BLANK CANVAS, SORT OF.

We’ve driven the GTI on a track and now it’s time to drive it on the road. But I think it has more ‘potential’, or does it?

- CYRUS DHABHAR

A few months ago, we drove the GTI at NATRAX, which in my slightly biased opinion is the most advanced test facility for motor vehicles in Asia. We did what any self-respecting hot hatch lover would do - a quarter mile, handling track, the high speed bowl... the works. And yet, that whole experience actually left me a bit sad. Because all I really wanted to do was drive this real-world perfect little nugget on our real-world unperfected Indian roads. Especially since I had just come out of Octavia RS ownership, and I know exactly how this platform behaves where it matters, not in a proving ground bubble, but in the chaos of daily driving.

The wait was long. And sad. It took a while for the GTI to officially enter Volkswagen India's press fleet. The moment it did, I had to have it for a week. When it finally arrived, it was, as seems to be the case often these days, a wet and grey day, weirdly brightened up by the grey the GTI wore. Now I could tell you all about the Golf, the engine, the interior and the VW obviousness, but this article is not that. This is purely: how does this thing drive on actual Indian streets? Is it deserving of that insane price tag?