VW Golf Mk2 GTI - Ciro drives the iconic 80s hot hatch

It may have been the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI that started the whole Hot Hatch segment, but it was the bigger, more sophisticated and luxurious Mk2 "Jumbo" Golf GTI that really set the iconic hatch on the path to the sophisticated offering it is today. In Europe the Golf Mk2's arrival also coincided with such developments as all-wheel drive and even supercharging, but in South Africa we followed our own path. After the 1.8 8v came the most desirable of the lot (the 1.8 16v) and then there was also a 2.0L variant near the end of the car's production run in South Africa.
As much as the Golf Mk2 GTI was bigger and more luxurious than its predecessor, it was still light compared with today's hot hatches, tipping the scales at less than 1000kg, and so its engine doesn't have to work very hard to deliver exciting performance. But most of all, as Ciro De Siena discovers in this video, it is the exciting, planted handling of the car that will still thrill driving enthusiasts today. Will the Mk2 Golf GTI be a future classic? We think it already is! And you? Enjoy the video!
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0:00 - intro
0:25 - Cars.co.za www.cars.co.za
0:30 - Sentimental www.sentimetal.shop
0:39 - Welcome to the 90’s
1:02 - Let’s go back to the 70’s
1:45 - GTI engines
2:21 - GTI drivetrain
3:00 - First impressions of the car
3:17 - Performance
4:38 - Putting new cars into perspective
6:43 - Interior and design
8:08 - Classic motoring

[@DeanFriederich]

My one sister's high school boyfriend had one of these when we were growing up, and we thought he was just the coolest with his jumbo Golf GTi 😂😎 what an awesome trip down memory lane this was! Thanks Ciro!

[@uwaissyed2279]

My dad had one in high school

[@gkxmp]

I work at a retirement home & purchased a MK2 Golf with 73k miles, super excited to drive it & restore it when I pick it up next week!

[@WISDOM-F4]

How is the driving experience

[@mikebk7807]

I still have one of those and drive it every day! It has a "historic" registration too, which makes it a true classic. Its 32 years old.

[@joncooke479]

struggling to get my old 1990 rallye back on the road after bare metal respray full transmission overhaul and wiring harness remanufacture, would dearly luv a 8 valve 2 door as a daily

[@maxpower001]

Im an old school mk2 fanatic! My 1st "street car" was a nasty little 87' jetta 5spd 8v with cis injection... o man the adventures we had 🥲 i bought it with 52k on the clock for $500 in mint condition. I pulled the head and sent it to my local machine shop and shaved it down for a 11.5/1 compression ratio, port n polish job, 5 angle valve cut, crane duel coil valve springs from a sbc, titanium valve retainers, tectonics 286/446 rally/hill climb cam that i learned the hard way it was way to radical for normal street use (i was a kid- i had to learn the hard way), tectonics adjustable cam sprocket which really helped with streetability by advancing it a few degrees, ported throttlebody, ported intake manifold, pacesetter 4 into 1 header, 2½" exhaust all the way back to an old school Flowmaster and it sounded absolutely RUTHLESS!! o man i miss that ridiculously badass mega choppy cammed out high compression sound of 1.8L 8valve flame shootin madness. This was way before youtube and that stuff so unfortunately i have no videos and that makes me super sad 😔... All i have is the memories of kickin' the shit outta hondas and mitsubishis, actually one night i had the most EPIC 5mile long road race along Bayview ave in south jersey against a IROC CAMARO with a tpi 350 and i putta whoopin on that big bad tuned port 350 v8 muscle car.. That bozo wasnt expecting that AT ALL! Actually he was angry and confused 😕 after the race was over we pulled into a parking lot and he had asked me "what the hells that thing? What u got goin on there?" As its idling all choppy n crackling you could hear each cylinder firing - thumpada bumpata bumpita bumpita and i tell him. "Its gotta k&n filter and a top secret experimental exhaust tip lol" as to he replied "BULLSHIT DUDE! that little bitch dont play!!" O yes, good times indeed.. and the number of chicks that hace gotten naked in that car... yep, i used to have some fun as a young man for sure... Now im old and boring, id love to find another one but there hard to find unmolested and clean... Ive also had a few intriguing Vw fox's, the fox was absolutely INDESTRUCTIBLY BULLET PROOF especially the driveline do to the front to rear layout as to the transverse design of the jettas and golfs what have u... anyway ive rambled on long enough about my best days behind me.. have fun out there n be safe, buckle up

[@wardes7585]

I was extremely fortunate to have this exact car (same engine, colour, etc) as my first car. It was a 1984 model with over 300,000km! I got it in 2003 when I turned 18. It was older than me :) . I absolutely adored it but it was sadly stolen about a year after I got it.

