The folks at Carwow pit a Volkswagen triplet for a series of drag races. Three versions of the Golf – the GTI, the GTI Clubsport, and the GTD – faced each other on the drag strip. They all come with the same engine, same transmission, and same drive layout. However, different diet and power outputs are what makes this race interesting. Which Golf do you think will make a par, a birdie, and an eagle?

Same Engine, Transmission, and Torque, But Different Horsepower

All three Volkswagen Golfs feature the same 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine. The GTI and the GTI Clubsport follow a gas diet, whereas the GTD drinks diesel. They all make the same torque, too – 295 pound-feet.

Power is channeled to the front wheels exclusively via a dual-clutch automatic gearbox in all the Golfs. Also, they all have Launch Control. They weigh slightly different. The GTI weighs the lightest at 3,192 pounds, followed by the GTI Clubsport at 3,221, and finally the GTD at 3,230 pounds.

No Surprises In The Race

Seeing the power outputs, you must have already guessed the result. Well, no spoilers there because they finished the race exactly how they would on paper. The most powerful of the lot, the GTI Clubsport, finished the race first, followed by the 245-horsepower GTI and the 200-horsepower GTD. The Clubsport finished the race in 13.4 seconds, the GTI in 14 seconds, and the GTD in 15.1 seconds.

Next up was the rolling race from 50 mph in the Comfort setting. The torquey diesel had the best kickdown as it overtook both the gas Golfs. The Clubsport took over within a couple of seconds, but the standard GTI took longer. It went past the GTD at around 100 mph to eventually finish second. The GTI Clubsport and the GTD finished first and last, respectively. They raced again in their sportiest setting, but the result was the same.

The final round was the brake test. The Golf GTD and the GTI come with the same brakes and the same tires, whereas the GTI Clubsport features different ones. The result was the same here, too – GTI Clubsport, GTI, and the GTD.

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