This eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf might be all the cars you'll ever need. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.Ten Second Review
Volkswagen has redesigned what hatchback Golf family should be, and this eighth-generation model is packed very differently from its predecessor. Under the skin, hybrid techniques are prevalent during the range, but for potential buyers, which will probably be most important is a distinctive new nose and a classy minimalist cabin. Loyal Golf owners will find a lot like here.Background
As one of the former chairmen of the Volkswagen group ever pointed out, ' the biggest mistake any Volkswagen Golf can make is to stop being Golf. ' That is why the seven previous generation versions of this model have been characterized by such gradual evolution. Visually, this MK8 model looks a bit clearer. Too many changes? Only you can decide.In some ways, this eighth-generation version is not enough as a step forward as its predecessor. Most of the things you cannot see are the same as the previous-MQB platform and most of the engines, for example. And Ground-breaking Full-Electric e-Golf is no more; Volkswagen wanted to order full-Battery-Tech for the new family ID model. However, the Lightweight hybrid technology feature is compelling, and there is a significant step forward in the design and quality of the cab. Sounds promising.
Driving Experience
Most of the engine ware in Golf is done more than ever. To begin with, it means the usual 1.5-litre TSI EVO powerplant, now driven by the addition of lightweight hybrid technology and develops either 130 or 150PS. The sooner, the unit makes a 62mph break from 8.5 s on its way to a maximum of 139mph. If you want a diesel, you will find that Volkswagen has increased the 2.0-litre TDI offering 150PS, plus, as before, there is the same version 115ps TDI engine for entry-regular Include 6-Speed gearbox Manual and 7-Speed DSG automatic transmission. You will be searching arbitrarily for the fully electric version to replace the E-Golf exit: The Volkswagen model ID3 will include that niche.From an engineering perspective, this Golf MK8, like its predecessor, uses the same MQB drive front wheels platform, here updated, so it offers greater structural rigidity. As usual, there is a choice of the Volkswagen ' DCC ' ' Dynamic Chassis Control ' adaptive damping system, which works with the ' driver profile ' mode driving system offering ' Eco, '' comfort, '' Sport ' and ' individual ' settings. And of course, there are new camera-based technologies, including an optional ' Travel Assist ' system that combines Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane helps to allow ' hands-free ' driving at a speed of 130mph. A very alarming surprise, but Volkswagen, who assured us, was a significant safety aid.
Design and build
From the front, you might think that this MK8 line model doesn't look especially ' Golf-like ' with a lower nose and a sleek box flanked by a full-fledged LED bead. The different front Bumper Styling varies with different Trim levels and features a backset of LED tail light angles. Hatch Rear featured the brand's latest logo on top of the letter ' Golf,' and the C-Pillar design of the arrows (the Golf signature feature since the fourth-generation model) was brought forward to this one. Dimensionally, this model is almost identical to its predecessor, and as before, there is an option to hatch five doors or an Estate body style.Inside, there is a radical difference in previous models with contemporary cabins dominated by multiple screens. There is a 10-inch Infotainment Dashboard center with regular features – including ' Apple CarPlay '/' Android Auto ' smartphone – mirroring, which can now be operated wirelessly. This complement is a 10.25-inch ' digital Cockpit ' display of the largest screen-TFT instrument in the segment. Elsewhere, almost all switches and traditional buttons have made way to touch-sensitive-although buttons on the steering wheel, and door panels remain, as does the Dash one for the danger of flashers. The rear seating room and the boot capacity are both fixed much as before, making it quite class-competitive.
Markets and Models
To begin with, there is one body shape hatch five doors and only two levels of Trim, the basic ' Life ' and plusher ' style. ' As we said before, there are only machines-the 1.5 TSI EVO gasoline in the 130 and 150PS form and the 2.0 TDI EVO diesel in 115 and 150PS guises. Golf has always been one of the pricier options in the family hatchback segment and still is. You are looking at the price at Bracket £24.000-£ 29.000. In other words, this car, as before, has price positioned just above the mainstream family of hatching models such as Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra. And just below the premium-badged family hatch after such as the tire 1 Series, audio A3 and Mercedes A-Class. To combat Ritzy's model technology like this, this Golf MK8 arrives with quite a portfolio of optional semi-autonomous driving technologies, including a ' travel assistance ' feature that allows cars to accelerate, steer, and brake on highways with speeds up to 130mph.Standard equipment across the range includes a central Infotainment screen – a 10-inch dashboard with an operating interface that responds to the ' Hey Volkswagen ' command, followed by whatever you want to ask. Also, the standard is the full LED light and 10.25-inch ' digital Cockpit ' instrument binnacle screen. Entry-level cars run at the wheels of 16in, but higher levels will get a 17-Inch Velg, plus extra Ambient lighting options, chrome exhaust and trim option skins. The luxury ' R-Line ' model will get a first ordered bumper, Trim element and sports chair, with various similar tweaks featuring on the GTE version. Volkswagen also said that this MK8 Golf would be upgradeable, so if needed, features such as adaptive Cruise Control, light Assist and Wi-Fi hotspots can be added and activated once you buy a car.
Cost of ownership
In the range, the claimed fuel consumption has increased by about 10%. The Mild Hybrid 48-volt electrical system that features a 1.5-litre volume of gasoline Golf models should allow for a viable improvement in carrying out cost efficiencies. It recovers the energy that should be wasted when it slows down, redeploy up to 16hp and 25Nm from the power boost under acceleration. The Top 150PS version of the 1.5 TSI petrol unit manages up to 51.4 MPG on the WLTP cycle, with up to 110g/km CO2 emissions rated by NEDC, a smaller number of 130PS this engine version increases to 52.3 MPG and up to 108g/km. If you prefer to have one of the more conventional TDI diesel units, you will find that the two are cleaner than ever, with the changes claimed to cut CO2 emissions by 17%. The 2.0 TDI, EVO 115PS unit, manages up to 49.6 MPG on a WLTP cycle, with up to 112g/km of the NEDC-rated CO2 emissions, the figure that the lower 115PS version of this engine increases to 67.3 MPG and up to 91g/km.The sliding function (available with the DSG Auto transmission) is always actively assisted with the combined cycle of the recently mentioned WLTP numbers. Even more significantly, the new shipping system AdBlue cuts off nitrogen oxide emissions in the TDI range by 80%. Volkswagen is planning to introduce a lightweight hybrid to this diesel unit, also in the near term.
AND guarantees? Well, the standard package is three years and 60.000 miles. We can not see why Volkswagen could not extend the mileage limit to 100.000 miles, therefore what you get on the Caddy model is very similar mechanically. Doing that, though, will not give the Volkswagen dealers so much the opportunity to sell an extended warranty package. There is one for four years and 75.000 miles or, if you plan to see a little more of the world in your Golf, there are five years/90,000 miles packets.
Summary
Where MK7 Golf is radical in engineering but conservative in its packaging, this MK8 model is the exact opposite. To some extent, this is the pattern we saw earlier with this model line, and in this case, the result is a complete package. Golf has always been a bit pricier than the leading branded family – the rival hatches, but the smaller versions sometimes struggle to justify that premium. With this eighth-generation version, we venture to suggest that you will feel a lot happier about parting with extra money. And you may even feel that this VW is a better home for your money than the premium-brand pricier of this kind of model – the Audi A3 shares almost all this way of engineering, for example.This is still, as Golf always has to be, the benchmark in segments; A car that must display very on every family hatch shopping list. In short, this is still Golf – with all the lines of legacy models, the depth of engineering and the inherent qualities of these badges have come to represent. So Noah changed even if everything looks different.
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