Volkswagen GTI Wins "Cheap Speed Challenge"

Just one month after arriving in U.S. dealerships, the all-new 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI has been named winner of Cars.com’s first-ever “Cheap Speed Challenge.” The challenge focused on compact coupes, sedans and hatchbacks that cost less than $30,000 and are equipped with features popular among drivers seeking performance in a new car. The 2015 Golf GTI beat out seven contenders in the “Challenge”.

Experts from Cars.com, USA Today, and MotorWeek, as well as an actual car shopper in the market for an affordable performance car, tested the eight contenders over a five-day period. 

Tests included:

• Zero-to-60-mph times and quarter-mile times and speeds
• 60 mph to zero braking distances
• Professional road course testing on a closed track
• 200 miles of driving on varying roads to test each car for real-world fuel economy
• Round-robin driving where each expert evaluated each car on the same street route, back-to-back, to gather overall impressions on drive, features and comfort

Joe Wiesenfelder, Executive Editor at Cars.com was impressed, "Not only does the all-new 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI offer the best performance bang for the buck, it is also one of the most comfortable. The GTI outperformed most cars in just about every test we conducted. Also, unlike some of the other Cheap Speed competitors, the GTI offers an impressively roomy and high-quality interior in addition to being seriously fun-to-drive.”

Gotta love it when we win!