New Volkswagen Golf GTD – the diesel Golf ‘GT’ – on sale in the UK from £32,790

The new Volkswagen Golf GTD, the diesel sibling to the Golf GTI and GTE, goes on sale in the UK with prices starting from £32,790.

Having focussed on the launch of the electric ID.3, Volkswagen finally remembered which side its bread is really buttered and got round to launching the VW Golf Mk8 this time last year and, back in February, revealed the ‘GT’ trio of new Golf GTI, GTE and GTD.

The new Golf GTI and GTE are already on sale in the UK, and now it’s the turn of the diesel-powered Golf GTD to go on sale in the UK, just in case there’s anyone left who trusts a diesel VW and prefers it to a plug-in hybrid GTE or petrol-powered GTI. It seems likely the GTD will be a smaller part of the ‘GT’ sales mix than previous generations.

Despite that, and especially for high-mileage drivers, the new Golf GTD has a lot to offer and is, by a small margin, the cheapest of the ‘GT’ trio, with the new Golf GTD starting at £32,790, GTE at £35,960 and GTI £33,460.

The GTD comes with a reasonably punchy 197bhp and 295lb/ft or torque, good enough for a 62mph sprint in 7.1 seconds and, as long as you don’t have your foot mashed to the floor all the time, economy of 50-plus mpg and a range of up to 600 miles on a full tank.

Cosmetically, the GTD comes with its own bumper styling, LED fogs, illuminated grille, IQ.Light LED matrix headlights and 18″ ‘Bakersfield’ alloys to mark it out from its siblings, and a decent spec too.

The spec includes Keyless, Climate, electric folding mirrors, puddle lights, sports seats, grey Jacara cloth, heated sports steering wheel and flappy paddles for the standard DSG ‘box.

Dale Piper, Golf Product Manager at Volkswagen UK, said:

The Golf GTD is the third member of the Golf GT trio, each one featuring a different set of characteristics. The iconic, enthusiast-focused Golf GTI and the ultra-low emissions Golf GTE plug-in hybrid are now joined by the high-torque, high-performance GTD.