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Volkswagen Golf 110 TDI Highline 2013 review

Despite being longer and wider, it sheds as much as 100kg.
EXPERT RATING
8

If you look at the pictures of the new Golf above and wonder, as I did, whether Volkswagen has changed anything at all, then its designers won't be offended. On the contrary, they will consider it a job well done.

The charge that the seventh generation looks the same as its predecessor is worn as a badge of pride. It's a promise, in effect, that this Golf will be more of the same. That is exactly what Volkswagen believes its buyers want.

With 29 million sold, it has strong grounds for that belief. Golf inherited the mantle of people's car from the Beetle and overtook its sales total a decade ago. “The Golf is a classless vehicle,” exterior designer Stefan Wallburg says at the launch in Italy early this month. “A car for everyone.” His inspiration came from the 1974 original.

Golf VII has the same horizontal grille; light and shade play on its flanks in just the same way. But it could have been any of the previous six. They are variations on a theme; visual chords that resonate across the generations, the same song in a different voice.

“If you had to hear one song for the rest of your life which one would it be?” ask the adverts. “Which car?” There's scarcely a nation where Golfs are not sold, but the hatchback heartland is Europe and this one arrives as the region is under siege from economic uncertainty.

Car sales this year will be the worst in decades. That's only encouragement to Volkswagen. Marketing chief Jurgen Stackmann says the new Golf arrives at just the right time. “The global economy is changing,” he says. “People are insecure, they are looking for safe choices.”

Predictable, anti-fashion, future-proof Golf is that car, he says. Young people aspire to one, old people think it's timeless. However, the challenge it faces goes deeper than showroom-shy buyers. Luxury makers are moving into volume segments, fashioning small cars with desirable features at oh-so-nearly-attainable prices.

They have amplified the effect of the buyers' strike and left Ford, Peugeot, Opel, Fiat and Renault deeply in the red, haemorrhaging money on every sale, forced to slow factories to walking pace. The Golf already has the measure of those rivals. It's unassailable as Europe's favourite car. It's the luxury brands it has to worry about.

VALUE

Volkswagen has reached into its deep pockets and spent big. This Golf is as thoroughly new as new cars ever are. The chassis, the engines, the control systems, the interior -- little beyond the transmissions have been untouched. The options list bulges with technology that many premium cars have yet to offer.

And prices will barely move, if at all. Volkswagen can afford to do this because the Golf is about more than the Golf. It is the centrepiece, the tarmac zero, of all the small cars offered by Volkswagen brands from Skoda to Seat to Audi.

TECHNOLOGY

At its core is a new platform, called MQB, that will make all these cars lighter. Two new families of turbocharged petrol and diesel four-cylinders employ all the latest techniques for improved economy.

The diesel available at the launch drive in Sardinia, a 110kW 2.0-litre, is smoother and more flexible than the previous unit while the 103kW 1.4-litre petrol has a new feature that can shut down two cylinders when coasting. These will be core engines for Golfs that come to Australia and either would be easy to live with for their quiet efficiency, with the manual 2.0 TDI the economy champion at 4.1 litres per 100km.

The range will swell to include performance petrols and diesels for the GTI and GTD models, as well as smaller capacity (1.2 petrol, 1.6 diesel) units. Golfs with less than 90kW adopt a lightweight torsion beam rear axle while the higher power cars retain an improved version of the previous independent multi-link set-up. Or they can be set independently.

DESIGN

Despite being longer and wider, it sheds as much as 100kg. Fuel economy makes removing weight the highest priority. There's more premium steel, finessed for thickness and geometry, surplus metal pared back. Inside, space has increased in almost every dimension except headroom, although it's still ample. The car is lower than before to improve aerodynamics.

On the top-spec cars available at the launch the interior has a finely turned answer to the assault by luxury brands. It's a clean and appealing design, impeccably turned out in soft plastic textures, pleasing fabrics and with a high level of detailing. Control knobs are wrapped in soft knurled rubber, the centre console, angled towards the driver, is glossy piano black. The wheel has well-organised controls and looks fabulous.

There are tasteful metallic garnishes in all the right places, ambient lighting and a first-rate finish. It's possible entry-level cars, stripped to basics, lack this gilt-edged invitation. But in Sunday best the Golf is a luxury conveyance in all but name. Especially impressive is the control system, generously displayed on an 8-inch screen in premium variants. It sets fresh standards in graphic quality and logical excellence. Any iPhone user will recognise the result and it's at the cutting edge of these systems in any sort of car.

DRIVING

On the smooth roads of Sardinia it rides and handles with familiar Golf assurance. It drives very much as you would expect -- without wrinkles. As easy as a non-iron shirt. The front suspension is a revised MacPherson strut design. An optional new Dynamic Chassis Control system offers different modes from Eco to Sport for the engine, suspension and steering.

The new electrically assisted steering is a highlight for its precision and that bodes well for the performance Golf variants to come. Variable ratio steering is an option -- an uncommon feature at this level of the market. It's just one of many technology introductions. Others include active cruise control, intelligent headlights that automatically adjust the beams to oncoming traffic and a traffic sign detection system that displays speed limits on the navigation screen.

SAFETY

There are also safety systems new to this level, such as automatic emergency braking at speeds below 30km/h if the radar sensor detects an imminent collision, and a system that tightens seatbelts in anticipation of an impact. If the airbags are triggered the car automatically applies the brakes to prevent a multi-car pile-up.

VERDICT

Just four years after the previous generation, Volkswagen has jump-raised its rivals and set out an enticing stall for anyone tempted to stretch to the premium badges. Golf VII is a classless car that reeks of class. VW wins another round with the seventh-generation Golf.

Pricing guides

$13,999
Based on 189 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months
Lowest Price
$6,990
Highest Price
$26,999

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
77 TSI 1.2L, —, 6 SP MAN $6,050 – 8,580 2013 Volkswagen Golf 2013 77 TSI Pricing and Specs
90 TSI Trendline 1.4L, —, 6 SP MAN $7,920 – 11,110 2013 Volkswagen Golf 2013 90 TSI Trendline Pricing and Specs
90 TSI Trendline 1.4L, —, 6 SP MAN $7,260 – 10,230 2013 Volkswagen Golf 2013 90 TSI Trendline Pricing and Specs
90 TSI 1.4L, —, 6 SP MAN $8,250 – 11,660 2013 Volkswagen Golf 2013 90 TSI Pricing and Specs
EXPERT RATING
8
Philip King
Contributing Journalist

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