Volkswagen Golf GTI TDi PD 150 Review

Overall Rating

Fast, economical, loads of torque

Lousy stereo, aircon has been 'cheapened' from old models

Volkswagen GOLF GTI TDI PD 150 has 50 mpg, 232lbft of torque, 6 speed gearbox - a fantastic (Porche Boxter S eater) car. For the price it is excellent value - practicle, understated, very fast and very frugal - and blows the pants of the Subaru Impreza!

Members' Comments onSWE1's Review

• scoobyowner on 25th May 2004

  As much as I am keen on the Golf GT TDI PD models (currently own 306 DTurbo), I haven't found any (even a PD150) that touches my Scooby. Standing starts are the Scooby's speciality 4x4 traction launches the car like a bullet. Once on the move I can avoid lag and make best use of torque by carefully selecting the right gear - this more than matches the good torque that turbo diesels have.
  
  On track/airstrip, well 3rd pulls to over 100, 4th to over 130 and 5th... well I know it'll hit 150+ on the clock and is still going... so handling a Golf on the m-way, isn't too much of an issue - Scooby can handle M3's comfortably.
  
  Its unfair to compare a 150hp warm hatch to a 300hp high performance lightweight saloon. I love the Scoob, and would love to have a Golf GT TDI PD also, but for now the 306 DTurbo will have to do! whether I get rid of the 306 or both it and the Scoob in the long run, I think (unless I win the lottery), the Golf will be my next purchase!

• scoobyman2004 on 5th Jul 2004

  I can speak from experience my mate has the Golf and it is superb but compared with the Scooby it is a different ball game altogether (my mate compared it to a road legal bullet!)The sheer acceleration of the Subaru will guarantee that it will easily resolve any conflict that might arise between these two.

• dsh on 13th Jul 2004

  As for the GTI PD150 being a Boxster S eater, I'd say that's a bit optimistic too. The GTI has maybe 10ftlbs of torque on the Porsche but at least 100bhp less. I love VWs and have a 1.8T GTI myself. With mods it's putting down just over 200bhp and 240ft1bs to the wheels. It's a neck-snapper but still can't compete with my previous stock Boxster S top-end pull. At 100mph the "S" is just getting going up to its top speed of over 160mph. The little VW oil-burner isn't going to keep pace with that (my 1.8T will before I'm done with it though!)

• chrismanchip on 21st Aug 2004

  Now lets not bring M3's into this arguement! My girlfriend owns a 140bhp (110 chippied) GT TDi and its fair to say that it is almost identical to, maybe a tad quicker, a 2.5 V6 vectra...so we're looking at about 8.0secs 0-60. As for the reality of the speed, most of the driving is done in a city so with the talk and low revs needed to drive in a city, it tends to catch nearly any car out and leave them in a cloud of diesel smoke. So in reality it will normally hold its own against most cars around town.
  
  As for on the main roads...diesel just cant match petrol i dont think (unless you buy a tourag!!). Petrol engines have the extra revs to out do a diesel....but at the end of the day, what you have to remember is....while all you scooby boys are cruising at 100mph on the motorway getting 25mph....i'll be sat right behind you getting 45mph! And when you have to pull over to get more fuel i'll cruise past with a pocket full of petrol money!
  
  Now....the M3 comment! I own a Z3M and I have to say...scoobys just dont quite have what it takes! Maybe you're thinking of the old M3's, but not the new ones! With 321bhp...there aint much that will beat them! And always remember that a de-restricted M3 evo will do 178mph! So while yor scoobys will beat a 150 Tdi, they wont beat me! ;-)

• scoobyman2004 on 24th Aug 2004

  I own a WRX STi and a BMW M5 and i have to agree with the last comment the subaru might wipe the floor with the Golf but the M Series cars will rearange internal organs however the M3 reaches 62 in 5.5 Secs and so does the STi so comparing those two cars is almost impossible unless you de-restrict the M3 and then there is no question about the winner but what you guys need is an M5 then you can tell whoever you like to stuff there boasting down there necks!

• scoobyowner on 24th Aug 2004

  hmmm, re the M5. me thinks an RS6 might have plenty to say about that. remember, no one (or at least not me) is dissing the Golf, i think they're fab. but just putting things into perspective so Golf owners don't embarass themselves thinking they can take on Scoobies.
  
  also, read this article if you all think M3's are so all conquering:
  
  http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e46m3/forum.php?postid=3878033&page=1.
  
  i doubt the original posting about the golf is about total top speed, but more driveability and power delivery - therefore the fact that unrestricted M3s can do 178 is irrelivant. take a Scoob and an M3 and do a point to point test and you'll soon see that there isn't much the M3 can throw at a Scoob that it can't deal with or better.

• chrismanchip on 25th Aug 2004

  I think we're getting away from the original point here! The Golf Tdi is a very good car....no other car seems to match the speed to fuel consumption ratio...so if you want a car that is 2.5v6 petrol speed but gets 50mpg, go for the golf!
  
  The M3 thing...that review is of the new Scooby, and I ain't seen many of them around cos people are scared to buy such an ugly car. I was comparing the scooby that most boy racers have and that aint as quick as the M3 evo. But then again, the scooby is the best that Subaru can throw at us....so lets compare a more suitable car...a Z8 or an M5...or even the new M5 with 500bhp. The main thing here is that M3's and Scooby's are very similar in speed and its mainly down to the driver who wins the race, but at the end of the day...the M series will always beat the best of Subaru. (btw...I actually prefere Mercedes...that's my next car, I just couldn't afford one this time! The SL600 will beat the pants off nearly anything, and if it don't, they can fall back on the SLR)

• scoobyman2004 on 26th Aug 2004

  i could not agree with you more thank you for explaining to these people that there is more than one car in the world

• andimay on 25th Nov 2004

  I own a golf gti tdi which is chipped and pushes out 200 bhp. it kills any scoobys that try puttin pedal to the metal!

• bmwgolfmuncher on 4th Jan 2006

  first of all you can't compare a diesel golf to a subaru you nutter..!nor can you compare a subaru to an m5/m3. however, i use to run a standard impreza turbo which i can quite safely say that with an experienced driver behind the wheel all three of you do not stand a chance, unless we are talking motorway..which a) is boring B)no fun. i currently have a very tuned up leon 150 bhp diesel which i can say i've kept up with the odd evo and m3 on the motorway, mainly because of the 400nm of torque so from 40-130 they can't shake me off.