Volkswagen Golf Range
What is a Volkswagen Golf? Twenty years ago, that would have been a simple question to answer. The Golf was an inexpensive, no nonsense car that ran and ran. Nowadays however, Volkswagen have loftier aspirations for their staple family hatchback and the question is far trickier to tackle. In fifth generation guise, the car has been taken even further upmarket with an even higher quality look and feel but it also reprises a strand of Golf DNA that seemed to have been an evolutionary dead end driving fun.
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4 (90PS) or a hi-tech turbocharged 122PS TSI engine. Diesel buyers can opt for the proven 75PS SDI engine or the slightly more modern 105PS 1.9-litre TDI powerplant. If you want something sportier, then the GT Sport series offers a choice between 140 or 170PS versions of the 1.
4-litre TSI turbocharged/supercharged petrol engine or 140 or 170PS 2.0-litre TDI diesel units. Prices start at £17,422. The next step up is the GTI series, where as youd expect, the pace hots up a little more.
Here you get the single choice of the superb 200PS 2.0T FSI engine at prices starting from £20,607. Of course, if the GTI models dont do it for you, theres always the option of the range-topping R32. Here you get a 248bhp 3.
2-litre V6 with the 4MOTION transmission system.
"Most will know its a Golf theyre looking at without recourse to clocking the badge on its rump"
One criticism levelled at the two previous generation Golf models was that although the cars offered a ride and refinement package that was hard to beat, they never really offered the sort of infectious handling that many rivals could boast. The fifth generation car adopts a pragmatic tactic in benchmarking the suspension of the Ford Focus and first impressions are promising. The body is eighty per cent stiffer than its predecessor and the new electro-mechanical steering feel and composed body control are leagues ahead. The styling is evolutionary rather than revolutionary insofar as most will know its a Golf theyre looking at without recourse to clocking the badge on its rump.
As company boss Bernd Pischetsrieder explained: "The only mistake the Golf can make is to stop being a Golf." Theres little doubt that the fourth generation Golf was and is a handsome piece of car design, but the fifth generation marks probably the biggest evolution in the Golfs design language since the Mk 2 became the chubbier Mk 3. Everything is just that little bit curvier, sleeker and more elegant. It runs on the same platform as the latest Audi A3, Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Touran models and this means that the sophisticated suspension system has a huge scope for tuning from the most affordable city runabouts to hardcore sports versions. The interior keeps the Golf at the top of the family hatch tree.
It uses a fascia design reminiscent of the Phaeton luxury saloon, although the centre console is lifted from the Touran mini-MPV. With the possible exception of its pricier Volkswagen Group cousin, the Audi A3, the cabin has the beating of anything out there as regards ambience. The interior features soft-feel slush-moulded plastics, high-quality switches, subtle use of chrome, fabric-covered A-pillars plus blue instrument backlighting with red needles, a signature of the fourth generation model. The latest Golf also sets new standards by introducing 2Zone climate control and four-way lumbar support within the line-up.
In addition, ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme), no fewer than six airbags as well as anti-lock brakes are fitted as standard throughout the range. Big car features such as automatic activation of headlamps and wipers are built into the cars electronics. Many buyers will opt to go the turbo diesel route and these engines are well worth seeking out, especially after youve driven them back to back with the petrol Golf powerplants, the 2.0-litre 140PS TDI being especially impressive.
This engine will punt the big-boned Golf through 60mph in 9 seconds and on to a top speed of 126mph, making it a brilliant long distance cruiser. The 105PS unit is no slouch though and will get to 60mph in 11 seconds and top out at 116mph. Its also the bigger seller. Fuel economy of both engines is excellent, the 1.
9-litre averaging 56.4mpg and the 2.0-litre faring almost as well at an impressive 52.2mpg.
All the TDI engines are Euro IV-compliant, which means that company users dont get stung for the usual three per cent taxation surcharge and the rest of us can drive around with a warmly sanctimonious air, knowing that were doing our bit for the environment. The emissions figures of 135, 146 and 160g/km respectively for the 1.9, 2.0 140 and 2.
0 170 engines are among the class best. The 1.9-litre car is fitted as standard with a five-speed gearbox but the 2.0-litre TDI variants get six cogs as standard with the option of the revolutionary DSG twin-clutch sequential gearbox.
Volkswagen have made great strides concerning the refinement of these TDI engines and the effects are palpable as soon as you turn the key. The TDI system was once derided as being far less effective than the new wave of common rail diesel engines that have become popular and in terms of refinement, Volkswagens solution has lagged behind. No longer: the difference is now virtually negligible. With prices for the Golf starting at around £12,000, much-vaunted Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra models are finding that the target they thought they were aiming at has shifted. What is a Volkswagen Golf? Thats a question which seems to have foxed the opposition too.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Volkswagen Golf range
PRICES: £12,127-£25,097 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 4E-18
CO2 EMISSIONS: 143-255g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.6] Max Speed 119mph / 0-60mph 10.8s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6] 44mpg (combined)
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags / ABS / Side airbags / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4204/2010/1485
