ON THE DYNO
We strapped our GTI onto a DynoJet chassis dynamometer to measure its output. The 2.0T is rated at 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, and last year a GTI we tested put 178 hp and 193 lb-ft to the wheels.
It seems our little GTI is an overachiever right out of the box. It put 191 hp and 208 lb-ft to the wheels in stock mode - 13 more horsepower and 15 more lb-ft of torque. But if you think those numbers are impressive, imagine adding yet another 27 hp and 64 lb-ft! The GTI put 218 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque to the wheels, verifying APR's claim that the 93-octane program produces 252 hp and 303 lb-ft at the engine.
The GTI's numbers beat even the powerhouse MazdaSpeed 3, which, in our dyno test last year, put 215 hp and 245 ft-lb to the wheels. And even though the chipped GTI's torque peaks at a relatively low 3200 rpm, it falls off gradually as 7000 rpm approaches, unlike the MazdaSpeed 3's engine, which runs out of steam suddenly over 5000 rpm.
See the images at the end of the story for detailed dyno plots, including boost pressure and mixture curves. ...next page >>