Volkswagen Golf 2013 Review - International

Passenger space is increased, as are the Golf’s external proportions. And for the first time Golf is built on what its maker’s call an MQB, or Modularer Querbaukasten platform -- in English, a modular traverse matrix. The body shell is 23kg lighter than the Golf VI, with refinements elsewhere reducing the new Golf’s mass on certain grades by as much as 100kg.

The results are a stronger monocoque that standardizes many of the Golf’s components with other cars in the VW range. This allows not only cheaper production for the manufacturer but greater access to new powertrains and technologies as they become available -- including hybrid and electrified units.

In Europe, an all-turbocharged engine line-up sees four-cylinder petrol units offering an output range from 63-103kW, while all-new four-pot turbodiesel models deliver from 77kW-110kW.

The hero Golf GTI will be released separately with an output of 165kW. A 'concept' of the new GTI was displayed at Paris Motor Show.

Equipment and technology, much of it borrowed from models higher up the Volkswagen foodchain, is also largely improved with standard kit bolstered across the Golf model range.

Expected in Australia by mid-2013, the new Volkswagen Golf Mark VII will likely arrive with a range of powertrains, bodystyles and equipment grades already familiar to us. The good news, say the manufacturer’s local representatives, is it will land without a marked difference price.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

Trendline: the entry level Golf… In addition to the standard safety equipment listed below (see SAFETY), Trendline is fitted with 15-inch wheels, a 5.0-inch TFT touchscreen, a specially designed fuel filler neck to prevent misfueling and a stowable cargo cover which fits beneath the cargo compartment’s variable floor when not in use. Equipment includes: trip computer, daytime running lamps, air conditioning, electric mirrors and windows, outside temperature indicator, rear wiper, tilt/reach steering column adjustment, height adjustable seat, pollen filter, remote central locking and heat-insulating windows.

Comfortline: mid-spec mass market… Comfortline adds 16-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, a higher grade instrument cluster, drawers under the front seats for additional storage and an upgraded Composition Touch audio system with twin SD card readers in the glovebox. Features also include fatigue detection monitor, lumbar support (front seats), rear seat armrest, chrome trim highlights, storage pockets on the seat backs, 12V outlet in the cargo compartment, illuminated vanity mirror, floor mats and a leather bound gear knob and steering wheel.

Golf Highline: the range-topper… Highline adds to those features listed for Comfortline with 17-inch alloy wheels, an LED ambient lighting package, chrome rimmed VW badge on the grille and sports seats finished in Alcantara with fabric bolsters all standard. Other upgrades include chrome trim accents, LED reading lamps front and rear, dual-zone climate control, multi-function steering wheel, heated windscreen washer jets, heated front seats, xenon headlamps with washers, darkened tail lamps, and front cornering lamps.

The various Golf model lines are also available with a range of extras that include 18-inch alloy wheels, an electric tilt/slide sunroof, premium audio package, rear side airbags, ambience lighting, dynamic chassis control (adjustable damping), lowered suspension (-15mm), keyless engine start, leather upholstery and metallic paint (a total of 12 colours are offered).

Volkswagen Australia told motoring.com.au that not all of the options offered on European models will be offered in Australia. Adding that it is likely model lines will be offered with grouped packages aimed at reducing variant complexity and customer waiting times.

More information will be made available closer to the model’s launch here in Q2 next year.

Also arriving in 2013 is the Golf’s performance spearhead GTI. Its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder now outputs 165kW/350Nm, promising a 0-100km/h time of 6.6sec.

For the regular model lines (Trendline, Comfortline, Highline) the entry diesel is a low output 77kW/250Nm which shares the same cubic displacement as the BlueMotion headline act. It returns a combined consumption figure of 3.8L/100km and emits 99g/km of CO2.

The up-spec 2.0-litre diesel which will feature in Australia-spec Golfs from launch outputs 110kW/320Nm. It returns a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 4.1L/100km and emits 106g/km of CO2.

For petrol models, a 1.2-litre four-cylinder, again featuring direct-injection and turbocharging is the base offering. The petrol unit outputs 63kW/160Nm and sips 4.9L/100km while emitting 113g/km of CO2.

