Which cars are faster then your Golf on the road? Had a battle come arguement which people at work taking the p*ss out of my Mk2. Claiming it was slow and old. It really got to me. But realistically which cars can the Mk2 keep up with? Sometime I find the Focus diesel difficult to follow
Where do I begin! Seriously though almost any modern day hot hatch is faster than a standard mk2, take the Clio and corsa, both top spec models produce around two hundred bhp, way more than even many modified mk2s. That's two decades of progress and development for you!
My standard 8v was nippy but in reality I was struggling to keep up with most everyday boring cars such as Corrolla's and 206's and stuff... So I ABF'd it.. Now it's rapid and will keep up with most things..
BTW, you should pay attention to car's weight too as a newer cars are more heavy. For example: My mk2 16V is noticeably faster than Audi A3 with 1.8T AGU. Because audi's weight is 1300-1400 kg which kills itself.
No, older cars are just as fast.. Just have a different power/torque curve. Older cars have less power but weigh less, new cars have more power but usually weigh more. Swings and round-a-bouts.
Newer engine tech (multiple valves, electronic spark and injection control, variable cam timing etc) enables more power and better torque spread for an engine of given size. This is offset somewhat by the weight argument with newer cars, however they'll still generally be quicker. 0-60 acceleration has fallen from around 9s for the Mk1 Golf Gti in 1980ish to the region of 6s for modern hot hatches. The advent of common rail injection on turbo diesels has made boggo family barges significantly quicker too. In addition to the extra power the vehicles are more aerodynamic, meaning top speeds are significantly higher. I find the 16v is sufficiently quick to have a lot of fun round the twisties and is usually fast enough to see off knobheads (usually because they can't drive). That said driving shouldn't be a c*ck measuring competition.. just enjoy your nice, old and characterful motor
It requires something as fancy as Focus RS/ BMW M3/ Porsche Cayman to be faster than Mk2 ABF. Focus ST / Clio 197 / Early 350z / BMWs / Civic type R / TT 2.0 FSI all sorts have now been embarassed. looking at 1/4 mile times of R32 Golf @ VW spring fest.. they are also within reach
You pretty much said what I was thinking, I was just lazy in what I worte. Older cars are never going to be faster than modern cars with the technological advancements and the way power is delivered. Like the KR where you have to rev hard to get anywhere to the modern day turbo lumps which produce power low down from 2,000rpm. Modern cars are just easier for anyone to jump in and drive fast with all it's traction control, better power delivery and the like. In the real world a decent Mk2 16v driven properly will keep up with most modern hot hatches. You're never going to see them off though.
while that is true about the low down torque, a lot of the modern engines have tiny turbos giving "lagless" low down torque, but nothing up the top end, revving them leads to disappointment & an almost diesel like drive feel
Mk2 ABF well mapped on Megasquirt, DTA or Emerald etc. (using standard 02A gbox) is faster than Focus ST I would think ABF on KJet or Digifant would be faster than the ST if a close ratio box is used
