California's Death Valley has served many a company well in terms of testing their vehicles in the extreme heat, and that is precisely where we find the 2013 Golf GTI. The sporty version of Volkswagen's next-generation Golf is a three-door hatchback that can be seen showing some new design changes as well as keeping some of the previous Golf GTI's equipment.The new Golf GTI features dual exhaust pipes and sits lower than the previous edition. The hot hatch is lighter than previous versions and has a lower roof line.

It is also sitting on the old GTI's wheels, meaning that the brake package likely won't be changed.It shouldn't need to, as the new GTI features the same turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine mated with either a six-speed manual or six-speed dual clutch DSG. Power will be bumped up a bit on the current version with over 200hp and 207lb-ft of torque.The 2013 Volkswagen Golf GTI is expected to follow the new standard Golf and arrive in later 2012 or early 2013.