The New Golf

By Shereen Shabnam

My first car was a VW Golf and although it has been years since I owned a VW, fond memories remain as despite being a compact car, it saved my life in a horrific traffic light accident caused by an over confident young male. Recently I drove the car for a couple of days and the new Golf remains as nippy and versatile on the roads as I remember from my younger years.

The seventh generation of the Golf is more comfortable, more spacious and safer than its predecessor, yet has been made up to 100kg lighter according to the brand. The decreased weight makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by 23%, making it the most fuel efficient Golf to date.

The new Golf has been completely redesigned, including the vehicle body, interior, engines and the numerous new driver assistance systems which have been updated.

Volkswagen demonstrates that the Golf stands more than ever for progress and for perfection in every detail: with added space, new pioneering safety systems such as the multi collision brake system and a new progressive steering system and rear axle. In fact, the Golf’s multi collision brake system has already won a safety innovation award from Germany’s largest automobile club (ADAC).

New assistance systems include a standard XDS electronic differential lock and the latest generation of the automatic parking assistant Park Assist.

The VW Golf drives comfortably and suspension is supple enough to handle the many bumps you find in most towns and cities. There are other new technologies as well, such as progressive steering, an electronic parking brake plus a new climate comfort windscreen that is also a first in this segment.

The boot space sill height is now just 665 mm (-17 mm) – the best figure in the car’s core market segment. In parallel, the maximum boot width has grown by 228 mm to 1,272 mm. Volkswagen has also increased the width of the boot space opening: by 47 mm to 1,023 mm.

Significantly more room and even better ergonomics define the driver’s area. Taller drivers in particular will welcome the seat position that has been shifted back by 20 mm; the steering wheel’s adjustment range has also been modified.

What I loved about the new Golf is that it looks smart, provides an entertaining driving experience with robust performance and has all the space and performance needed to handle your everyday needs.