00:00 Hey guys, Chris here again from Car Expert.
00:02 We're back at Queensland Raceway
00:03 and today we've got the Golf GTI TCR.
00:06 This variant is focused on being a track specialist
00:10 based off the TCR racing series, which VW do very well at.
00:14 We've got 213 kilowatts and 350 newton meters of torque.
00:17 So as much power as a Golf R,
00:20 but a little bit less torque and only front wheel drive.
00:23 So I'm excited to see how this thing goes.
00:25 (car engine revving)
00:28 (car engine revving)
00:31 Okay, initial impressions.
00:42 Seating position is not bad.
00:43 I'm moving around a little bit.
00:45 It is a slightly supportive seat,
00:47 but still not the stability I'd ideally like on a track.
00:51 It does really feel like the seating position
00:54 you get in a lot of front wheel drive cars.
00:55 You're a little bit more on top of the car.
00:57 I would rather be down a little bit lower.
00:59 (car engine revving)
01:03 Engine feels good.
01:07 Nice, nice, smooth power band.
01:09 Like I said, 213 kilowatts.
01:11 So it's a good step up, similar power to the Golf R.
01:15 350 newton meters of torque.
01:17 And you've got to be careful in a front wheel drive car.
01:19 Torque can really kill traction.
01:22 So delivering that power is a key
01:25 and it does feel nice and smooth, so that's good.
01:28 Visibility is excellent in this car.
01:31 A pillars don't cause any issues
01:32 on the way into the corners, a big, big large screen.
01:35 Steering feels pretty precise.
01:38 It'd be interesting to see what the feedback's like
01:40 when we pick up the pace.
01:41 Let's test out the brakes a little.
01:43 They're not bad, I like that.
01:48 It actually braked even better than I expected.
01:51 I guess we've got quite a lightweight car,
01:53 so that's a big advantage.
01:54 But nice, firm, head-on feel, good response.
01:57 And for a car that's focused at the track,
01:59 it'll be interesting to see whether it holds up
02:01 after a couple of laps or whether it does still drop away.
02:04 Suspension doesn't feel overly firm.
02:06 You're getting some feedback from the road,
02:07 as you can imagine, but it's not too firm.
02:10 And I think they've got to be careful with that
02:11 because you do lose traction.
02:13 And in this car, being just front wheel drive,
02:16 traction is pretty key in terms of getting off the corner,
02:19 getting that two liter turbo power to the ground.
02:22 It's always a challenge.
02:23 And four wheel drive does have a big advantage over that.
02:26 All right, let's start to build up a bit of speed
02:28 and head out for a couple of hot laps.
02:31 So I've got traction control off,
02:33 I've got everything in sports mode, manual gear shift.
02:36 So just moving around a little bit in the seat,
02:39 like a bit more support in the upper body.
02:42 I'm gonna be leaning over a lot
02:43 'cause I feel like there's good lateral grip there.
02:46 All right, get a good exit
02:48 and let's see what lap time this does.
02:50 (car engine roaring)
02:53 (car engine roaring)
02:56 (car engine roaring)
03:00 (car engine roaring)
03:04 (car engine roaring)
03:07 (car engine roaring)
03:18 (car engine roaring)
03:31 (car engine roaring)
03:34 (car engine roaring)
03:46 (car engine roaring)
03:59 (car engine roaring)
04:02 There you go, 61.29 was the best lap, which is decent.
04:09 Unfortunately, the slowest car we've had on the track so far
04:13 but we've had some pretty impressive cars out here.
04:15 When you compare that to the S3, which is all wheel drive
04:19 and a bit more expensive, basically 1.2 seconds away.
04:22 And I think a lot of that's the all wheel drive
04:25 just off the slower corners, the traction,
04:27 that ability to just get going
04:29 and then all the way down the straight you're gaining time
04:31 'cause you've got a similar engine.
04:33 Although they say it's more track focused,
04:35 it's still not super stable.
04:37 And I was moving around a lot in the seat,
04:39 which made it hard in the high speed corners,
04:42 but it's still fun.
04:43 Quick change of directions are great.
04:45 It's quite precise and also a little bit nervous,
04:48 which is good for the track.
04:49 If I over committed, I had some understeer on entry.
04:51 So I did have to be a little bit careful.
04:54 The brakes were okay,
04:56 but I found the pedal a bit inconsistent.
04:58 They were always there,
04:59 but sometimes the pedal would be firm
05:01 and other times it would be a bit long.
05:02 It still stopped okay,
05:03 but just didn't inspire absolute confidence.
05:06 The engine was good and more than enough
05:09 for the traction that you got available
05:11 when you're with a front wheel drive car,
05:13 you're always limited by traction and torque is the killer.
05:16 Like getting that torque to the ground
05:18 through just two wheels is so difficult
05:20 and I really had to try and manage that.
05:22 No real issues with the differential.
05:25 You've got to allow a certain amount of freedom
05:26 on the differential to be able to get the cars
05:28 into the corner and it just missed that initial locking
05:31 to catch the slip,
05:33 which you're always going to get in a road car.
05:35 You don't want it to feel like a race car.
05:37 Although the suspension felt a little bit soft,
05:39 it did handle the curbs really well
05:41 and that didn't upset the car at all.
05:43 I did feel a little bit when I lent on the outside curbs
05:47 on the corner exit that I just lost a little bit of grip
05:50 when I didn't want to.
05:51 And that could just be a damper control issue,
05:53 just not quite enough support there.
05:57 So there you go guys, the Golf GTI TCR.
06:00 Great fun little car on the track,
06:02 but also a challenge to get a good time out of.
06:04 My three top tips with this are,
06:06 the first two are pretty connected.
06:07 It's about how you get off the corner.
06:09 So basically you've got to manage the throttle really well.
06:11 You've got front wheel drive, plenty of torque and power,
06:13 so you've got to control that on the exit.
06:15 And the best way to do that is by flattening the car out.
06:17 So opening the wheel, getting the car level,
06:19 getting both front wheels square on the ground
06:21 and you're going to get a good run down the straight.
06:23 Also be careful under braking.
06:24 Although the brakes are better than a normal GTI,
06:26 they still are a little bit on edge
06:28 when you push hard on a track.
06:29 So just be a little bit careful there.
06:31 Thanks again for watching guys.
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06:38 And if you have any questions or feedback,
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06:42 Take care and I'll see you again next time.
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