2013 Volkswagen GTD

Lets get some bad news out of the way before we fully dive into this review: You cannot buy a 2013 Volkswagen GTD in North America at all. Volkswagen brought this vehicle over to have certain people (such as ourselves) take a bite of some forbidden fruit.

The best way to describe the Volkswagen GTD is to say it's a Volkswagen GTI with a diesel engine. Taking the place of a 2.0L turbo-four delivering 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque, the GTD uses a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder diesel with 170 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. While the GTD is about a second slower than the GTI (8 seconds vs. 7 seconds), the GTD gets better fuel economy. You can get a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Besides that, the GTD is very much a GTI in essence. Both models come with a exterior body kit that includes a large front intake with vertical fog lights, honeycomb grille, sharp alloy wheels, and a new rear bumper. Inside, there is a flat-bottom steering wheel and other appointments reserved for the GTI