[@johanneswehrmann]

The old gear lock even more needed today than ever. 🙌🏻

[@ca9968]

My dad had an 8V GTi Mk2, we regularly went on holiday to Port Alfred from Joburg in it, he went down there once with just me and him in the car, I fell asleep and we made it in 9 and a half hours...that thing ran like it was always late to be somewhere important...

[@dbouwer]

Making me feel old now!! Love these mk2's 1.8 16v exec was the best of the bunch!

[@Ken-zg3ze]

Awesome retrospective. When the newest, fastest, and most expensive are are flooding YT, it's nice to see a look back at previous classics.

[@maxpower001]

Im a paid professional mechanic for just about 30yrs now and all i work on these days are these garbage ass "newer" vehicles that have no soul or personality about them like cars like these ones did. Back then your car was your buddy, u took care of it and it took care of you, they were temperamental sometimes but that was part of there charm and character... cars these days feel very artificial and robotic with zero feel for the road.. plus these old cars r still out there, try to find one of these modern shitboxes around and functioning in 20 or 30 yrs... not gunna happen, there disposable nowadays

[@tman1591]

That smash and grab adds some character to that GTI, 😎

[@jacoprinsloo199]

A buddy of mine had a Red 16V, black leather seats, and a performance exhaust. What a car that was!!! I miss driving these "older" machines.

[@MLC...]

Lovely car! I just love the mk2 Golf, one of the icons of the 1980's. Really love them in original condition, so rare these days.

[@tanakamlilo7027]

This car is a legend,

[@AudiophileTubes]

I had an '84 Mk2 GTI in the 'Tornado Red' color, which was my first ever car. Here in the states, it cost $11,800 new! I think it had about 110 HP, and was a blast to drive. It only lasted about 43,000 miles though before I had to sell it. While going only 35 MPH, a planetary gear broke loose within the transmission case, and wore a hole in it. VW repaired it, but the car was never the same. Didn't shift the same, feel the same, or drive the same.

[@sivuyiledumalisile6308]

My cousin had the 16V version as her first car 22 years ago. Black leather seats, metallic blue with an aftermarket exhaust. Very nippy little car.

[@NeoM018]

Few seconds in and already hit the like button. Legendary!

[@jonb4667]

Waited so long for this video...Thanks

[@declansgamereview6523]

memories even though I never owned one !

[@nicholasdevilliers4005]

Man I would kill to own one of these. Must have been epic in their prime

[@victormogami]

Oh my God!!! It sounds so beautiful.

[@DVTREALMAN150]

Awesome. I loved my Jumbo Golf. I drove a CSL 1.6L in Baby blue with blue interior trim.

[@godfreyberry1599]

I have the CSL 1992 rounded colour coded bumpers and back window and plenty of side trim just pre-Golf 3 - which unfortunately was a design fail but well engineered nonetheless.

[@jaysonlee9306]

With a 20v turbo yes..Fun Fact South Africa is the only country in the world that Had Golf1 2 and 3 coming off the Assembly line at the same time

[@MrBones-do2wt]

192 000 kms man its basically brand new my mk2 has done 302 479kms and apart from quite a few rattles it still runs like dream, they are bassically bulletprpof

[@armoniqfields8016]

I had the 2dr. Iconic 4 lights upfront. I come from the Datsun 510's, 76 Mercury Capri, California Berkeley Bugs ( the only 1 with a 911 motor) ... I love old cars. Many laughed at my style but they were walking.

[@arthurasia9300]

What do you drive today?

[@armoniqfields8016]

@@arthurasia9300 Still in My Datsuns, the 510 and the 240. People really trip when they see these old cars.

[@TorqueDriven]

Nice one guys ‼️🇿🇦

[@shannongramani3309]

We had the Jetta CLI 2.0L 16v. If ever there is a car I regret us selling it was that car. Beautiful golf! Would love to be able to own the Jetta or the golf some day.

[@innes2892]

Always had a real soft spot for those CLi Jettas, think I loved them more than the golfs back in the day.

