GOLF 7 GTI TCR, a magnificent exit..

If you have ever been around Pretoria You have definitely heard the word ‘Dese’ before. This is the urban Pretorian way of describing something that is amazing/awesome etc. I have heard this word a couple of times while driving around in the new limited edition Golf 7 GTI TCR. Golf e edese means that this car cannot be ignored, it means this car makes the right noises, commands respect on the road and possesses a certain style that appeals to my fellow Pretorians in and around ekasi. What better way to say goodbye to the final Golf 7 range than to have it set foot in the places where it thrived the most, in my humble opinion the township, the home of the vrrrphaaa!

The Golf GTI TCR has been available in Volkswagen dealerships since May2020, so you may have spotted a couple on the road. I have seen the conversations online, “what is the difference between this and a normal Golf 7.5 GTI?” Well there are couple of noticeable differences, firstly the model is derived from the racing car of the same name, the international TCR racing series so by comparison, it looks and feels like quite the racer. The TCR also has visible exterior features that are different from the “normal” Golf 7.5 GTI. The TCR comes standard with black 19-inch Reifnitz alloy wheels, perforated disk brakes, matte black exterior mirror caps, sill extensions, front splitter, rear diffuser and TCR roof spoiler. Let me tell you, that Tornado Red on our test model unit 300/300 by the way, awakened feelings of excitement I had never felt before.

Back to our mission of spending the weekend xploring townships in the TCR, I know this may sound risky but we would not have done this sexy beast justice by not taking it to Pheli or Mams. The people here did not need any convincing that this Golf 7 was different, they knew! They recognized and admired the TCR, it was a pleasure to watch. How it feels is simply effortless, the TCR spots a 6-speed DSG gearbox, a 2.0 TSI engine producing a piercing 213kW/380Nm. I admit, I had boxed all Golf GTI drivers under obnoxious drivers, locked it and put it away somewhere safe. I had to take out the box this weekend and re-evaluate my labeling and further change my views, because now I was behind the wheel and I truly get it (wink wink).

The interior also has some nice features like the Alcantara door inserts, gear lever and premium Alcantara Sport seats with GTI TCR detailing. Now, usually I am not a fan of Alcantara interiors but this works quite well. The floor mats come with black and red stitching and red ambient light strips are insight. Other interior features include Climatronic air-conditioning and an exclusive sports steering wheel.

Volkswagen has also upped the tech in the TCR, like the dynamic chassis control, active info display, parallel park assist and of course the driving profile selection that gives options of driving the car in ECO, Sport, Normal or Comfort modes. The Golf GTI TCR comes with a unique number placed under the GTI logo at the rear of the car and also expect a personlised ownership certificate when buying.

With only 300 units of these in South Africa, I quite expect a sold out announcement pretty soon. We are talking about the same South Africa that bought 40 128 units of the Golf 7 since the launch in 2013. If you are a VW Golf 7 die-hard fan, I say go for it and own a limited edition GTI TCR and treat it nicely because BODESE!!!