SPY PICS: Volkswagen Golf to get enormous new screen

It seems the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf is already being prepared for an update, given our spy photographers have spotted this undisguised test vehicle in Europe fitted with a markedly different interior layout.

The most drastic change is the move from a dash-integrated infotainment screen to an enormous new free-standing unit that’s so big it can be seen from outside the car – and from quite some distance away at.

It’s not yet clear exactly how big the new multimedia display is (or whether it will become standard in all variants), but it should easily eclipse the classy flush-fitting touch-screen units in the current Golf – 8.25-inch Composition Media in the entry-level 11TSI and 10.0-inch Discover Pro from 110TSI Life level upwards.

The bigger screen is anticipated to be powered by an equally new operating system that should bring crisper graphics, new aesthetics and faster processing times, as well as improved device compatibility.

Other interior upgrades for the Volkswagen Golf ‘8.5’ include a subtly reshaped centre console that will seemingly go without the familiar passenger-side buttress.

There are obviously still some similarities and unchanged features, like for instance the haptic climate control sliders underlining the infotainment screen, the four central vehicle function buttons clustered right in the middle of the dash and the almost full-width air-vents.

Interestingly, the spied test vehicle is devoid of any sort of camouflage and presents as a current model – the only indication of its prototype identity is the cluster of wiring taped to the A-pillar – leaving two possibilities for the update.

The first is that the Mk8 Golf will receive the updated cabin design but continue on with the familiar exterior, similar to the local Hyundai i30 N-Line models.

The other possibility is that a tweaked exterior design will break cover closer to the model’s release, given that revised bumpers or light signature are much simpler to implement than a new multimedia operating system.

Sources out of Europe suggest the updated Golf line-up will enter local showrooms sometime in 2024, suggesting we won’t see the new small car on Aussie soil until later that year or even in early 2025.

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