GTi stands for Grand Tourer Injection, originally coined to highlight the addition of mechanical fuel injection to a lightweight hatchback. It denotes a performance trim level that upgrades the engine, suspension, and brakes over the base model. The badge became famous in the hot hatch segment and is now used by multiple manufacturers to identify their driver-focused compacts.
Heard on the job
He brought in a Mark 4 GTi with a rough idle, so check the vacuum lines first.
Insider tip
While Volkswagen popularized the badge, Peugeot and Suzuki also built famous GTi models.
Also heard as
- GTI