It is presently topped by a high-grade petrol -- also on the cards for the Australian Golf launch -- which displaces 1.4 litres and delivers 103kW/250Nm. It consumes 4.7L/100km of 95 RON PULP on the combined cycle and emits 109g/km of CO2.

These improved figures are thanks primarily from the implementation of Volkswagen’s new cylinder deactivation technology dubbed 'Active Cylinder Management.' Here, when the criteria are met, the engine shuts down the inboard cylinders (two and three), firing only the outboard pair (one and four). To achieve this, conditions must demand less than 85Nm with an engine speed between 1400-4000rpm -- essentially flat road cruising.

Both diesel and petrol mills are equipped as standard with an idle stop-start system.

Transmissions include five and six-speed manual and six and seven-speed dual-clutch units, depending on engine choice and trim level.

All models are suspended by a MacPherson strut front suspension arrangement, though the rear is a mix of multi-link (on models above 90kW output) and torsion beam set-ups (on models below 90kW output). All models are arrested by four-wheel disc brakes.

Electric steering is standard across the range, which depending on variant, can be tailored to individual preferences. The XDS electronic 'differential', previously offered on Golf GTI and Polo GTI is also now offered as standard across the range.

Four wheel sizes and six alloy wheel styles are offered and vary with model grade and market.

At 4255mm long, the new Volksy hatch is 56mm longer from bumper to bumper. The front wheels are pushed forward by 43mm, growing the distance between the axles a total of 59mm to arrive at a wheelbase of 2637mm. Front and rear track grow 8mm and 6mm apiece. Golf grows by 13mm to 1799mm in width but hunkers down by 28mm for a roof top that’s now 1452mm from the road.

The good news for occupants is that all the pushing and pulling of the body outside result in less push and pull inside. Rear legroom grows 15mm, even with the front seats repositioned further aft by a total of 20mm (benefitting taller drivers). Shoulder room grows 31mm in the front and 30mm in the rear. Elbow space also grows by 22mm and 20mm front and rear, respectively.

Up back, cargo space grows 30 litres to a total of 380 litres with the parcel shelf and rear seats in place. A split-fold rear (60:40) is standard and on some models, the luggage floor height can also be adjusted.

The hatch sill height is now measured at a low 685mm (-17mm) and the aperture is larger. While the front passenger seat now folds flat (forward) to allow through-loading of items up to 2412mm in length.

Aerodynamic improvements see the angular Mark VII Golf improve on the predecessor’s coefficient of drag by 10 per cent to arrive at slippery new figure of 0.27Cd. This factor, combined with a significant diet program, sees the new Golf achieve a fuel economy improvement of what the manufacturer claims are as much as 23 per cent; with an average reduction of 13.9 per cent across the range.

The weight savings are achieved across the board, with the electrical system (up to -6.0kg), engines (up to -40.0kg), driveline (up to -26.0kg), bodyshell (up to -23.0kg), dashboard and support frame (up to -1.8kg), HVAC system (up to -2.7kg), seating (up to -7.0kg) and ‘miscellaneous’ components (up to -2.5kg) all facing the surgeon’s blade. In total, VW has stripped nearly 100kg from the car’s total mass.

Among those systems new to the range, we find camera-based lane keeping technology, radar-based adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, fatigue monitoring system, city emergency braking function, traffic sign detection (EU only), park assist steering assistant and an electric park brake with hill-hold and auto stop functionality.

Golf also features a multi-collision braking system which applies the brakes after a collision to prevent the car rolling into further danger. The driver can override the system by applying the throttle.

Antilock brakes, stability control, brake-force distribution, brake assist, three-point seatbelts with front seat pretensioners and anti-whiplash head restraints in all five seating positions are standard. Top-tether and ISOFIX child seat preparation is also offered across the range.

As mentioned earlier (see PRICE AND EQUIPMENT), some of the safety technology listed above is model-dependent or even optional, and still a wait-and-see proposition for the Australian market.

Sure, we won’t see Golf is Aussie showrooms until mid 2013, but the model’s imminent arrival is sure to shake up the segment, and keep pricing keen.

