The new Volkswagen Golf - a relaxed partner for any journey
This car is clearly not to be denied that it is one of the most popular and thus best-selling cars in Europe. Even though it is a lower middle class car, there is plenty to be found in the equipment. That's one of the plus points of the lower classes, by the way. It seems to me as if technological advances are gradually blurring the distinction between premium and more affordable cars. This is clearly playing into the hands of the new Golf too.
Cute car
At first glance, it's a cute little car whose design may not completely wow you, but it certainly won't offend either. You won't attract as much attention on the street, but you'll also be the owner of a nice car that's the perfect companion for your daily commute. Especially from the side view, it's clear at first glance that this is a Golf. The classic shapes have remained unchanged and you won't mistake it for another car on the road.
Compared to the previous generation, the Golf has grown a little bigger, but also lowered. At 4284 mm, it is 26 mm longer and the wheelbase has been stretched by 16 mm to 2636 mm. The eighth-generation Golf is a millimetre narrower and has lost 36 mm in height, which has had a positive effect on aerodynamics.
Small but handy
Although it is a relatively small car, passengers will find quite a lot of space inside, and as a bonus in the eighth generation, some extra millimetres in front of the knees in the rear. Even at 193 centimetres, I was able to get comfortable inside and the view from the car was unobstructed.
The 380-litre trunk offers plenty of space, which is a common value for this class of car. Folding down the asymmetrically split rear seats creates a sloping surface and the maximum capacity increases to a pleasant 1,237 litres.
The digital era has not escaped the classic
On cars that have been around for generations, you can see the advent of the digital era even more clearly, and digitalisation has not escaped the classic Golf. The interior caught my eye at first glance because it looks quite futuristic, which I personally applaud.
Once in the driver's seat, you'll find a digital instrument cluster in front of you and another 10" display on the centre stack. There is no shortage of touchpads all around instead of buttons. With these you control the lights, volume, temperature, seat heating, as well as other functions. At first, it takes a while to get used to this way of controlling the system. I was a bit annoyed that you have to scroll through the touchscreen menu for most of the air conditioning, radio or stop-start functions. It's a bit more complicated than reaching for the remote while driving. But in my case, it turned out to take just enough practice, and after a few days with the new Golf, I knew exactly where I needed to reach.
Car interiorPhoto: Volkswagen
As far as the infotainment system goes, the smartphone connectivity works great too, keeping your favourite apps close at hand at all times. What's more, the infotainment system itself is a bit tablet-like in its operation, and after a while of use, I dare say it fits everyone's hand.
It drives great
The model I tested was powered by a 1.5 eTSI petrol engine. This is a mild-hybrid that is available in combination with a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission. The model tested was in the 1st edition trim, which is no longer available, but is similar in equipment to the Style variant. More information on this trim level can be found here.
Volkswagen Golf 1.5 eTSIPhoto: Jan Witek
The 1.5 TSI petrol four-cylinder engine delivers 110 kW of power and 250 Nm of peak torque. Under the eTSI (mHEV) designation, the same specifications are complemented by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. What can you imagine by this term? The main part of the system is a belt-driven starter-generator that recovers kinetic energy and stores it as electricity in the battery, which helps in starting or, conversely, driving off and engaging the start-stop system a little earlier. By these processes, the designers try to reduce consumption as much as possible. The charts say about 4.6 litres per 100 kilometres, but in my testing I was around 6.5 litres, which is still a fairly satisfactory result.
I have to commend the new Golf for its low noise and comfortable steering. Thanks to the chassis, the car filters well even the bigger bumps, which are not scarce on Czech roads. Since I travelled with the car across the Czech Republic, I tried both fast driving on the motorway and driving on the ring roads. In both cases, the car is very stable and leans only minimally when cornering. Moreover, I must say that it is comfortable enough. Even after a few hours of driving, I didn't notice any part of my body reverberating with pain. So it's not just everyday trips around town, you can easily handle longer journeys with the new Golf.
In conclusion
The new Golf is an ideal car for all people who like to indulge in quality at a reasonable price. The price of the new car in the Style trim level (17" wheels, LED Plus headlights, ambient interior lighting, safety assistants, mirror package and much more) starts at some 623 thousand crowns. It should be mentioned that for this price you get a really nicely equipped car. If you're looking for more excitement and thrills, you can look for the R trim level, but for that the price tag already goes over a million crowns. More information about the model can be found here.
