VW Performance Citi Golf 1.4i.
Volkswagen Engine Upgrades | Cylinder Head Power Conversions

There's no doubt that the upgrades spec sheet is impressive on this little Volkswagen, but what does all that extra power and torque translate to in terms of driveability? Well, as the good ol' saying goes, the proof is in the pudding! And the pudding is where it's at with this baby!

The moment you start her up, the throaty exhaust barks to life and the engine settles into an agitated idle. Its not the type of idle that rocks the whole body shell from side to side like that of a SASCAR - but rather the kind that lets you know the motor has been fiddled with. Blipping the throttle instantly releases 2500rpm on the tachometer and this is accompanied by a raspy exhaust note. Pulling away is surprisingly easy for a car with an upgraded cam as the motor provides ample low down twist.

Driving around at sub-3000rpm allows the car to keep up with uncongested traffic comfortably and it feels and sounds pretty much like a normal 1400 with a very mild free-flowing exhaust. Driving around at post-3000rpm or even better, post-4500 rpm you are complemented by a cheeky snarl from the rear, as the nose of the car rised and only briefly dips every time a cog is swapped.

The acceleration that this small-engined hatch generates is quite remarkable! As the rev-counter needle swings past 450rpm, it just surges towards redline with a sense of urgency! This is best experienced in the first three cogs, where you find yourself wielding the shifter more frequently as each gear is quickly eaten by the thrusty engine!

Fourth and Fifth gears are still impressive, but inevitably fall victim to cub-like aerodynamics of the seventies and the 1400 does not have the torque to punch the car through the 200Km/h barrier - unless there's a downhill involved in the equation. The first three gears, however, are not hampered by aerodynamics and as a result, the performance in the first three gears is similar to a brawny Volkswagen 2-litre!

The conversion has made the car more flexible and achieves the objectives that SAC set. A new VW citi 1,4i will set you back in the region of about R75,000 and with an additional 10K it is possible to raise the game to the hatchback super-league in the 'robot to robot' dash. But it's not only about that - the car is also very reliable and very economical. With some spirited motoring on suburban roads, the car sipped fuel at a rate 10l/100Km - what a pleasure!

The only low point of the test vehicle would be its handling of the twisty stuff. This definitely needs to be upgraded in an effort to balance the car's road holding with its straight-line ability. Overall, however the car left us wide-eyed and giggling as we tore through its gears passing traffic and enjoying the engine note!

Reviving Points - Spunky exhaust note, Impressive performance, Reliability and Economical performance