Volkswagen's bread and butter, the sixth-generation Golf only hit the streets in 2009 and just two years later, already details are leaking out on what to expect in the MK8 Golf when it debuts in 2016. More specifically, engine and mechanical details are leaking from Wolfsburg.Autocaris reporting that the next gen Volkswagen GTI will get a 20-hp boost over the current GTI.
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For those doing the math, a 20-hp boost in the 2016 Volkswagen GTI would bring the GTI's power ratings up from the current 200-hp, to 220-hp.Autocaris reporting that the power boost will come from minor changes in the current 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4. The most dramatic change to the engine will be the addition of a new valve lift system that was developed in conjunction with Audi. The next GTI and Golf R should also get new electronically controlled, mechanical locking differential so the future VW hot hatches can continue to put power down on the road.
In other engine news, Volkswagen's Europe-only 1.4-liter 'Twincharger' I-4 will lose an appendage. The Twincharger, a compound-boost setup featuring both a supercharger and turbocharger, will lose the supercharger and soldier on with its single turbocharger.Autocarexpects the new 1.4-liter turbo I-4 to produce around 150-hp. That engine will likely stay in Europe. As we reported in the August issue ofMotor Trend, we're also expecting Volkswagen to add a small sub-liter displacement diesel-electric plug-in hybrid into the 2016 Golf in Europe. We're expecting the 0.8-liter diesel-electric hybrid powerplant to put out a combined 85-hp, which would work just fine in Europe, but wouldn't do well in North America.
On the other side of the Atlantic, we're expecting the MK8 2016 Golf to get some new engines as well. As we reported in the August issue ofMotor Trend, we're expecting the 2016 Golf to lose its aging 2.5-liter I-5. In its place, we're expecting the future Golf to get a more refined direct-injected 1.8-liter I-4.
Autocaris also expecting the Golf Cabriolet R that was unveiled at Worthesee to see production. Don't expect the Golf Cabriolet R to make its way to North America though; Volkswagen has a nasty habit of withholding some of its better offerings from the North American marketplace. Yes, Volkswagen we're still bitter we don't have the gorgeous Scirocco.
The 260-hp all-wheel drive convertible Golf R is apparently favored for production over the GTI Cabriolet because profit margins with a range-topping R Cabriolet would be higher than with a comparable GTI.Autocarexpects the Golf Cabriolet R to debut before 2014, when the engine that it shares with the standard Golf R no longer meets European Union emissions standards. Reportedly VW won't re-engineer the current Golf R engine to meet the new standards, and will instead use an up-rated version of the same turbocharged 2.0-liter from the current GTI in the next Golf R.
For more details on what to expect on the 2016 Volkswagen Golf, check out the Future Performance feature in the August issue ofMotor Trendon your iPad today. Or if you're one of the handful of people left thatdon'town an iPad, you could do it the old fashioned way and buy the August issue of the print mag from your local newsstand, on-sale now.
Source: Autocar, Motor Trend
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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