Volkswagen Golf 90TSI 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $21,490?
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Metallic paint $500?
Crash rating: Five-star ANCAP?
Fuel: 95 RON PULP?
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 5.7
?CO2 emissions (g/km): 133
?Also consider: Ford Focus (from $20,290); Hyundai i30 (from $20,990); Mazda Mazda3 (from $20,330); Toyota Corolla (from $19,990)

It may sound like a contradiction to proclaim the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf 90TSI as great value, especially when you check the ‘Also consider’ section listed above. But at the risk of concluding too quickly, the $1500 premium over the base-model Corolla is chicken-feed; the Golf could be $5000 pricier yet still appeal for its combination of technology, refinement and dynamic ability.

Significantly, Golf’s new entry-level 90TSI replaces the previous Mark VI; Golf 77TSI; it’s also $3500 cheaper than the previous 90TSI Trendline, bringing more punch for less outlay.

The familiar turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder TFSI powerplant has been refined for Golf VII. It produces its 90kW from 5000-6000rpm, with a robust 200Nm torque on tap from 1400-4000rpm. While these figures are similar to the sixth-generation’s, claimed fuel economy drops from 6.4L/100km to 5.7L/100km in the new car, thanks largely to the adoption of idle stop-start technology. In this instance, this eager, frugal engine sends drive to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

From the outside, you’d be hard-pressed to notice any differences between Golf VI and VII. The new car’s styling (to these eyes) appeared cleaner although the 15 x 6.0-inch ‘trimmed’ steel wheels gave away the tested vehicle’s entry-level status. Still, daytime driving lights and integrated LED indicators in the (heated) exterior mirrors added a touch of class.

Inside, the cabin impressed for its increased space (including another 30 litres of luggage capacity and rear seats that can comfortably accommodate two regular-sized adults) and quality. Comfortable cloth seats (adjustable for height but not lumbar) and fillets of dark silver trim lifted the centre console and door sections, while the controls for the audio system, air-conditioning, lighting and cruise control all had a well-weighted tactility. The doors even shut with that trademark ‘Golf thunk’, just like on TV.

Perhaps the only bugbear from within was the 5.8-inch infotainment screen, which seemed excessively large for its lack of functionality, lacking as it does satellite navigation and a reversing camera. Neither of these features are available on the 90TSI.

So far, so (mostly) good…but how did it drive?

Initial impressions were of a driveline which felt ‘tight’ -- the test car had only 700 kilometres on the clock and correspondingly the engine seemed reluctant to stretch out. This feeling also extended into the manual gearbox, the lever needing to be coaxed between gears, especially on cross-gate shifts. Exacerbating this was the very high bite-point of the clutch pedal, which revealed sputtering progress on a couple of ham-footed occasions.

With my initial kilometres covering off a trip from the South to the North of Melbourne, two of the Golf’s functions -- auto hold and idle stop-start -- came in very handy, preventing roll-back on hills and conserving fuel with equal aplomb. Less convincing was the electric power steering, which felt vague around the straight-ahead and through the first ten degrees of lock. From that point the movement was more fluid but still heavily assisted and fingertip light at slow speeds; great for the shopping centre Grand Prix but not ideal in terms of feedback. Higher speeds brought increased weight which allowed a more accurate placement of the car, particularly on sweeping corners.

The Golf’s ride quality was first noticed in the stop-start traffic, the 90TSI able to soothe away the city’s lumps and bumps without bothering the cabin’s occupants in the slightest. In fact, I’d go as far to say that it was the most impressive riding Volkswagen I’ve ever experienced, no doubt helped by this model’s high-profile 195/65/R15 tyres. The true beauty of the Golf’s ride was that it translated across varied grades of bitumen, at both low and high speeds, while never being an obvious hindrance to the Golf’s handling performance.

In fact, given the suppleness of its ride, the new Golf was a pleasure to punt on twistier country roads, exhibiting strong front-end grip and good resistance to understeer. The trick Extended Electronic Differential Lock, previously the preserve of sportier Volkswagens, assisted greatly in this regard, also making its presence felt on corner exit to maximising the ample low-rev torque of the 1.4-litre turbocharged engine.

On the engine, the unit in the tested car did appear to loosen up over the course of the week, revealing a keenness to rev to 6000rpm but doing its best work from around 1500rpm through to 4000rpm -- right in the sweet-spot for everyday driving. It was also relatively frugal, returning 7.1L/100km on test, beating Volkswagen’s extra-urban claim of 7.2 via a mix of city traffic and highway kilometres spiced with some performance-oriented runs.

Familiarity with the clutch pick-up also saw the gears shift smoother; however, there was still some resistance in finding second (and occasionally first) gear. In fact, it felt like a design ‘feature’, as if Volkswagen wants you to spend the additional $2500 for the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Even clean shifts required a long, deliberate ‘one-two’ action. I also found the corner of the centre console protruding against my clutch leg and the footwell cramped as a result of housing the clutch pedal.

All in all, Volkswagen has reset the small hatch benchmark once more with this car. It may not look like much has changed externally, but Golf 90TSI’s unique blend of value, ride/handling, engine performance/economy, safety and quality is simply unsurpassed in this segment.

Pictures show Golf 90 TSI Comfortline

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