Volkswagen Golf 2008 Review

Some cars seem to get replaced before their time and the Volkswagen Golf MkV certainly falls into that category. Launched internationally in mid-2003, and locally in the third quarter of 2004, the Golf MkV may not be in the first flush of youth, but it's hardly ready for the scrap heap. However, Volkswagen's hand has been forced by falling quality standards and a complex build process that has cut into profit margins for the brand's most prolific model line.

Speaking at the Golf VI's international launch in Iceland, VW's executive vice president of sales and marketing Detlef Wittig said, "When it comes to Volkswagen, it's all about Golf." In other words, the brand cannot afford to have its number-one global product (26 million of which have been sold since the MkI debuted in 1974) failing to produce the projected profits.

Despite wearing a MkVI tag, the new Golf is not a genuinely all-new car. Instead, it uses a less complex version of the DQ35 chassis introduced on the Golf V. Production time has been cut by an incredible 10 hours - from 35 hours for MkV to 25 for Golf VI. Wittig explained to Wheels that the Golf V was, "designed by development engineers with not enough thought to the production process. It was too complicated. [Golf VI] was redesigned from a construction point of view, not styling."

Despite the familiar look, only the roof is carried over from Golf V. Most major dimensions, however, are in line with the previous car; wheelbase (2578mm) and height (1479mm) remain the same, and tracks, though they vary from model to model, are also the same as Golf V. At 4199mm the VI is 5mm shorter than the outgoing car, but width (1779mm) is up by 20mm. Though the line-up is re-shuffled from Golf V, Volkswagen claims weights have increased by only a kilogram or two - ranging from 1142 to 1322kg.

The new car was styled under the direction of Italian Walter de' Silva, and exterior designer Frank Josef Brüse used Italian fashion houses to explain the conservative approach. "It's class-free, precise and simple. To me, it's an Armani suit. It's not flashy like a Versace suit, but in two years, the Versace suit will look old."

Despite the cost-cutting, there has been a concerted effort to improve quality and refinement. A reduction in NVH levels became an obsession for VW engineers. They redesigned door and window seals, embedded a noise-dampening film between the windscreen layers and isolated the front subframe from the chassis using lessons learnt on the Phaeton upper-luxury sedan. The results are impressive and engine noise barely penetrates the cabin. Even on Iceland's extremely coarse-chip tarmac, tyre noise was not excessive, which bodes well for refinement levels on Australia's marginally better roads.

Under its new clothes, the new Golf will be available with a bewildering array of engines. Now on sale in many left-hand-drive European markets, the line-up includes four petrol four-cylinder engines: two naturally aspirated (59kW 1.4-litre and 75kW 1.6-litre), a 90kW turbocharged 1.4-litre, and a 118kW turbo- and supercharged 1.4-litre unit. To this VW adds two versions of the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder (81kW and 103kW).

In time, Volkswagen will add a 1.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder (77kW/200Nm), a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four, and a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four powering the Golf GTI.

Farther down the future product pipeline is an economy-focused Blue Motion model that promises a worst-case scenario of 3.7L/100km and a carbon dioxide output of 99g/km. Two Blue Motion drivetrains are still being trialed by Volkswagen; a four-cylinder turbo petrol and a three-cylinder turbo-diesel. A decision on diesel or petrol will be made closer to the model's late '09 reveal. If the diesel fails to get the nod for Golf, it will show in the new-generation Polo.

Golf VI also shows Volkswagen's hand for the brand's continuing development of environmental technology with the preview of the Golf Twin Drive. According to sales and marketing boss Detlef Wittig, the plug-in hybrid, which promises 2.5L/100km "is more in the Volt direction than Prius direction". Wittig also commented that this type of tech, rather than hydrogen fuel cells promoted by brands like Honda, is the enviro future for the brand. "We have seen many fuel cells for 10 years," Wittig told Wheels, "and [there] hasn't been major progress. We are not in it for marketing, we are in [it] for real. We want to make money."

According to the outspoken Wittig, the Twin Drive, which makes its first public outing at the LA motor show in November, "is two to three years away."

By the time the Golf goes on sale in Australia in the second quarter of next year, the 75kW/148Nm 1.6-litre atmo engine that's long been the entry-level of the Aussie line-up will have been dropped from production. VW Australia was not confirming details at the international launch but it's unlikely we'll see the atmo 1.4-litre engine, instead, the local Golf range will kick off with the 90kW/200Nm 1.4-litre turbo four.