Add to this Mazda’s ‘3’ juggernaut -- Australia’s best selling small car -- impressive deals on Japanese and South Korean models and a handful of refreshed French offerings the segment is as busy as a one-armed Boxer -- which reminds me, the new Impreza and Impreza-based XV are also doing well.

And let’s not forget the Aussie-built Holden Cruze hatch and sedan, and Ford’s quiet achiever, Focus (just attractively repriced as this is written).

With choice and pricing this competitive Volkswagen will need to price Golf sharply to compete. A decision we expect to hear more about towards the end of Q1 next year.

Expected to dominate sales locally, the TSI (petrol) variant immediately presented as more refined. Its engine character is also more linear and enthusiastic than previous generations of the same capacity.

Quieter and more lively in its middle reaches, the 1.4 TSI presented a clearly different persona depending on the transmission mode in which it was placed. In Drive, the throttle required significantly more input to achieve the same activity. The engine and gearbox reacts with far less input, and more result, when flicked to Sport mode or, alternatively, over-ridden manually via the steering wheel-mounted paddles.

Acceleration is adequate, and will suit most buyers. It’s not as urgent as Twincharged models sold under the GT moniker, but manages to hustle along with enough pace to keep most drivers happy.

Backing off the pace, 1.4 TSI-powered models slip unnoticed into two-cylinder mode -- a small symbol on the MFD read-out was the only indication the system was operable. Some acceleration, albeit modest, is available before the engine slips back to four-cylinder mode but this change again hard to detect -- by both sound or feel.

In Sport mode, the system still activates when the parameters (listed earlier, see MECHANICAL) are met, though here we notice a deep but hushed gargle from deep within the engine.

The petrol model felt nimble on Sardinia’s narrow twisty roads, remaining composed over surface irregularities and presenting a ride/handling compromise far more mature than the Golf's size would have you believe. Bumps are dispatched smoothly and do little to shake the car from its intended line.

Steering is light but direct, even if the diameter of the wheel itself is a little large.

The car grips tenaciously through corners, the tyres howling in protest long before there’s any sign of understeer. Based on how good the stock model is, we can’t wait to sample the GTI.

Fitted with a seven-speed DSG (dual-clutch) transmission, the 1.4 TSI model sampled felt exceptionally smooth. The transmission is a marked improvement over the previous model. Shifts are lightning quick and imperceptibly smooth.

If we did have one minor gripe of the Golf, and I’m nit-picking here, it’s that there’s a significant increase in the number of buttons on the steering wheel and functionality within both the MFD and “smartphone extrapolated” proximity/touch centre-stack display. Yes, it’s easier to navigate than many out there, but it is still a distraction that takes some getting used to -- and some willpower to ignore.

Moving to the 2.0 TDI (turbodiesel) model, it’s immediately evident just how much more torque is at hand. The car climbs effortlessly up hills and is less 'busy' in its use of the DSG transmission (which on this model offers six ratios instead of seven).

The transmission itself is generally as smooth as that of the petrol, though we did notice a slight ‘clunk’ as the car set off from standstill and light re-application of throttle when ECO mode was selected.

Switching through the selectable drive modes on offer (Normal, Comfort, Sport, ECO, Individual) we find the only discernible difference on our short circuit come from Sport, Normal and ECO.

In Sport mode, the response of the throttle, steering weight and transmission is clearly sharper, and in ECO, vice-versa. ECO mode also offers a Coasting Mode which sees the car cruise as if in neutral when off-throttle.

The diesel-powered model, like many around, did seem to run out of puff when overtaking, its energy reliant on timely changes in lieu of revs. It also felt heavier in the nose and more stiffly sprung that its petrol counterpart which seemed to contribute to additional noise from the front tyres over coarse chip surfaces.

Driving both models around an undulating 45km course we returned 7.6L/100km for the TSI and 6.6L/100km for the TDI. It’s a significant increase on the combined cycle figures listed (4.7L/100km and 4.1L/100km, respectively), though with much to test in a short space of time, we will admit to not sparing the horses.

New Golf is a quiet, composed and confident hatch that presents itself as a mature and premium offering in a cluttered segment.

Assuming Volkswagen Australia can match the model’s packaging and price to its target market, there’s no reason Volkswagen’s “most important” model shouldn’t be every bit as popular as the six generations that have gone before it.

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