We’re hearing from our sources in Germany that Volkswagen has decided to bring its recently announced GTI 35 Edition to the United States. Woo-hoo? Most definitely woo-hoo: It’s a special edition of a car we love—witness the GTI’s multiple 10Best trophies over the years, including 2011—with more power. It was confirmed that the U.S. car will retain its 235-hp version of VW’s 2.0-liter EA113 turbocharged four when it’s dropped off at the docks; that puts it 35 horses up on our regular-grade model. The European car is available with both six-speed manual and six-speed DSG automatic transmissions.
Of course, the name will have to change. The 35 refers to the number of years since the model was introduced in Europe, and the U.S. didn’t receive a GTI until 1983. But 2012 would mark the 30th model year of American sales, and Edition 30 has a nice ring to it. On the other hand, the last time the GTI celebrated a big birthday, VW held back until the 2003 model year to give us the 20th Anniversary model, so there’s a chance we’ll have a bit of a wait.
Whenever it arrives, we were told the Edition 35 will have some equipment changes, although we don’t know yet what those changes might be. We figure it will be limited to stripping out the “35? door-sill badges, fender badges, and seat embroidery, and replacing them with stuff bearing the new name. We don’t see any reason the rest of the kit—which you can read about in our original post on the car—shouldn’t make the cut, although the sport seats would probably be the first item on the chopping block.
Stay tuned, as we anticipate learning more details next week.
Tags: Volkswagen, Volkswagen GTI |
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