Volkswagen Golf Video Reviews

With such a strong pedigree, how has VW upped the R ante this time around?

VW's iconic hot hatch returns for its eighth iteration, but where has VW managed to improve on the already very good Golf 7.5 version?

You’ve got to try pretty hard to find proper icy driving conditions in Australia, but when you do, you want to have every option at your disposal to give you the best chance of avoiding a collision. Just look at the popularity of inherently all-wheel drive Subarus in the Snowy Mountains area or Tasmania. Audi is another brand synonymous with all-wheel drive, but parent brand Volkswagen is turning all four wheels by an increasing measure, with 44 per cent of passenger car and SUV sales now wearing 4Motion badges. The German brand claims this is double the industry average. It’s not just ice where all-wheel drive can come in handy either. Gravel, wet bitumen and mud are much easier to come by, and often when you’re not planning to. Australian roads are still 56 per cent unsealed according to Volkswagen.It’s easy to say that stability and traction control systems go a long way to playing the same role as all-wheel drive when it comes to accident avoidance, but it’s important to understand that all wheel drive as a proactive means of preserving traction, unlike traction and stability control which are reactive. If you can prevent a problem before it starts, surely that’s better, and the systems actually compliment each other when calibrated to work in harmony. Given the lack of ice in Australia, we’ve just travelled to New Zealand to experience Volkswagen’s 4Motion systems in the most trying of conditions, at work in everything from a small SUV, to a hot hatch, to a full-size commercial van. Volkswagen 4Motion all-wheel drive is currently available in two main types, Haldex and Torsen. The Haldex-type used in all 4Motion models aside from the Touareg and Amarok, and is a part-time system where fluid pressure controls a clutch pack to send power to the rear wheels as needed.The latest fifth generation Haldex-type system is integrated with a whole bunch of drivetrain sensors to help predict traction loss before it happens.The Touareg and automatic Amaroks use a full-time system with a Torsen, or torque sensing, mechanical centre diff that’s essentially reserved for their north-south engine layout. The Torsen system was made famous by various Audi Quattro models, and also sees duty aboard vehicles as diverse as the Toyota LandCruiser Prado.The third 4Motion type currently in use is only found aboard manual versions of the Amarok, and is essentially the traditional mechanical low-range transfer case. This version was not available to test in New Zealand. Volkswagen chose the Southern Hemisphere Proving Ground in Cardrona to highlight 4Motion’s ice capabilities, which is the sort of James Bond mountain-top network of ice circuits you’ve probably dreamed about. It would be ideal to test the same cars back to back in two- and all-wheel drive, but given the ice was hard enough to walk on, two-wheel drive would have been next to useless. So the fact that the 4Motion cars were able to drive at all is amazing. They did have winter tyres fitted, but I really doubt they made any difference on the slick ice. The cars on hand represented a good spectrum of the VW 4Motion range, including the upcoming T-Roc small SUV in 140 TSI guise, the Golf R hot hatch, the Tiguan 162 TSI mid-size SUV, the Passat Alltrack 140 TDI wagon, the Arteon sedan, the new Touareg large SUV in NZ-spec 210 V6S guise, the Amarok Ultimate 580 and would you believe it, the big Crafter van in MWB TDI 410 spec. The two ice courses on offer proved a masterclass in weight transfer and how a bigger car is much harder to turn. And I’m not just talking about the Crafter either, the T-Roc may seem like just a Tiguan with the back of its roof chopped off, but it is so much more nimble than the Tiguan on the ice. The longer wheelbases of the Passat Alltrack and Arteon made them even more difficult to unsettle, but the lower ride height and roofline of the Arteon made it that much easier to change directions.The ice also highlights how each car is set up to suit its intended purpose. The Golf R will let you turn off all its stability control for proper Ken Block-style four-wheel drifting, while the cars aimed at more sedate driving, like the Touareg or professional use, like the Amarok and Crafter will keep some of the stability control on all the time in the interests of outright safety. This also highlights the role of stability control with all-wheel drive. Without stability control, it is a challenge to get a car sideways, and planting your right foot will quickly straighten everything out. But with stability control, it’s almost impossible to induce oversteer, and therefore pretty much idiot proof, so they work really well together.For this integration of systems to keep vehicles as large and rugged as the Amarok and Crafter stable in these conditions is simply amazing.  The benefits of all-wheel drive aren't so obvious on dry bitumen, which is indeed where most of us spend most of our time driving. But to demonstrate how broad the models’ range of capabilities are, Volkswagen gave us access to Highlands Motorsport Park race circuit to experience most of the same cars at the other end of their performance spectrum.We drove the Haldex-equipped Tiguan, Arteon, Golf R and Passat Alltrack back to back with the Torsen-equipped Touareg and Amarok, and couldn’t pick any difference in the systems on the dry bitumen surface. This is going to sound a bit like a VW ad, but our track time did highlight that both 4Motion all-wheel drive systems are beautifully integrated with the stability control, suspension and tyres, with no sense of tugging or unsettling emergency reaction when you reach the limits of adhesion.This includes the Amarok too, which is a big ladder chassis ute with a solid axle and leaf springs on the back, and it maintains stability and predictability. A dual cab ute! On a racetrack!

