The Volkswagen Golf GTI concept called the Golf GTI Excessive has been displayed at the annual Worthersee Show in Austria recently. The Worthersee Show started out as a gathering for Golf enthusiasts has now become an international gathering for Volkswagen and to a certain extent other cars within the Volkswagen-Audi Group. As such, this latest concept GTI follows a Volkswagen tradition of unveiling concept cars at this event.

The Excessive is a concept Golf GTI intended to showcase the latest prototype range of accessories for the iconic hot hatch. It showcases a bodykit for aerodynamic and visual 'upgrades' and some mechanical modifications too. The add-ons claim to make the stock GTI into a more focused driver's car. And should they get a favourable response, Volkswagen will incorporate the new items into the latest list of accessories that a Golf GTI owner can buy for his or her car.

The Excessive now has a lower front splitter, new look left and right air intakes that protrude further out, a new rear diffuser, titanium exhaust tips and arches. All purportedly make the Golf GTI slightly more aerodynamic than the stock version. Oh, those arches are not filled out very large 19inch BBS rims and tires, which should increase grip over the standard 17inch rims and tires setup. New spring and dampers round the handling package up.

The earlier stated titanium exhaust tips aren't just hiding a stock system. The tips are part of a lightened sports exhaust system which somewhat add about 3ps to the 210ps that the stock Golf GTI makes. There are no other engine mods for this concept Golf.

There are new sports seats added to this Golf Excessive, and some trimming. But nothing really out of the ordinary when it comes to the interior.

Having driven a standard Mark 6 GTI recently I have to say that the modifications done by Volkswagen towards making the Golf GTI into a more focused car seems to be getting the car to handle the power, especially the torque the 2.0turbocharged engine produces. In the standard DSG equipped car the 280Nm of torque it produces does overwhelm the standard 17inch tires causing lots of wheelspin if you simply boot it out of a low speed tight corner or a junction.

You have to be feed in the power to be smooth if not the traction control warning light simply flickers away as you brutally stomp on the throttle and power on out through a junction. More so in the wet. It however gives straight line thrills especially when flooring it at the traffic lights. The rest of the stock GTI is a very good piece of kit. It is stable at high speeds and directional changes and makes driving fast feel safe and confident when attacking corners. since as I stated it does overwhelm the front wheels. A front wheel drive with a lot of power does this. It is thrilling but pretty inefficient in laying down the power unless you feed it in gradually as stated above. I think that Volkswagen agrees with this fact as the more powerful and more torquey Golf R is all wheel drive.

So, 19 inches rims and tires and the upgraded suspension would make the GTI able to reel in the turbocharged torque even better. It may make the GTI less thrilling with less wheelspin, but its a good thing when you're attacking tight corners than require you to be in the lower gears. These manufacturer upgrade items are the things that I'll be looking for if ever Volkswagen includes it in a package for the GTI. And I'd add that body kit too as the GTI is too subtle for me. Personally that is.