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Working Out in the Gym Sharing aggressive and athletic stances, it was just appropriate to shove more horsepower under the hood. Both have 2.0-liter engines, upping displacements from their lower brethren as well as 5-speed manual boxes. The GTi’s 145-bhp output is closely matched by the RS’s 142. Beyond the figures though, it’s hard to tell them apart. Both have muscular, unadulterated burbles blowing out of free-flowing exhaust pipes. Even subtleties such as crank up sound and peak torque rpm are almost the same. Though the GTi has a thousand more rpms than the RS (7,000 versus 6,000) on the road, it’s RS that has the advantage versus the GTi with the formers lower curb weight and 20 Nm more torque. 100 km/h comes in at 9.2 seconds for the GTi versus the RS’s 8.7--again, figures which are remarkably in the same league. Beyond the drag strips though, both cars exhibit the same characters. On a good note they have easy-to-modulate but abrupt-biting clutches, excellent brakes, and a sporty ride that’s not too firm. Even the way both cars snap into oversteer at the limit’s the same, though the older GTi has more body roll. On the flip side, both betray their humble econobox origins with clunky gearboxes which require precision to shift properly. The RS fares marginally better than the GTi in this department. |
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