a single wretched-excess alarm. That’s the Volkswagen GTI, and that’s why it is, once again, Automobile Magazine’s Automobile of the Year,” said Joe DeMatio, Executive Editor, Automobile Magazine.
“Having our GTI named AUTOMOBILE Magazine’s Automobile of the Year once again is a tremendous honor for our brand,” said Mark Barnes, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “We’re thrilled that the staff of AUTOMOBILE Magazine acknowledged that today’s sport’s car consumers are looking beyond horsepower and going fast, rather they are looking for vehicles that are practical, fuel efficient, and fast. The GTI truly embodies what the Volkswagen brand is all about–affordable, efficient, and fun-to-drive German Engineering,” Barnes added.
Since 1983
First unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1975, sales of the golf-based GTI began in Europe in 1977. And while the rest of the world was able to enjoy the hot VW hatch, it wasn’t until 1983 that American drivers would be able to get their hands on the North American version that, by that time, would be assembled in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
That original version was equipped with a 90 hp 1.8-liter four and close-ratio 5-speed manual transmission, along with a pair of the sweetest sport seats this side of the Atlantic.
The GTI for 2010
For 2010, the GTI features a 2.0-liter 16-valve DOHC turbo-charged four-cylinder engine that produces 200 horsepower and 207 lbs.-ft. of torque. This time, a six-speed manual is standard, while the father of all “pocket rockets” is also available with VW’s sweet automated manual DSG® transmission. Top speed is electronically governed at 130 mph, while EPA fuel economy is a respectable 32/24 highway/city with the DSG.
Tags: automobile magazine, automobile of the year, dsg, EPA, epa fuel economy, Fuel Economy, gti, Volkswagen, volkswagen gti, vw
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