Rabbit GTI Performance Figures
Ah yes, the good old days of the early 80's. Ronald Regan was in his first term. Diesel Oldsmobiles still roamed the roads, and Volkwagen finally saw fit to send us a version of the GTI that had been sold in Europe since the mid-1970's. Here is the data from the road tests the major car mags published upon introduction of the GTI to the US:
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Listed below are the statistics from Car & Driver published during their original test of the Rabbit GTI in November 1982. The GTI went on to become one of Car and Driver's "10 Best" for two consecutive years.
| Vehicle Type | Front engine, front wheel drive, 4 passenger, 2 door sedan |
| Estimated Price | $8440 |
| Engine Type | 4 in line, iron block and aluminum head |
| Bore x Stroke | 3.19 x 3.40 inch, 81.0 x 86.4 mm |
| Displacement | 109 cu in, 1781 cc |
| Compression Ratio | 8.5:1 |
| Fuel System | Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection |
| Emissions Controls | 3-way catalytic converter, feedback fuel-air ratio control |
| Valve Gear | Belt driven overhead cam, solid lifters |
| Power (SAE net) | 90 bhp @ 5500 rpm |
| Torque (SAE net) | 105 lbs-ft @ 3250 rpm |
| Redline | 6700 rpm |
| Transmission | 5-speed |
| Final Drive Ratio | 3.89:1 |
| 1st Gear Ratio | 3.45 |
| 2nd Gear Ratio | 2.12 |
| 3rd Gear Ratio | 1.44 |
| 4th Gear Ratio | 1.13 |
| 5th Gear Ratio | 0.91 |
| Wheelbase | 94.5 in |
| Track, F/R | 54.7/53.1 in |
| Length | 155.3 in |
| Width | 63.4 in |
| Height | 55.5 in |
| Ground Clearance | 4.8 in |
| Curb Weight | 2100 lbs |
| Weight Distribution F/R | 64.3/35.7 % |
| Fuel Capacity | 10.0 gal |
| Oil Capacity | 4.7 quart |
| Chassis Type | unit construction |
| Body Material | welded steel stampings |
| Interior volume, front seat | 43 cu ft |
| Interior volume, rear seat | 33 cu ft |
| Interior volume, trunk | 14 cu ft |
| Suspension, Front | ind, MacPherson strut, coil springs, anti-sway bar |
| Suspension, Rear | ind, trailing arm integral with transverse beam and an anti-sway bar |
| Steering - Type | rack and pinion |
| Steering - Turns lock-to-lock | 3.7 |
| Turning circle | 31.2 ft |
| Brakes - front | 9.4 x 0.8 in vented disk |
| Brakes - rear | 7.1 x 1.2 in cast iron drum |
| Power assist | vacuum |
| Wheel size | 6.0 x 14 in |
| Wheel type | cast aluminum |
| Tire make & size | Pirelli Cinturato P6, 185/60HR-14 |
| Inflation pressures | 28/28 PSI |
Performance Statistics
| 0-30 | 3.0 Seconds |
| 0-40 | 4.4 Seconds |
| 0-50 | 6.6 Seconds |
| 0-60 | 9.7 Seconds |
| 0-70 | 13.3 Seconds |
| 0-80 | 19.0 Seconds |
| 0-90 | 29.5 Seconds |
| Top Gear Passing Time, 30-50 | 8.6 Seconds |
| Top Gear Passing Time, 50-70 | 11.2 Seconds |
| Standing 1/4 Mile | 17.1 sec @ 76 mph |
| Roadholding, 200 ft dia skidpad | 0.78 g |
| Braking: 70-0 @ impending lockup | 194 ft |
| Coastdown - Road hp @ 50mph | 14.5 hp |
| Friction & Tire Losses @ 50mph | 5.0 hp |
| Aerodynamic drag @ 50mph | 9.5 hp |
| EPA Fuel economy, city | 25 mpg |
| EPA Fuel economy, highway | 37 mpg |
| EPA Fuel economy, combined | 29 mpg |
| C&D Observed fuel economy | 26 mpg |
| Interior sound level, idle | 61 dBA |
| Interior sound level, full throttle acceleration | 84 dBA |
| Interior sound level, 70 mph cruising | 76 dBA |
| Interior sound level, 70 mph coasting | 75 dBA |
Those of you that read Car and Driver are familiar with the comparison bars they place in their articles, where they compare the car under test with other cars deemed to be in the same catagory. In the November 1982 issue where they tested the Rabbit GTI, the cars it was compared against were as follows:
Dodge Omni E-Type 2.2
Ford Escort GT
Renault Fuego Turbo
Not surprisingly, the GTI was:
The second cheapest, behind the dodge
The quickest in acceleration
The shortest braking distance
The worst fuel economy
The noisiest at 70mph, but the quietest under full throttle.
Something to think about, given that our cars are now approaching (or past) 25 years of age, is that rough, noisy, rattling thing sitting in your driveway was by far the best little car on the market at the time.
MY PERFORMANCE FIGURES
I recently purchased a GTech Pro to measure performance times for my car. This nifty little device measures 0-60 times, 1/4 mile time and trap speed, horsepower, and lateral acceleration. I don't have a really good place to go let it all hang out, so these times were measured on a local freeway entrance ramp that is slightly uphill. I'll also admit that I'm not a professional driver, so I'm sure someone who knows what they're doing could get much better times. As time permits, I'll get as much statistics as possible.
So far, I've been mildly impressed with these figures, especially considering my engine has over 200,000 miles, and I'm still making 34 hp more than the stock engine!
| 0-60 | 8.02 seconds |
| 1/4 mile speed | 16.5 sec |
| 1/4 mile time | 87 mph |
| Crank Horsepower | 124 hp |
| Lateral Acceleration | .91 g |
| 60-0 Braking | TBD |
My Most Recent GTI Performance Numbers (2006)
I have been once again measuring the horsepower, 0-60, and 1/4 mile numbers for my GTI. I am not very good at getting a good launch due to traction limitations, so my numbers look deceptively low. It may be time to consider a Quaife limited slip differential, because I am losing a good two seconds on my times because I'm doing a wonderful smoky burnoun in first and second gears!
| Road Horsepower |
108 |
| 0-60 time |
9.23 seconds |
| 1/4 mile | 17.3 seconds @ 82.9 mph |
| 60-0 braking distance | TBD |
Using the standard formula of crank hp=road hp/0.8+8, that equates to 143 hp at the crank for my engine. Not bad considering stock the GTI had 90hp!
Obviously, the measured times are not what my car is capable of, and I will continue to work on my launching skills.
Horsepower Calculator