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"  In the market for a GTI? You&amp;#039;re a wise person. The boxy little hot hatch\u2014now in its 6th generation\u2014is more entertaining than ever, thanks to a firmly sprung but well-damped suspension and a gem of an engine: direct-injected and turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, which sends 200 bhp to the front wheels in silky smooth fashion. On boost, this 16-valve twincam powerplant pulls the GTI around with surprising alacrity; off boost, such as when cruising down the freeway, you get all the economy you&amp;#039;d expect of a reasonably small 4-cylinder. EPA highway fuel economy is in the low 30s.   Problem is, which GTI to get? The 3-door or the 5-door? Although you might not expect this, both have the same 101.5-in. wheelbase, and both are about 165 in. long. What&amp;#039;s more, both are built in Wolfsburg, Germany, and they&amp;#039;re available with either a 6-speed manual transmission (standard) or a 6-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox, an $1100 option. This transmission has both automatic and manual modes, the latter employing shift paddles that invoke super-quick upshifts and beautifully rev-matched downshifts.   To answer our question, we arranged two , a Candy White 3-door with DSG and just about every conceivable option (and a hefty price of $31,900), and a more modestly equipped Deep Black 5-door with a 6-speed manual that came in at $24,789.   Leaving the line at the track, the DSG GTI, as expected, is quicker, leveraging its launch control software and lightning-quick upshifts to hit 60 mph in 6.1 seconds\u2014that&amp;#039;s 6/10ths swifter than VW claims and a half-second ahead of the 5-door manual GTI. The gap narrows in the quarter mile (14.6 sec. versus 14.9), but the fact of the matter remains: Both are fast enough to be lots of fun.   In the slalom, the 5-door GTI proved quicker, weaving through our cones at 67.1 mph and with a bit better balance than the 3-door car, at 66.2 mph. This may be related to its lighter weight (fewer options means it tips the scales 85 lb. lighter than the 3-door), and its 17-in. 225-width all-season Continentals felt like they had better limit behavior than the 3-door&amp;#039;s more aggressive 18-in. Pirellis. This was also borne out on the skidpad, where the 5-door lapped at 0.88g, slightly better than the 3-door&amp;#039;s 0.86g.   On the inside, both GTIs are handsomely styled and fitted with high-quality materials and a meaty-rimmed steering wheel. The optional leather-covered sport seats of the 3-door are quite comfortable, but we&amp;#039;ll give the nod to the seats in the 5-door, whose plaid pattern recalls the first GTIs of 1983...and hopefully not that old Members Only jacket your wife made you throw away just last year. Also on a positive side, there&amp;#039;s room for tall drivers in each GTI, and although the back seats of each are equally spacious, access to the bench is obviously aided by the extra doors.   So, 3-door or 5-door? Tradition says go with the 3-door, but it also tells us that GTIs have always been about affordable fun, for the enthusiast who might still be paying off some student loans. On the other hand, the 5-door is kind to any folks you might need to schlep around, and it doesn&amp;#039;t seem to detract from the sporting experience. And as for DSG, it really is the best of both worlds, a mistake-free automatic that can shift quicker than humanly possible, but lacks the driver engagement of the standard light-action 6-speed manual. Our final verdict: We&amp;#039;ll take a 3-door manual with very few options to keep it near the $23,290 base price. And don&amp;#039;t forget the plaid seats! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/reviews/a16210/2010-volkswagen-golf-gti-1/>