Despite the modest on-paper power figure, the torque, available between 1500-4000rpm, propels the 1215kg model with surprising élan. VW claims a 9.5-second 0-100km/h time and an impressive 6.2L/100km combined cycle economy, compared to 11.4sec and 7.5L/100km for the outgoing 1.6.

The engine lacks a bit of low-rev sparkle but with 2500rpm on board, the 1.4 turbo punches along nicely. Cruising at 110km/h on Iceland's backroads (similar to Australian country roads), the 1.4 still has overtaking urge in reserve, especially when you manually downshift the optional DSG or get it to kickdown a couple of cogs with a decent prod of the throttle.

Replacing the current 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine, and the pick of the current line-up, is the 1.4-litre turbo- and supercharged four familiar from the Golf V GT model. Power is down slightly (118kW plays 125kW) but torque remains 240Nm. Impressively, combined consumption drops from 7.9L/100km to 6.3.

The supercharger fills in the hollow bottom end evident in the turbo-only 1.4, and then the engine punches harder up top. It's a fizzy little unit that delivers a muted but tuneful note that changes timbre as the low-rpm supercharger hands over to the high-rev turbo.

Rounding out the Australian launch line-up will be the familiar 103kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

All engines are available with six-speed manuals, however, all variants at the launch were fitted with the optional DSG. Low-torque engines (both 1.4-litre petrols) receive the new seven-speed DSG, while high-torque applications (diesel) continue with the current six-speeder. The seven-speed unit shifts perceptibly more smoothly and quickly than the older six-speed. Low-speed manoeuvrability is improved with a softer throttle tip-in, however it's still not a match for a good torque converter auto.

Interestingly, Golf VI will not be available with a conventional automatic. Detlef Wittig sees DSG as the transmission choice of the future, admitting that autos don't have a long-term future at the brand. When pushed for a time frame on the phase-out, Wittig explained, "Long term? In the next ten years."

Given how similar the Golf VI is to Golf V, it's no surprise that the drive experience is also familiar. However, all launch cars were fitted with optional DCC Adaptive Chassis Control adjustable dampers so it's impossible to say if the standard car will drive exactly the same as the MkV. But with VW chassis engineers admitting that the wheelbase, track, suspension geometry and damper kinematics are all the same as the Golf V, it's a fair bet that a standard Golf VI will feel very familiar.

First seen on the Passat CC, then on the Scirocco, DCC still uses hydraulic dampers (unlike Audi's magnetic ride set-up) but offers two pre-set adjustment positions either side of the default normal mode. On Iceland's flowing and deserted backroads, comfort mode proved overly soft with too much vertical movement and not enough body control. Sport mode provided terrific body control (and also firms up the weighting of the electro-hydraulic steering), but ultimately it became tiresome on all but super smooth surfaces. That leaves normal mode as the Goldilocks option - just right. A VW chassis engineer even admitted that there's no need to touch the DCC control as normal mode is adaptive within the framework of both comfort and sport modes.

In its home market, the entry-level Golf VI is just €200 more expensive than Golf V, so you can expect only modest price hikes in Australia. With on-sale still about six months away, VW Australia was tight lipped but it would be reasonable to assume increases of between $500 and $1000 depending on model.

If, like me, you don't think the Golf V is ready to be put out to pasture, you'll be pleased with this major facelift. Quality is certainly up and refinement is excellent. But as the evolutionary styling suggests, just don't expect any major surprises when it comes to the drive experience.

» PETROL
VW will eventually offer five petrol engines globally, ranging from a 77kW 1.2-litre turbo four (which replaces the current 75kW atmo 1.6-litre four) to the GTI's 2.0-litre turbo four. No word yet on whether VW will offer the 3.6-litre V6 for an R36 model.

» DIESEL
Initially two versions of the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder will power Golf VI (81kW/250Nm and 103kW/320Nm). The 1.9-litre diesel four has been dropped, to be replaced in 2009 by a new 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four.

» ENVIRO
VW will launch an economy-focused Blue Motion model in late 2009 or early 2010 and is promising 3.7L/100km or better from either a turbo petrol four or turbo-diesel three-cylinder. Golf also goes plug-in hybrid from 2011 with the Twin Drive.