GTI's are not the fastest things out there, because they were not designed for it, but they are fast for what they are.
I took my 03 GTI to the 1/8th and ran 9.2 at 76 mph and was spinning tires through 1st gear, i am sure i can get high 8's if i get better tires. All i have done is tuned chip and exhaust. Pretty quick for just 2 basic mods and the price I paid for it and fuel economy(27 around town)