First off, this latest generation TDI 2.0-liter engine — first seen in the 2006 Audi A3 and VW Touareg in Europe — goes by the name EA189 and is the updated civilian version of the EA188 engine used in the Seat León that races in the World Touring Car Championship. This is the León TDI car that has been regularly beating the tar out of the 2.0-liter BMW 3 Series for WTCC points.
The long-stroke engine now features common-rail fuel injection, a 16.5:1 compression ratio, improved variable valve timing on the intake cam and a single KKK BorgWarner turbocharger.
Barreling through the very green Bavarian Alps, the wave of engine torque that carries us along is an inspiration. The GTD will always be about one second slower off the line to 60 mph than a GTI (6.9 seconds to 60 mph in the GTI versus 7.9 in the GTD with either manual or DSG transmission), but the hot diesel state of mind is a different plane of existence. There's a jolly rhythm to the surging and slaloming style of driving a diesel at high speed. This is hard-core grassroots enthusiasm that many are learning to appreciate, and as Herr Buhlmann reminds us: "This new generation of GTD was created to satisfy the wave of customer requests we received."
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