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The all new VW Golf on test – more of everything, except cost

Volkswagen’s Golf is the benchmark for company cars – style, image and practicality – all with rock bottom company car tax and running costs.
623_VW_Golf_S1.6TDI_static
Instantly recognisable as a Golf - but with major changes under the skin

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15 January 2013

Volkswagen Golf Mk7
Instantly recognisable as a Golf – but with major changes under the skin

Car review: Volkswagen Golf S 1.6 TDI

What is it?

The arrival of a new Volkswagen Golf is always a significant event for company car drivers, but this seventh-generation model has attracted even more interest than its predecessors.

The Golf  does 74.3mpg and will cost a 20% tax payer £45.50 a month in company car tax.

Now the latest Golf is finally on sale in the UK, we’ve had the chance to try the 99g/km 1.6-litre diesel version that is likely to be the big seller among company car users.

Don’t be taken in by the appearance – it still looks very much the Golf – but under the skin it’s all change. For the company car driver that means more space and equipment, but with lower running costs and  a reduced company car tax bill.

What’s changed? First, the latest Volkswagen Golf adopts a radical new modular body architecture, first seen in the Audi A3, that will form the basis of most next-generation small and medium-size Volkswagen group models.

More far-reaching than the previous “platform-sharing” concept, the new architecture is the key to improved economies of scale, as well as weight savings of up to 100 kg.

Fuel efficiency is improved by as much as 23 per cent, thanks in part to the standardisation of stop/start technology across the Golf range.

 

Volkswagen Golf Mk7
Clever engineering means that while the new Golf is bigger and better equipped, it’s also lighter, and has lower running costs

What’s hot?

  • The new Golf is improved in almost every area – it’s longer, lower, quicker, stiffer, quieter and safer than before. It has also more interior space.
  • The new range has a wide selection of engines and trim levels from the start – and three and five-door bodies as well.
  • The launch line up contains three models, S, SE and GT.
    Volkswagen Golf Mk7
    Much more kit – touch screen, Bluetooth and enhanced safety and driver assist features on SE models and above
  • The initial choice of petrol engines includes two 1.2 TSI petrols with 85 PS (57.6 mpg and 113 g/km) and 105 PS (57.6 mpg and 114 g/km), and two 1.4 TSIs with 122 PS (54.3 mpg and 120 g/km) and 140 PS with selective cylinder deactivation (60.1 mpg and 109 g/km)
  • The launch diesels are the 105 PS 1.6 tested here (74.3 mpg and 99 g/km) and a more powerful 150 PS 2.0-litre (68.9 mpg and 106 g/km). The 1.6 is eager enough for British roads, with plenty of torque, and is the best in the range for economy.
  • The latest Golf is sharper on the road than the last, thanks in part to that weight saving, but this is more keenly felt in the petrols, which have a slight edge in unlocking this new, lighter car’s improved agility compared with the diesels
    Volkswagen Golf Mk7
    Touchscreen infotainment system includes DAB digital radio and USB input
  • Volkswagen has managed to hold the line on pricing, with the new range starting at £16,285 for an S model with the 1.2 TSI petrol engine – that’s actually slightly cheaper than before. The launch line-up tops out at £24,880 for a GT with the 2.0 TDI diesel
  • Equipment levels are strong, with all cars getting a touch-screen infotainment system, DAB digital radio, USB input, Bluetooth, and access to vehicle trip information. SE models and above get City Emergency Braking, seatbelt pre-tensioners and a Driver Alert System.

 

What’s not?

  • The 1.6 diesel does a good job on the road, and certainly delivers in terms of fuel consumption and emissions but the smaller-engined 1.4 TSI petrol is sweeter.
  • Volkswagen Golf Mk7

  • The evolutionary styling doesn’t really provide much excitement – or give much of a clue to the extent of this car’s under-the-skin advances. On the other hand, the new Golf is certainly handsome, and Volkswagen would be mad to mess too much with an established successful recipe.

 

Business Car Manager road test verdict

Our first chance to drive the latest Golf on UK roads confirms that it represents a significant advance over its predecessor – and that didn’t have a lot wrong with it either.

The 1.6 diesel tested here will probably be the main draw for company car users, thanks to its excellent economy and emissions, but business users’ heads will increasingly be turned by the smaller-engined petrols, which suit the Golf well.

Volkswagen Golf Mk7
The Golf manages to combine style with comfort, space and great efficiency. Company car drivers, take note

As before, the Golf faces a fiercely competitive landscape.

Some of the stiffest competition will be coming from the latest versions of the Audi A3, Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia, which share much of the Golf’s Volkswagen group technology.

The new Leon, in particular, is a stronger contender than the last, and manages to undercut the Golf on price.

Nevertheless, this Golf’s improved space, ability and equipment levels – and the unparalleled recognition and loyalty generated by six previous generations of Volkswagen’s big seller over 38 years – more or less guarantee its success.

For small businesses and company car drivers the combination of strong image, driver appeal, practicality, and all for reduced running costs should prove a winning mix.

 

Volkswagen Golf S 1.6 TDI – the low down

P11D value 2012/13 to 2014/15 £19,510
Monthly business rental N/A
Company car tax band 2012/13 to 2014/15 13%, 14%, 15%
BIK tax 2012/13 to 2014/15 £2,536, £2,731 £2,927
Engine 1.6 litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel
CO2 emissions 99g/km
Power/torque 105PS/250Nm
0-62mph 10.7 seconds
Economy 74.4mpg

Costs correct at time of posting

 

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Matt Morton

Matt Morton

Matt Morton is an automotive content writer for Business Car Manager

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