1984 Rabbit GTI
This is the origin of the hot hatch, and it’s still a fun little car. Its inline-four engine is upgraded to 90 horsepower and paired with a five-speed manual transmission, which doesn’t sound like much, but the GTI feels genuinely gutsy. The closest thing I would compare it to is the base Mini Hardtop with the three-cylinder. It’s fun, even if it isn’t truly fast.
The manual transmission feels a little loose and ropey, which is disappointing. But the handling helps. The chassis is very communicative, and the steering is quick and accurate. Our car could definitely use new tires, as they gave up way before the chassis did, and yes, this was at between 30 and 40 mph.
Everything I said about the Jetta’s interior applies here, but the GTI has some excellent seats with comfortable, supportive bolsters, even all these years later.
While the new GTI provides fun at all velocities, you can still appreciate the low-speed fun the original offers.