Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI GT ACT manual 5-door

Volkswagen car review: DAVID WILKINS

What is it?

THIS Golf is is the seventh car to carry Volkswagen’s most famous name-plate – and with 29 million cars already sold over a period of 38 years, the new model has a lot to live up to.

VW can’t afford to be too adventurous with the Golf’s styling for fear of upsetting its huge and loyal customer base, but under the skin, the new car is a big step forward. Old style platform-sharing is out, and in comes the Volkswagen group’s new MQB modular architecture, a system of shared sub-assemblies that’s a lot more flexible and scalable, allowing more sharing between cars of different sizes.

• It really is completely new underneath – and it gets more efficient engines and higher equipment levels too

Engines are more efficient too, and the Golf gets the option of a 1.4 TSI petrol engine with fuel-saving cylinder deactivation technology that will probably make some company car users question whether it’s worth sticking with diesel.

Equipment levels are high, but Volkswagen has resisted the temptation to bump up the Golf’s prices, which start at a fairly keen £16,330 in the UK. Next year, the range will be joined by a fuel-saving BlueMotion model and the inevitable high performance Golf GTI version.

What’s hot?

• The new Golf’s MQB architecture contributes towards a weight saving of up to 100 kg compared with the old model – even though the new car is more spacious
• Even at launch, the next Golf offers a wide range of engine choices, all of which get stop/start – on the petrol side, there are 85 and 105 PS 1.2 TSI options, and 122 and 140 PS 1.4 TSIs
• The 140 PS 1.4 TSI gets ACT (Active Cylinder Technology) cylinder deactivation as standard – that means it runs on only two cylinders under a light load and achieves 58.9 mpg and 112 g/km
  

  

• Initial diesel options are a 105 PS 1.6 TDI (74.3 mpg and 99 g/km) and a 150 PS 2.0 TDI (68.9 mpg and 106 g/km).  Next year, a fuel-saving  BlueMotion option will be available with a new 110 PS 1.6 expected to be good for 88.3 mpg and 85 g/km
• A new 220 PS 2.0 TSI Golf GTI, previewed at this month’s Paris Motor Show, will also arrive next year – the big improvement here is in torque, which at 350 Nm is a gain of 70 Nm over the old Golf GTI.
• UK trim levels are S, SE and GT, with initial prices ranging from £16,330 to £24,625
• Dashboards incorporate new touch-screen displays and there are DAB radios and the usual Bluetooth and USB connections

• The new Golf is big on safety with automatic City Emergency Braking as standard on the SE and above. Standard across the range – a new multi-collision braking system that stops the car after an impact to reduce the likelihood of a second accident
• Golfs are usually safe and capable rather than exciting handlers, but partly thanks to that weight saving, the new model is much more agile.
• Equipment levels are high

What’s not?

• The new Golf’s handsome but conservative styling doesn’t do the big under-the-skin updates full justice – but that’s being ultra-critical
• Good as the new Golf’s power-trains are, there’s still nothing in the Golf line-up that quite matches Ford’s impressive 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine for technical interest and on-paper economy
• The driver profile selection system, likely to be fitted to most UK Golfs, allows drivers to alter several aspects of the car’s set-up such as the engine mapping and suspension – but the standard settings are so well judged this can feel like an unnecessary complication, although the “Eco” setting may help some users save fuel.

Business Car Manager road test verdict

A new Golf is big company car news, and this one sticks to its well-proven formula for success but still moves the game forward quite a bit. High levels of space, comfort, economy, performance and quality once more make this the car to beat in this bracket.

And there’s plenty to interest company car drivers as well. If you’re going to spend a lot of time on the road, the Golf’s comfortable cabin and great driving dynamics are going to make that a lot more palatable, and there are worthwhile improvements in fuel consumption and emissions. The BlueMotion model due next year should set new standards in that department but it will be worth looking at the petrols as well.

Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI GT ACT manual 5-door – the low down