Golf GT 1.4: Little Displacement, Powerful Power

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

At the IAA, the VW Group presents the world's first direct-injection gasoline engine with double turbo-charging. The 1.4 liter TSI engine with 170 hp will initially be used in the Golf GT.

Frank Mertens

Those responsible at Volkswagen are aware of one thing: at the International Motor Show (IAA) from September 15 to 25 in Frankfurt / Main, they will again have to expect criticism from environmental groups. “But we're used to that,” said the Head of Product Communication, Hans-Gerd Bode, as a precaution.

Double-charged engine

The criticism of the environmental associations is particularly directed at the inadequate equipment of the Wolfsburg-based diesel models with soot particle filters. Because to this day, the VW Group has still not managed to equip all of its diesel engines with this environmentally and health-friendly technology as standard. The recurring assurances from VW that they offer retrofit solutions for their diesel models do not help.

But if you have to face criticism with a view to the fashionable issue of soot particle filters, VW is bringing a new generation of engines onto the market right on time for the IAA, which is so important for the industry: the double-charged FSI engine - the so-called «twin charger ».

Reduced consumption

With the new generation of engines, the company wants to counter the steadily rising fuel prices, as Bode said when presenting the new unit at the VW test site in Ehra-Lessien. The “Twincharger” enables reduced consumption compared to the conventional FSI engines.

The team around the head of engine development, Hermann Middendorf, succeeded in doing this by reducing the displacement in combination with a compressor and an exhaust gas turbocharger. While the compressor, which is mechanically driven by means of a toothed belt, increases the torque at low speeds, the exhaust gas turbocharger kicks in at higher speeds.

In practice this means that the compressor can only operate in the speed range up to 2,400 rpm. is required to generate the necessary boost pressure. From a speed of 3 500 rpm. If the compressor is no longer required, the turbocharger alone produces the desired boost pressure. This is indicated on the booster, which is located in the dashboard between the speed and fuel gauge.

170 hp and only 7.2 liters

The new four-cylinder engine manufactured in Chemnitz therefore has 125 kW / 170 hp with just 1.4 liters. The average consumption is 7.2 liters of Super Plus. A very, very good value for a car with this level of performance. The new TSI engine will make its debut in the Golf GT at the beginning of next year.

For the environmental associations addressed by Bode, however, that should not be enough. Like Federal Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin (Alliance 90 / The Greens), they are demanding cars with a consumption of 5.5 liters. Although the new generation of engines from VW does not achieve this value, the Wolfsburg-based company is slowly approaching it. Above all, with the TSI engines they finally offer a serious alternative to diesel models with a view to consumption and torque.

Touran next year with «Twincharger»

Of course, one can argue that saving fuel and a car with 170 hp are mutually exclusive, but the Wolfsburg-based company does not stop at this top engine. In addition to the 170 hp engine, the company will also be offering the “Twincharger” for the Touran with 103 kW / 140 hp from spring onwards. Here the consumption will be 6.9 liters. In addition to the gasoline engine, there will also be a diesel engine: the 2.0 TDI also has 170 hp and is also equipped with a standard particle filter.

But how does the new Golf GT, which is positioned between the Golf Sportline and the Golf GTI, drive? Impressive! The desire for more displacement, which otherwise comes up quickly in a 1.4 liter engine, plays no role whatsoever in the Golf GT. This engine is a real powerhouse. A glance at the numbers alone proves this: the Golf GT 1.4 accelerates from zero to 100 km / h in 7.9 seconds, while the more powerful 2.0 FSI (110 kW / 150 PS) takes 0.9 seconds more and comes to a consumption of 7.6 liters. The GT, whose entry price is said to be around 22,500 euros, reaches its top speed at 220 km / h.

The maximum torque of the new "twin charger" of 240 Nm is between 1750 and 4500 rpm. at. A torque that normally only naturally aspirated engines with a displacement of 2.3 liters can achieve, as Middendorf explains.