Timing couldn't have been worse for Volkswagen’s anniversary Golf GTI at this year's ABDC.
Not only was the GTI 40 Years facing-up to Porsche's refreshed Cayman S and HSV's glorious farewell to the Commodore, it had to do battle with the Ford Focus RS - a car we've described as the 'best hot hatch ever made'.
Compared to the Focus RS, the Volkswagen is significantly outgunned for power and lacking a pair of driven wheels. So in the ABDC environment, the humble Golf should have been facing a bloodbath.
But it didn’t transpire that way. Instead, the Golf GTI 40 was a revelation on the Tasmanian roads, winning respect from the judges for its balance, agility and astonishing cross-country pace.
On teeming wet roads, in at-times near-zero temperatures, the anniversary GTI simply rolled up its sleeves, dug-in and flew. In those conditions, the Volkswagen even left cars like the Nissan GT-R in its wake.
"Confidence-inspiring" was a comment which popped up time and time again in conversation with every judge who drove the Golf GTI 40 in those terrible conditions. But even when the sun eventually shone, the manner in which it continued to demolish the notoriously challenging Tasmanian roads was very, very impressive.
All the more shocking was how, just a few days earlier in downtown Melbourne, the fastest-ever Golf GTI felt nothing more than ordinary.
We pity inner-city Volkswagen dealers trying to sell the GTI 40 because, aside from a firm ride (improved by stabbing a button to switch the adaptive dampers to 'comfort' mode), this Golf is as light and as easy to drive as a Toyota Corolla.
Even the engine is far too polite, rarely intruding on the proceedings.
To get a true sense of the GTI 40’s capabilities, you must escape the urban jungle and swap the sensible shoes for racing moccasins.
True, despite packing 195kW/350Nm - 213kW/380Nm for up to 10 seconds on overboost - in third gear and above, the Golf was among ABDC’s the least powerful (and slowest) cars.But, thanks to its German-titled ‘Vorderachsquersperre’ ('VAQ' or electronically-clutched locking diff), barely a single kilowatt is lost en-route to the road.
Then there are the subtle aero tweaks, honed during development for the GTI 40’s short-lived Nurburgring record run, which are said to be worth seconds per lap.
Of course the Volkswagen Golf GTI 40 is more than a numbers car and the total experience must include the way it makes you feel behind the wheel.
And in that regard, Volkswagen’s variable-speed steering provides pleasing precision, the variable dampers ensure impeccable body control and, in a direct contest with the Focus RS, the Golf’s playful nature emerges.
While a Focus RS driver is enraptured by the Blue Oval hyper hatchback's sheer warp speed, the Golf GTI driver is relishing in the sheer involvement and adjustability of the Volkswagen's chassis.
Sure, beside the all-paw Ford, the Golf might trade some mechanical grip but you're more than rewarded by the ability to trim your angle of attack through bends and indulge in some entertaining slip angles along the way.
Of course, after all that eulogising about the Golf GTI 40 Years' staggering on-road performance, you would expect the Volkswagen to be an absolute joy on the track.
Unfortunately Baskerville Raceway saw the Golf unquestionably out of its depth in the ABDC field.
Perhaps surprisingly, the chief culprit was that VAQ diff. In those extreme race circuit conditions it simply doesn’t cope and leaves you wishing for something more mechanical to shuffle the torque. The precision you enjoyed, only minutes earlier on the road quickly evaporates.
Even with our pro-drivers behind the wheel, the GTI slipped over the ragged edge into excess understeer when powering out of corners.
And the slick manual gearbox, which provided added involvement on the road, was simply unsuited to circuit work. Both our pro drivers complained about the ease with which shifts could be missed in the heat of battle.
The final indignity was the drag strip where the Golf GTI 40 Years was, believe it or not, more of a handful to get off the line than the HSV W1.
Managing the torque and excess axle tramp were the stumbling blocks and the 7.7sec 0- 100km/h time was a humiliating 1.5sec slower than the all-wheel drive Focus RS which was actually one of the easiest cars to launch.
But, on balance, after a full week on some of the world’s best roads, the Volkswagen honestly never felt like a let-down.
As much as I admire the Ford Focus RS as a driving tool, the Golf GTI 40 is arguably the more involving car.
2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI 40 Years pricing and specifications:
Price: $46,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 195kW/350Nm (213kW/380Nm with overboost)
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 7.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 163g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP
2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI 40 Years performance figures (as tested):
0-100km/h: 7.701sec
0-400m: 14.542sec @ 167.076km/h
Lap time: 1:03.604sec