The 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI Original is here to offer buyers a stripped back - but not stripped out - hot hatch experience. It has been 42 years since the original Volkswagen Golf GTI was launched in Europe, and this new model has a simple focus: reliving the glory days, drawing on an illustrious past of the German

Compact performance wagons are something Euro carmakers do extremely well. And happily, the Volkswagen Golf R, is returning to Australia in wagon form from January next year. We took a preview drive.

Tim Robson road tests and reviews the Volkswagen Golf GTE with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian preview drive in Germany.

We turn the spotlight on the car world's newest and brightest stars as we ask the questions to which you want the answers. But there's only one question that really needs answering would you buy one?What is it?This is VW's most powerful and fastest Golf ever and is in fact Generation 4 of the R series.It's the top of the line Golf, and as such has all the kit you'd expect in such a car.How much?Pricing starts at $51,990 quickly escalating to $54,490 with the optional DSG gearbox. Three option packs can add a further $6000 to the bottom line.What are competitors?Ford's impressive Focus ST is far cheaper, nearly as much fun to drive but only front wheel drive. Subaru's WRX is similarly less money and has similar performance and outputs. WRX STi is more on the R money and out-points the Golf R on paper. It has a harder edge though. Then there's the Renault Megane GT220 five door hatch. Again, less money but less car too.What's under the bonnet?Gets a heavily revised version of the Golf GTi 2.0-litre turbo engine with dual direct injection system into the combustion chamber and also inlet ports. The turbocharger is different too, as are engine internals.Drive is 4motion system to all four wheels via an electronic haldex clutch and diff locks on both axles giving a torque vectoring effect. Outputs are 206kW/380Nm.How does it go?Absolutely awesome. Can't see any reason to spend more on a big booming V8-something when this car would have it for breakfast, especially if corners are involved. Clocks 0-100km/h sprint in 5.0 seconds (feels quicker), has a super direct feel to the steering, well planted and a stupendous exhaust bang on up changes.Is it economical?Amazing considering performance potential with 7.1L/100km achievable on 98RON.Is it green?Yes scores a four star rating on the Green Vehicle Guide.Is it safe?Yes scores a five-star ANCAP rating.Is it comfortable?Yes, offers plenty of luxury kit which contributes to the somewhat Golf R's 1435kg. Leather is optional though. The Golf R has sports seats, premium audio, touchscreen, the latest multimedia and connectivity, bi-xenon headlights, reverse camera, driving profile selector with 5 modes including 'Race', engine stop/start, satnav, electric park brake, dual-zone climate control, keyless access and so on.What's it like to drive?Great. Golf R is a hoot to drive, even down to the shops. There's a rush to get the keys if any driving errands are involved. Goes like a shot out of the blocks, has superlative roll on and corners like it's on rails. Engaging to drive, you go looking for the winding roads just to experience what real sporty dynamics are like.Is it value for money?OK, but gets expensive with all the options. Slightly lesser cars are a lot less money...

As fast as a Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) Clubsport R8 which boasts a hot 6.2 litre V8. It is VW's quickest and safest Golf ever.

Volkswagen Golf 110 TDI