[@friedookiehil]

Bumpers are from 2.0 8valve later on. I had 1.8 16v 1990 with narrow bumpers. In 1992 they started looking like this. Still an impressive machine. Mags on this one are not nice. Originals would have been much crisp.

[@wyndts4]

This is my first dream car when I was 10 years of old.....

[@maxpower001]

Thats a beautiful specimen you got there for sure my friend.. 8v with cis injection yes sir.. with that injection system if u got a fu leak u know about RIGHT AWAY very high pressure with 2 pumps i believe if i remember correctly 🤔 anyway i digress, what a great era of automobiles, you actually drive and operate these machines u actually feel the road thru the wheel, u feel the gearbox, that duel bore throttle bodies that u feel when that larger secondary opens with a lovely howl from the airbox... i miss all my mk2s and my fox's ive had quite a few and always a favorite of mine right next to my rotary's but u can actually rely on the vw's 😂 unlike the mighty rotary thats itching to go caput at any moment

[@mandlamthembu2490]

GTi 2,5 and 7 The Holy Trinity The MK1 is it’s own hallowed founder category

[@nawanekhomo3159]

What a beautiful vehicle 😍😍

[@godfreyberry1599]

Iconic design & great car to drive - still turns heads more than 30 years after introduced. Don't think I will ever part with mine - never missed a beat in it's entire life. C'mon man, a big guy like you needs power steering?.

[@anesennaidoo5279]

Stunning car! Thank you for the review! Please do more classic cars!!

[@strussdo]

I just saw this car on the N3 around Bedford View 😂😂 it was fast passing me by.. JM...... GP number plate

[@CN-ts1yb]

I was just a kid living in South Africa at that time.A new Golf 2 GTI cost around R 15 000. Car Magazine did a road test for the April 1985 edition.0- 100 km/h in 8,7 seconds. Unheard-of at the time.

[@JodyM325]

Car looks stunning! Damn I have such a soft spot for a mk2 so thanks for this video. My 1st car was a 1.8 carb gts and regrettably sold it..now I have a 1.8 16v exec which I absolutely adore. How about a 90's shootout...mk2 16v vs cd vs 325i vs twincam vs dohc vs egi...all the SA classics in 1 vid

[@wcg66]

I had a 1992 GTI but it was a year or so after production moved to Mexico and reliability was poor. By about 7 years of ownership, many weird things were going wrong that were hard to diagnose. I traded it in at that time. However, the practicality and decent sportiness were a great combo. We went on so many cool road trips in that car. It’s still my favourite generation of the GTI.

[@musamathevula9139]

Oh my goodness Listen to that sound Render me of my uncle who owered the Msk1 18i and best Super Boss I use to love this cars I'm still looking to own one

[@craignicholson1788]

Mine was same year model, exact same colour combo. I put a discreet 8v badge on the back to mimic the 16v badge. Wanted 16v owners to know a bog stock 8v dropped them at the lights. Some were just good out the box and mine was one of those. Bought it with 32 000 on the clock, sold it at 135 000 on the clock...For R2k more than I bought it for! Loved everything about that car. Got a Mk 3...Boy was I disappointed.

[@lucienpetrus9432]

Luv it

[@chadkennedy8675]

The owners should get the original BBS wheels that came with this car these modern wheels ruin the look of these cars

[@zuhayrvenos8856]

Very beautiful Gti Would of preferred to see the carmag SA 1991 mk2 2.0 16v gti 110kw executive the one that shows 260 on the clock

[@brianjacobs8839]

I had one briefly before selling it for a Jetta CLi 16V. Stupid decision but both were great cars

[@siphoernest2278]

Nice one..I own m 1.8 carb I am still happy with it...not planning to sell it

[@jarredabrahams]

When we getting the Toyota Conquest Twincam 😭

[@SuperDurandt]

The Gear lock next to the shifter 😁 Only in South Africa

[@247_ily]

Point of correction, the 2.0 16v model used the AAL motor from the overseas Passat and not a Mk3 GTI 16v engine. Great video though.

[@panashetinotenda1408]

beautiful sound there....what else would you need a stereo for?

[@kratos9223]

Mk2 GTI: ((82kw / 900kg) = 0.091 kw/kg) x 1000kg(1 ton) = 91 kw/ton Mk8 GTI: ((180kw / 1500kg) = 0.12 kw/kg) x 1000kg(1 ton) = 120 kw/ton In other words, the difference is only about 30 kw. Obviously, torque and gearing makes the difference much bigger.

