Super and turbocharged Jetta

Today at the Autosport International racing show at the NEC in Birmingham, UK Volkswagen revealed their new VW Jetta TSI Sport. The Jetta TSI Racer will make it first racing appearance on Easter Monday at the Oulton Park Volkswagen Racing Cup race.

The Volkswagen Racing UK team have upped the horsepower from 170 hp to 230 hp in the supercharged and turbocharged 1.4 liter 16-valve engine. Last year the engine was under the bonnet of the Golf, Volkswagen Racing UK’s Melissa Wright said: “We learned a lot about the engine during the course of 2007 and we have incorporated that knowledge into the new installation.”

The engine-driven supercharger and exhaust gas powered turbocharger supply the racer with low rev supercharging while the turbo kicks in at higher engine speeds. This results in no turbo lag and high torque through a wide range of engine RPM. The engine was named Best New Engine of 2006 in the International Engine of the Year Awards.
VW says some of the key attributes of the Jetta TSI Sport include no turbo lag and high maximum torque. Other details include a Recaro HANS racing seat, a six-point harness and a plumbed-in extinguisher system.

The car makes its debut on March 24 in the Volkswagen Racing Cup.

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• VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 3-door hatchback

• PRICE AS TESTED: $35,430 (base price: $33,630)
• ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection
• Displacement: 195 cu in, 3189cc
• Power (SAE net): 250 bhp @ 6300 rpm
• Torque (SAE net): 236 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm
• TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual with automated shifting and clutch
• DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 101.5 in Length: 167.2 in Width: 69.2 in Height: 57.7 in
• Curb weight: 3521 lb
• FUEL ECONOMY : EPA city/highway driving: 18/23 mpg

Basically, the Volkswagen R32 is a three-door GTI—already one of our favorite small cars, with a comparison-test crown and a 10Best trophy to its name—with more: a 250-hp narrow-angle V-6, all-wheel drive, a full complement of luxury features, and weight. VW manages the R32’s weight gain without losing the GTI’s playful tossability by cinching the car’s suspenders a bit tighter. Spring rates, increased just so all around, mask the additional 332 pounds quite well, leaving the GTI and the R32 nearly indistinguishable in tight Alpine switchbacks. With our test gear riding shotgun, the Volkswagen R32, even fitted with the no-cost-option all-season tires, managed 0.87 g on the skidpad, matching the best number posted by a production GTI in our hands (the early Euro-spec car we tested pulled 0.90 g on summer tires).

Unfortunately, theVolkswagen R32 manages its increase in power without a huge gain in speed over the lighter front-wheel-drive GTI. All R32s come with Volkswagen’s DSG dual-clutch sequential transmission—with launch control—so mashing the throttle yields easy, consistent hole-shots. Compared with a DSG-equipped GTI, we saw a half-second improvement in the 0-to-60-mph blast but just a 0.2-second and 2-mph lead through the quarter, with those benchmarks falling in 5.5 and 14.4 seconds at 97 mph, compared with 6.0 and 14.6 at 95.

No doubt the Volkswagen R32 is a special package, a rare blend of performance and comfort, and a bargain compared with other cars offering the same balance of attributes. But for $33,630, or about $6000 more than a similarly equipped GTI, some might want more than just two more driven wheels, a center-exit exhaust that emits a sexier note, and a slight calming of high-speed ride. How much is a small step toward perfection worth to you?