'The MSW project car was soaking up everything the tricky road could throw at it'

The weekend ahead was set to be a busy one with nearly the entire evo Middle East team called to action. The responsibility for the Porsche 997 GT3 RS cover story had been passed over to Blair Cole; ardent Porsche follower and Motorsport Operations Manager of the Porsche Club UAE, there was no one better served to test out this new offering from Stuttgart. As a former Golf GTI owner, I had been set the challenge of the hot hatch comparison. The GTI and GT3s paths would cross frequently over the course of the weekend.

With the mk5 Golf GTI, VW was back in action - bold, unambiguous and, as our hot hatch group test proves, equipped to take on all the leading contenders. Good news, for there were four sporty Golfs in the mk4 line-up and none of them hit the nail on the head. The R32 was without doubt the pick of the bunch but admittedly a rather complex, heavy and expensive solution to creating a more entertaining Golf. While there is no denying that with the mk5, Volkswagen hasn't forgotten how to make a capable and engaging hot hatch, there is a nagging feeling that, while it is the perfect everyday car - superb on the road, with ample grip and poise - it still feels a bit lifeless on the track.

Could a short stint down the road from evo Towers to Al Quoz, the industrial area of Dubai, and the home of the Motorsport Wheels Middle East headquarters change all that? MSW's philosophy on tuning is to focus on improving chassis dynamics, eschewing warranty damaging engine, exhaust and body upgrades. The guys pay particular attention to suspension and brakes and in some cases specialist driveline components such as torque biasing differentials, dog engagement and sequential gearboxes.

Iain and Jon of MSW had been hard on the case of a mk5 Golf GTI project which intended to demonstrate that their approach to tuning could bring tangible benefits to the car on the track without introducing negative characteristics to day-to-day driver enjoyment.

Various modifications were made to the standard GTI over the last six months with improvements noted at each stage. According to Iain, the only exception to this was the H&R NŸrburgring suspension settings that were deemed too stiff and eventually rejected in favour of a more road compliant set-up.

The modifications made to the MSW project car over the standard GTI included dressing it in 18in BBS CH wheels ($ 3400) - which in addition to visually improving the car also increase the track front and rear. H&R height adjustable coil-over suspension ($ 1400), featuring upgraded dampers and springs specifically designed for fast road and trackday use were added. As were H&R anti-roll bars ($ 2250) front and rear and an AP Racing 6-Piston braking kit ($ 4300) featuring 330mm grooved and vented discs.

The project was now complete. With the driving characteristics of the standard GTI now a distant memory, it was time for us to put MSW's claims to the test and pitch the project car in a head-to-head battle with a basic model.

The obvious destination to test these two cars was on the tarmac at the Dubai Autodrome. The Friday evening open track event would prove the ideal battleground to record lap times in both cars. The Club Circuit of the Autodrome had just been fitted with a brand new set of floodlights at the cost of $ 50k and this was the inaugural event to be held in the new bright conditions. It had certainly drawn a crowd, with all three categories over-subscribed. Also present at the circuit were Blair and fellow evo contributor Karim Al-Azhari, who were there to test the track prowess of the GT3 RS.

While the huge turnout was great for the Autodrome, it wasn't going to make it easy to put in cleans runs and record lap times. Arriving in the standard GTI, I had arranged to meet my contender Iain at the circuit. Still on the road after an all day VW Club drive around the Emirates, I decided against waiting and took the chance to warm up on the track.

Despite its generous proportions, dropping into the spacious GTI feels snug thanks to the perfectly formed sports seats. Trimmed in leather, the steering wheel is an ergonomic delight - its fat, sculpted rim offering a comfortable, positive grip perfect for the circuit. And it looks the part too, with perforated sections and a flat lower edge.
Firing up the car, I am surprised how Volkswagen's engineers have given this turbo engine a normally-aspirated voice - a guttural appealing bwarp that swells with large, low-rev throttle openings as I put my first few laps in around the gradually darkening Dubai Autodrome.

With a vaguely clear track ahead of me, I take that as my cue to start pushing the car to its limits. Attacking second gear corners, roll is aptly resisted. The GTI corners flat and secure and seems to distribute the cornering load between the front and the rear relatively evenly. There is the occasional sense that the rear is getting a little loose as you turn-in, but nothing dramatic enough to force you to ease off.

The ride, however, does feel a little too high and soft for the track, compounded by the fact that the variable-rate electro-hydraulic assisted steering feels worryingly light. There is a hint of a racecar-like feel to how the GTI moves, but after 20 minutes on the circuit, I still can't help but feel there is something amiss, although unable to put my finger on exactly what. With so much traffic on track, lap times aren't going to be how we gauge the difference between the two GTIs, it is purely going to be down to the feel of the two cars.

