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With each passing day, we are edging closer to the 82nd Geneva Motor Show premiere on March 6 and more models are coming out in the open. One such case is the Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet. Just yesterday, we received word that the production version of concept model shown at last year's Wörthersee meeting in Austria will be displayed at VW’s 2012 Geneva motor show stand, and today we have the first official details and images of the car.
Although an open-top Golf is by no means something new, this is the first time that VW gives it the full-blown GTI treatment. This translates to the fitment of a 210PS 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder linked to a six-speed manual or an optional dual-clutch DSG gearbox, and the XDS electronically controlled differential as standard.
According to VW, the Golf GTI Cabriolet accelerates from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 7.3 seconds with both transmissions and tops out at 237km/h (147mph) with the manual and 235km/h (146mph) with the DSG.
Those opting for the manual will get an average fuel consumption of 7.6 lt/100 km (30.9 mpg US) and CO2 emissions of 177 g/km, while DSG owners will come out 0.1lt/100 km (0.4) and 3 g/km worse.
On the outside, sans the removal of the roof, the GTI Cabriolet does not differ from the hatch. It sports the same honeycomb grille with the red frame and vertically stacked fog lights, the same 17-inch “Denver” alloys with 225/45 tires as standard (18-inch rims are optional) and a rear bumper that incorporates a diffuser and a tailpipe at each corner.
Apart from the more raked windshield and the two-seat layout at the rear, the interior will also be familiar to Golf GTI owners, with its classic tartan “Jacky” seat upholstery and the flat-bottom sports steering wheel.
VW has bucked the trend of a hard-top roof that it too employed in the Eos and has opted for a fabric top. This opens in 9.5 seconds and closes in 11 seconds and can be operated up speeds up to 30 km/h (18 mph).
Automatically-deploying roll bars, along with a full array of airbags, take care of safety. On the downside, the need to store the roof has taken its toll on boot space, which has shrunk from the hatchback’s 350lt to 250 lt.
The company has announced that the new Golf GTI Cabriolet will be available “just in time for the official arrival of the summer” – so expect it in dealerships sometime in June.
