Volkswagen is banking on the fact that the new Golf VI (6) has recently won the 2009 World Car of the Year Award. The German company hopes the feelings of the international judges will rub off on to the South African public. From the two days I spent piloting the Golf 6 it became clear to me that the Golf, while growing up a little bit, remains a Golf. You can clearly see this from any angle, in fact some people will have trouble differentiating it from the Golf 5 but the differences are clear.
The new front end features VW’s new face with a smaller, thinner grille blades, sharper headlights and a new rear lights cluster.
The moment I got to turn the key and start up the 1.4-litre TSI engine, there was no mistake that I was behind the steering wheel of a Golf. Whether you like the car or not it represents a significant step forward for the Golf brand. The design team set out to create the best Golf ever, and indeed the best car in its class.
Inside, the higher-quality finishings point to a more sophisticated car than its predecessor. The materials used include brushed chrome accents, cloth upholstery (on the lower models) and comfortable leather for the higher versions. Attention has been paid into making the car very quiet and even on rough roads this was obvious. Noise-damping film has been used on the windscreen and the front windows are 10% thicker than the outgoing model. A new sealing solution is utilised for the doors to keep noise at a minimum. Other areas dampened are the front fenders, foot pedal area, engine firewall and the centre tunnel.
I killed about 8 hours in the new Golf and not once did I feel alienated by the cabin. Most of the switches are placed where one would expected them to be. The indicator stalks are on the left as per Euro spec, the headlight switch remains on the right-hand-side of the steering wheel on the dashboard, the side mirror adjustment knob is still where it used to be but is now covered in chrome. So are the electric window buttons. The 3-spoke steering wheel is fun to grab and feels quite sporty. New control switches on the wheel are easier to operate and feel more upmarket.
Stuff they have inside varies depending on which model you are driving. Five trim levels are available, namely the 1.6 Trendline, 1.4 TSI Trendline, 1.4 TSI Comfortline, 1.4 TSI Highline and the 2.0TDI Highline. At the moment they all come with a 6-speed manual gearbox except the 1.6-litre with its 5-speeder.
Standard to all the cars is the McPherson strut up front (very good handling for a front-wheeler – hopefully to be amplified in the GTI), a multi-link rear suspension, ABS brakes and ESP (an exclusive for the segment). Both Trendline models come fitted with 15-inch alloy wheels as standard while the Comfortline car has 16-inchers and the Highline models have 17-inch alloys.
The engine menu looks as follows. At the bottom of the heap is a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated motor making 75kW at 5600rpm and torque of 148Nm at 3800rpm. The 0 – 100km/h time is said to be 11.3 seconds with a top speed of 188km/h. It has C02 emissions of 166g/km which are only Euro2 compliant.
Next up is the 1.4TSI with only a turbocharger. That one produces 90kW at 5000rpm and 200Nm at 1500rpm. The engine will allow the car to do 0 - 100km/h in a claimed 9.5 seconds and top off at 200km/h. It’s average emissions are 144g/km and are the EU5 compliant.
Top of the petrol range is the 1.4TSI with a red SI. This powerplant is both turbo and supercharged thus giving it low-end grunt where it’s needed for takeoff. Once the car gets going the turbo takes over from the supercharger which then gives it higher speeds. It makes 118kW at 5800rpm and 240Nm at 1500rpm. Notably it will make 200Nm at about 1100rpm, which is virtually an idle speed. Sprint times are 8 seconds for the 0 – 100km/h dash and 220km/h for the top whack. C02 emissions are just 145g/km despite more power and torque compared with the turbo unit.
On the diesel side the 2.0-litre TDI makes a return. That’s the same engine with 103kW at 4200rpm and maximum pulling force of 320Nm from 1750rpm.
Optionally things like satellite navigation (R28 290), front and rear park distance control (R4 520), xenon headlights (R9 080), electric sunroof (R6 630) and the RCD-510 MP3 6 CD changer (R3 620) are available.
The new Golf VI is available for sale at your nearest Volkswagen dealership.
Golf VI pricing
1.6 Trendline
R214 400
1.4 TSI Trendline
R227 900
1.4 TSI Comfortline
R238 400
1.4 TSI Highline
R272 900
2.0TDI Highline
R298 900
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