The most powerful diesel Golf yet was shown in the shade of GTI big reveal.

The excitement surrounding VW’s new Golf 8 GTI has deflected attention from the news around its diesel sibling.

Although the company is planning to transition away from diesel and into a broad electric-vehicle product portfolio over the next decade, Golf 8 retains the GTD derivative.

For those VW followers who value the long-distance cruising ability, and overtaking capability, of the most potent diesel Golf, new GTD should have massive appeal.

The only notable styling element which distinguishes GTD from other performance-orientated Golfs is its rear tailpipe grouping. Instead of having an exhaust end at each corner of the rear bumper, like GTI, the GTD’s dual-exhausts are arranged in a side-by-side configuration, in the left corner.

Much like its petrol-powered cousin, the GTD rides on a 15 mm lower version of the Golf 8 platform. This reduced ride height lowers the centre of gravity and should give the GTD superior stability, especially when cornering.

What definesthe GTD, is the engine. VW’s engineers have done a lot of work making the EA288 diesel both the most powerful and least polluting diesel engine to sit above the front axle of any Golf.

It boosts 147 kW and 400 Nm, which should guarantee a surge of seamless performance when paired with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The 400 Nm torque output is 50 Nm greater than the previous GTD, which was a car noted for its excellent highway speed overtaking acceleration.

Limiting the new GTD’s emissions are linked catalytic converters, which are claimed to greatly diminish the engine’s nitrogen oxide emissions. There is also AdBlue injection, to help make this the cleanest-running diesel performance car in VW’s line-up.

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