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"The all-new Mk7 GTI is a giant slayer: It&amp;#039;s easily the best GTI ever in terms of driving dynamics. VW says it&amp;#039;s the fastest, most powerful, and most efficient ever, and that&amp;#039;s just half the story. The fun has remained intact, but a new level of chassis composure and speed is laid on top of VW&amp;#039;s best car. Also, I think it&amp;#039;s great looking.  The seventh-generation GTI continues the recent tradition started with the Mk5 of a genuine driver&amp;#039;s car in the most practical package on the market. It has a huge rear seat, a genuinely big trunk, and an interior that looks and feels more expensive than most cars that cost twice as much. It also drives better than most cars that cost twice as much.   Super-quick new steering (just 2.1 turns lock-to-lock) remains one of the GTI&amp;#039;s best traits: It&amp;#039;s among the best electric power steering systems on the market. You feel absolutely no torque steer, yet the system lets you feel some of what the front end is doing. The engine sounds great (thanks in part to an active sound generator, of course), but the new GTI is a whole league faster than the one currently on sale in the U.S. With an increase of 51 lb-ft of torque, it&amp;#039;s now brutally fast for a front-driver. And it&amp;#039;s unbelievably composed and civilized.  The optional (for Europe, likely for us, too) Performance package adds upgraded brakes sized similarly to those on the last-generation Golf R, 10 hp more (from revised engine controls), and of chief importance: an electronically controlled mechanical limited-slip differential. The Performance package gives the GTI otherworldly traction\u2014think halfway between a regular front-wheel-drive car and an all-wheel-drive car\u2014in the dry at least. It rockets out of corners with no drama, no wheelspin, and (here&amp;#039;s the most impressive part) no torque steer. None. And yet the steering stillmanages to have some feel. Wow.   There are a few gripes. Let&amp;#039;s see: Stability control can&amp;#039;t be fully defeated, but it won&amp;#039;t interfere (in the new Sport mode) unless you do something really silly, so it&amp;#039;s not really an issue. The hoon-eliminating electronic parking brake won&amp;#039;t come to the United States, so that doesn&amp;#039;t matter, either. That leaves only one complaint: The manual-transmission version has gas and brake pedals spaced slightly too far apart for comfortable heel-and-toeing. I still prefer the stick\u2014I&amp;#039;ll just buy wider shoes and shut up.  If last year&amp;#039;s Focus ST raised the bar in terms of handling, the new GTI has just knocked that bar out of the park. The GTI nearly matches the Focus&amp;#039;s willingness to turn without the unpredictable snap oversteer. The GTI&amp;#039;s engine is less powerful on paper but feels like it has another 100 hp under the hood. With an actual mechanical limited-slip differential, the GTI puts power to the ground without any torque steer, while the Focus uses its computers and brakes to sort it all out\u2014with often unpredictable results. The GTI is far more composed, far more predictable, and far faster. It also has a vastly more expensive-feeling interior, and it&amp;#039;s expected to be a couple grand cheaper than the Focus ST. Bottom line? This is easily the best GTI yet, and barring any functional changes on its way to our market in about a year, it&amp;#039;ll take back the crown for the best hot hatch available in the United States.  2015 Volkswagen GTI - The Rundown   Engine : 2.0-liter Turbocharged I-4 Power: 220 hp @ 4500 rpm; Performance Pack: 230 hp @ 4500 rpm Torque: 258 lb./ft. @ 1500 rpm Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 24/34 mpg (projected) Transmission: 6-speed Manual, opt. 6-speed DSG Brakes (Standard front/rear): 12.3 x 1.0-in vented front discs, 11.8 x 0.5-in solid rear discs.  Brakes (Performance Pack front/rear): 13.4 x 1.2-in vented front and 12.2 x 0.9-in vented rear discs. Weight: 2978 lbs.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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