Volkswagen Golf GTD 2.0 TDI Review
Torque Spinner

The Golf GTI started the whole hot hatch genre back in 1976. 35 years and six generations on and the GTI remains as one of the best and most desirable hot hatches in the market. Volkswagen though, are not resting on its laurels with the GTI. With the ever-rising popularity of diesels in Europe in recent times, Europe's largest carmaker expects demand for a diesel hot hatch.

And hence in 2009, it revived a version of the Golf that was last seen on with the Mk 2, the GTD. The GTD is basically a GTI with a diesel instead of a petrol engine under its bonnet. So is an oil burning hot hatch a niche too far or is it yet another masterstroke from Volkswagen's brilliant marketeers at Wolfsburg?

Just like the GTI, the GTD gets the right mix of aggression and sophistication on the outside once again in its transformation from family hatch to hot hatch. With the GTD, there are some detail changes from the GTI on the outside though. Obviously, the GTI badges are replaced by GTD ones and the 18-inch alloy wheels are different in design. Up front, one will straight away mark out the chrome instead of the GTI's red accents on the radiator grille while the honeycomb inserts and front bumper are common on both models. Along the flanks, the GTD comes with slightly different design for its side sills while at the rear, the diesel model's twin tail pipes are on the left side while the GTI's are placed on either sides of the rear bumper . Despite the tamer looking alloys, the GTD looks no less purposeful and sporty as its petrol powered cousin.