[@theguynextdoor9420]

My favorite GTI! there's one that parks at Foreshore, in CapeTown (gunmetal silver with the 14" CTI wheels, and a sunroof"...not sure if it's stock tho

[@YusufPetersenCPT]

Lorenzo Lakay has entered the chat... do the mk3 i feel that one is really overlooked.

[@mosesmaseko1501]

It's called 2020 in Mamelodi, I don't know why but it's popularly known as 2020...

[@MrSWW]

You drove the mk1, mk2 skip mk 3 & 4 and drive my Mk5 manual stock it is better then the new Mk8 GTI!

[@SuperPakalja]

what steering wheel is that?? love it!

[@braddonglendinning5140]

I miss my 1992 GTI 8 valve. Sadly my mother was hijacked in it 😢

[@deanmacdonald8158]

The Golf 3 16v was the ABF motor and the B3 Passat which SA never got to see used a 9A 2.0 16v which still used the horrible mechanical fuel injection (K- jetronic) overseas Mk2 16v got the 9a and SA Mk2 golfs got the AAL as a replacement to the 1.8 KR

[@riaannel2766]

You can wring its neck, it is basically bulletproof.

[@Ash-so6qn]

I’ve only ever liked the golf 1-5 gti. Once the dsg came in. They lost touch of what it means to be a drivers car

[@sats7819]

Mk2 gti was the best gti

[@tshimologomodisane1803]

Sadly we did not get the G60 Supercharged MK2 in SA

[@macharialewismuchiri8266]

This mk classics suit my personality

[@mohamedsheik5847]

Could you do a future classics in SA video

[@khulekanidladla]

When is the eTron video dropping?

[@danjones6279]

Great video. You can just say "mark" for "Mk" like you do later in the video, it sounds odd when you say "M" "K".

[@thutolesedi374]

Doctor Khumalo 16v

[@patshes1951]

Even policeman bought those with their small salaries .Now no one can afford them.

[@Yeezy747]

Something about even numbered GTi's doesn't land for me . 2,4,6 and even 8 😶

[@unamruba5281]

Correct, I remember telling my friend the very same thing. 1, 3, 5 and 7 are awesome GTi's

[@kamohelomotasi]

Now the 16v is the one that is much appreciated by 🇿🇦

[@raypookie5472]

Dublife❤

[@garybloom7445]

Ciro... Im moerse fond of you which is why I'm going to help your out.. It's not M. K 2, you make it sound like a war veteran. It's pronounced Mark 2.

[@pornokid333]

Everytime he said mk, I was expecting an Umkhonto weSizwe general to pop out from behind the seat

[@DarthTrotter]

Big bumper so a 90s GiT

[@sanoon4887]

90 or 91. The 2.0L came out in 1992 and the MK3 in 1993.

[@madro5755]

Dje su moje Balkance!?!? 😂😂

[@pornokid333]

I think youre either a vw nut or toyota...for me its the rsi twincam 16 of the 80s. Nontheless this is a great example

[@christopherjustinnulliah6838]

The 16V ABF was just the bomb

[@felixjohansmit]

Ahhhhh good memories - makes me miss my Jetta 2 CLi! This car is beautiful, but definitely not fully stock! Nice sounding exhaust, but horrible looking wheels and suspension drop. 😢

[@theoriginalrabbithole]

What's up with all this Balloon Payment spam? Balloon Payments are a rip-off for suckers!

[@ofentsemodukanele2891]

Mk=Mark not mk=mk

[@legrangedylandlg]

Important car in the evolution of the GTi, can't believe it was only 80 odd kw. I suppose for the era , it makes sense. Definitely where the Golf started, the Mk1 GTi was more of an afterthought.

[@zuhayrvenos8856]

The 91 model was 110kw

[@Julezaz]

recycled it to dishwasher

[@SAKHIWEMARKPIKE]

FIRST

[@jakal172]

Left hand shifter seems like an uncleaned hand. The shifter belongs on the right. You don't shake someone's hand with the left. Uncivilized people made this.

[@shaunsnyman5107]

Its a piece of crap

[@riaannel2766]

Lol, ou yster. Lat in 'n Golf jou girl by jou afgespyker?

[@kevinnev]

My Dad Had a all black (red strip)Jetta 16V black leather interior. He gave it to his Brother would like to restore it one day.