Mk1 Volkswagen Golf Gti Cabriolet Review

Looking at effortless good looks of the Mk1 Golf today, it should come as no surprise that the car was designed by an Italian way back in the mid 70s, and even less of a surprise that is was Giorgetto Giugaro himself who put pen to paper. The world famous designer loved to use straight lines and sharp angles on his cars and the angular and boxy Golf is in good company, lining up alongside his other achievements such as the Lotus Esprit, BMW M1, Alfa Romeo Alfasud and the Maserati Merak.

The Mk1 Golf was on sale in Europe and America from 1974 to 1983 and was available as a 3-door or 5-door hatchback, a 2-door pick-up known as the Caddy or a 2-door Cabriolet. Known in the USA as a VW Rabbit, the car is also still made today in South Africa, where it is known as the CitiGolf. This is a testament to the timelessness of Giugaro's original design and the popularity of the shape with the public.

The Cabriolet survived when the MkII replaced the Mk1 in 1983 and continued in production right up until 1993 when it was replaced by the MkIII Golf Cabriolet. Available in Clipper form with a carburetor driven 1800cc engine or as a 1.6 or 1.8 Gti, the Cabriolet looks as stylish today as it did on its final day of production. A well maintained Cabrio still commands a healthy price tag, but does its ability as a sporty cabriolet still hold up in the modern world?

The model tested is a 1984 1.6 Gti model with the optional Clipper kit and leather interior. The kit gives the car a much more modern look, however some prefer the retro looks of the metal bumpers found on early Golf Cabrio's. The 1.6 engine develops around 110bhp which is transferred through the front wheels, something that was almost unique in a small car back when the Golf was first released.

Opening the thin door and settling into the height and distance adjustable drivers' seat, everything falls nicely to hand. The tall gear stick doesn't require reaching for and the peddles are a sensible distance away, allowing a nice stretched legged, arms bent driving position. The power steering on this car makes maneuverability at parking speeds simple, but thankfully weights up nicely when cruising or driving hard on a challenging road.

Twisting the key, the engine burbles into life and settles at a rough idle, but a blip of the throttle sees the needle on the rev-counter head for the opposite end of the gage with a keenness that bodes well for the drive. Pulling away and navigating through the suburban streets to warm the engine sadly reveals a harsh and crashy ride, making you drive an imperfect road like it was a slalom course. Even with its new suspension, this Golf could never be called smooth.

Once the temperature needle is pointing skyward it's time to see if there is life in this 22 year old hot hatch. Planting the throttle in second gear the revs climb and the 900kg car launches down the road. As the revs pass 3000 the engine noise becomes gruff with a delightful bark emanating from the exhaust pipe. Change up to third and the car continues to accelerate, it's not until late in fourth that it begins to slow. Fifth gear allows the car to cruise, but is still able to offer sensible overtaking poke at motorway speeds. While it's not fast by modern standards, there is no doubt that it's still a fun companion.

Taking in some fast, twisting mountain roads, the Golf is composed and responds well to tight corners and a quick change down before picking the pace up again until the next turn. The tarmac here was in good condition and the Golf felt great, however, when the road deteriorated, so did the car's handling. Bumps, pot holes and unexpected camber changes confused the chassis and the harsher problems were announced by the arrival of severe scuttle shake, so much so that any confidence you had built up was diminished greatly for the next few minutes.

This turned the Golf Cabrio around from being a roofless hot hatch, to being the less capable convertible version of a proper hot hatch. I would find myself concentrating more on the road surface than having fun, just to avoid that feeling that the back end of the car was headed in a different direction than the front. Aside from this, the sound and performance level of the Golf Cabrio is excellent and the car makes for stylish everyday transport.

This being a two decade old car, you could be forgiven for not expecting particularly high equipment levels, but VW managed to pack in some nice features. First of all there are the electric windows and on some special edition models, an electric roof too. Then there is the onboard computer, showing information such as distance and time traveled, fuel consumption, outside temperature and oil temperature. This Golf has the comfortable and supportive leather sports seats. The roof is also rather good, differing from convertibles such as the Series 1 Mazda MX5 by having a proper headlining inside and a heated glass rear window! Operation of the roof is simple and it's easy for one person to raise and lower it. A tourneau cover is also provided, but its fitting is time consuming and surprisingly complicated.

Before owning one of these cars, I had been warned that two things were bad on all Mk1 Golf's; the brakes and the headlights. This advice was in my view 50% correct. This car is fitted with four lights and they are excellent, especially on main beam and I have no complaints about them, but I will admit the brakes are a bit of a concern. Despite changing discs and pads, they lack feel and bite, regardless of the fact that they stop the car with no problems; they just don't instill a whole lot of confidence when you are hustling the car. I have been advised that a change of brake cylinder to a MkII Golf item will cure this.

The Mk1 Golf is already regarded as a modern classic, thanks to almost single handedly kick-starting the hot hatch craze that in essence continues today. The Gti Cabriolet still looks great, sounds fabulous and drives well, but is let down by imprecise handling and masses of scuttle shake at inopportune moments. Provided you don't expect it to behave like its hardtop cousin, the Golf Gti Cabriolet is a fantastic buy, perfect for reliving those days when not every car on the road looked and drove the same.