After a full day of driving, Iain eventually roars into the Autodrome with just enough time for us to grab a coffee before my group is back on track. Visually, the MSW project GTI looks moderately more sleek without being over-styled. The BBS alloys, Toyo Tires and subtle decals lend it a definite racing edge. But by far the biggest cosmetic difference is how low it sits compared to the standard GTI. The car rides up to 70mm nearer to the ground than the factory automobile and looks a lot meaner with a hunkered-down stance. The standard GTI all of a sudden adopts the feel of a family car. Internally, the MSW Golf's sports seats are trimmed in grey cloth with tartan centre panels - a nod to the original GTI - rather than leather. It could just be me, but they seem more bucket-like and firmer.

Time to take to the track again. What immediately becomes evident is how much more poised the MSW Golf feels on the tarmac. You turn and the car simply settles comfortably into the corner, clean and calm. The firmer, stiffer ride completely reducing any body roll or the feeling the car is adopting a three-wheel stance that was more typical of the standard GTI.

By far the biggest difference, though, comes in slowing the car down. The AP braking kit makes the left pedal a lot more satisfying and dramatically reduces braking distances. The blend of savagery braking and speed allows for more commitment and more options into and through the corner - thrills that now I've jumped into the MSW Golf I realise were lost in the standard GTI.

Once again, track-clogging traffic had made it nigh on impossible for us to record a fair lap time, but bringing the car to a standstill in the pit garage, I come to the conclusion that what was lacking in the standard GTI has been more than made up for by Motorsport Wheels in their project vehicle. It was nothing to do with straight-line speed; in that sense the cars were no different, but it was the handling and braking that had made the MSW GTI an extreme rather than hot hatch.

But had all this race tuning compromised the car on the road? There was only one way to find out. The GT3s were driving to Hatta, near the Oman border and then on through the mountain road to Kalba the next day, so Iain and I decided to join them. The everyday driveability of the MSW project GTI would be perfectly tested on the straight, undemanding roads towards Hatta while once up in the hills we could again test the cornering difference of the two cars. Save for the tyre noise coming from the optional Toyo track tyres, the MSW project car - much the same as the standard GTI - was an entertaining and appealing fast hatch. Both felt like driver's cars, with their wonderfully supportive seats and enthusiastically gutsy engines. Swapping between the two on the dual-lane highways, it was hard to tell them apart. The more you drive them, the more you appreciate them. The DSG 'boxes in both cars offering incredible shift speed and certainly more engaging than a conventional automatic.

Suitably impressed by how comfortable the MSW project car had been on desert roads to the bottom of the Hatta-Kalba mountain pass, it was now time to seriously test both cars head-to-head again. I would stick with MSW GTI for the first run through the mountains with Iain in the standard vehicle. We would then swap cars and retrace our steps.

Leading the way, I found myself haring along the mountain road at much more of a speed than I would expect. The engine in the GTI is very strong all the way through, but especially in the low- and mid-ranges. At speed, the project car was soaking up everything the tricky road could throw at it, and there's so much cornering grip that you can carry huge amounts of speed through the bends. Before long, the standard GTI was a mere dot in my rear view mirror. Back-off sharply mid-turn and even then the project car refuses to let its rear step out of line. This car inspired confidence on some of the Middle East's more demanding roads.

Time to swap. Stepping back into the standard GTI, I was weary of the confidence the MSW Golf had given me. The mountain pass was no place to get over-enthusiastic with a car that wasn't up to the feat. Fears of an abrupt breakaway proved unfounded, the standard GTI feeling secure and capable enough, if not as firm as the MSW car. However, when the nose did power wide with the ESP disabled, recovery was a little slower than I would have liked. The biggest difference again is under braking, the left pedal nowhere near as positive as you want it on tight turns. Trail braking in the standard GTI is also a lot more hairy with the back end getting way out of line on more than a few occasions, resulting in a blur of hands on the steering wheel just to get around the corner safely. Where as the MSW Golf worked with you, there's the feeling that the standard GTI occasionally conspired against you to slow you down.

It's worth remembering at this stage that the straight Golf GTI is a perfectly good drivers' car, with its own set of faults. But look closely enough at any car and you'll soon pick out its shortcomings. Our intention was to see if you could turn the GTI into a trackday hero without compromising its all-round brilliance and road performance. The changes the team at MSW have made achieve exactly that, radically improving the handling and braking of the standard GTI to boost the driver enjoyment of the car. If you're a GTI driver who enjoys doing trackdays or being on the road, but are keen to make more out of the experience, then MSW's tuning components are well worth the extra money you'll part with.

A big thank you to Iain Walker and Jon Simmonds from Motorsport Wheels Middle East (+971 4 340884; www.msw-me.com) for the loan of their project GTI.

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