{"id":1922751,"date":"2026-05-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1922751"},"modified":"2026-05-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:00:00","slug":"take-that-honda-vw-has-snatched-the-front-wheel-drive-nurburgring-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1922751","title":{"rendered":"Take that Honda! VW has snatched the front-wheel drive N\u00fcrburgring record"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Volkswagen has set a new N\u00fcrburgring record for front-wheel drive production vehicles, with its Golf GTI Edition 50<\/a> clocking a really rather rapid time of 7m 44.523s in the very capable hands of Benny Leuchter.<\/p>\n

That just pips the 7m 44.881s recorded by Honda\u2019s FL5 Civic Type R back in 2023<\/a>, and it could be very good news for hot hatch fans. Surely Honda won\u2019t let this go without a fight?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You may remember that the Edition 50 was already the fastest Volkswagen production car around the \u2018Ring<\/a>, having set a time of 7m 46.13s last year, but that was when the track was damp. Of course they had to go back for another go.<\/p>\n

The Edition 50 is also the most powerful production Golf GTI ever, with its 2.0-litre turbo four-pot sending 321bhp and 310lb ft of torque to the front axle. There\u2019s also an optional GTI Performance Package that the record-setting car was equipped with, which means you get a further 5mm suspension drop, plus a lightweight exhaust system, forged 19in wheels and sticky Bridgestone semi-slick tyres.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe Nordschleife is unique with its bends, very different sections, bumps and even jumps,\u201d said Leuchter after his record-setting lap. \u201cAnd the same is true for this GTI: with impressive power, a very neutral set-up and at the same time the ability to take any bumps in its stride.<\/p>\n

“The Golf GTI Edition 50 is therefore more than just an anniversary model: it shows what performance in the compact segment can feel like when technical expertise, passion and 50 years of GTI history come together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Your move, Honda.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Volkswagen has set a new N\u00fcrburgring record for front-wheel drive production vehicles, with its Golf GTI Edition 50 clocking a really rather rapid time of 7m 44.523s in the very capable hands of Benny Leuchter. That just pips the 7m 44.881s recorded by Honda\u2019s FL5 Civic Type R back in 2023, and it could be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1922751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1922751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922751\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1922751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1922751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1922751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}