VW Golf GTI, GTE and GTD: Differences in Sport Golf

W he wants to distinguish himself as a car nerd, has to be able to correctly identify a car as it drives by. A new Golf will not be a big challenge in itself, but this is where detailed questions come into play - especially with the sports models. Okay, at the factory they all have their corresponding abbreviation in prominent letters on the rear, but the model name can also be canceled in the configurator. So let's direct our gaze to the remaining features.

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Clear indication of the model variant: The tailpipes at the rear.

The differences are relatively obvious on the back of the car - as I said, apart from the model name. The arrangement or the presence of tailpipes provides information about the model. So if you see a double pipe on the left, it will be a Golf GTD. The petrol engine, on the other hand, has one tailpipe on the right and one on the left. The GTE is a bit trickier. Of course, among the sport variants, it is the only one that only has curved panels on the apron. But be careful: the more civil hybrid models also have this body part.

LED bar on the front

The front is more revealing, because a colored decorative line reveals the respective Sport golf. Red is traditionally found on the face of the gasoline engine. The plug-in hybrid bears the stripe in a blue that has already established itself as a low and zero emission color. For the diesel athlete there was finally - literally - a silver lining. The continuous LED strip in turn unites the entire sporty compact family and in turn sets it apart from the more bourgeois models. Incidentally, this is also what the honeycomb grill with the crystalline ones doesDaytime running lights, but only marginally.

Volkswagen continues the color theme in the interior. Decorative elements in red, blue or silver can be found on the steering wheels of the GTI, GTE and GTD. The classic checked pattern of the seats is also complemented by the respective accent color. Sure, this information is of no use for identification while driving past, but with a parked car you could catch a glimpse of the cockpit.

The technical differences are obvious and are only given for the sake of completeness mentioned. The GTI is powered by a 245 hp four-cylinder petrol engine. The GTE uses the hybrid drive train consisting of a 1.4 liter TSI and an 85 kW electric motor with a GTI-equivalent system output of 245 PS. The diesel engine only manages 200 turbodiesel horses, but with 400 Newton meters on the torque level of the hybrid, which is 30 Newton meters above the gasoline engine.

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A terribly nice family? We'll see that during the first test drives.