This eighth generation model packaged very differently from its predecessor under the skin. Hybrid engineering is prevalent further up the range, but for potential buyers. What will probably matter most is the more distinctive look and the classy minimalist digitalized cabin loyal golf owners will find lots to like here on the move. Golf regulars will certainly feel right at home with it as ever. Theres, a real polish to this car, not only in the way its built the way it looks, but also in the way it drives get used to this current design and youll find that, as with its predecessor, progress can be effortless thanks to a combination of stability. Poise and control that makes journey times shrink rapidly. Superb refinement helps here too something thats particularly marked out the golf ever since it was mated to the vw groups. Rigidly sophisticated mqb platform. After using this car, a drive in an ordinary rival, mainstream focused class family hatch. Can seem so noisy that refinement will be evident, whichever power plant you choose as before, only those units developing 150 ps or more entitle your golf to be fitted with properly sophisticated multi link, rear suspension. Otherwise, youll have a cruder torsion beam setup. The mainstream tsi petrol range is still built around one liter and 1.5 liter units, the three cylinder one liter version gets 110 ps and the four cylinder 1.5 is offered in either 130 ps guys or in the 150 ps form that im trying today, the more powerful Version also available, provided you specify a dsg, auto gearbox, with the option of volkswagens mild, hybrid, etsi tech in that form it returns wltp rated figures of up to 49.

2 miles per gallon on the combined cycle and up to 130 grams per kilometer of co2. The technology equating so volkswagen claims to efficiency gains of up to 17 talking of electrification, theres, no full battery powered e golf available these days, vws, futuristic, id3 hatch has taken off that batten, but tdi diesel variants continue. These now exclusively being of the two litre. Variety with a mainstream choice of 115 150 ps outputs across the lineup lower powered engines are manual. The fastest ones tend to only use the brands. 7 speed, dsg, auto gearbox and in the middle of the range youll, have the option of either so far so familiar. Yet progress has also been made with this eighth generation design. This car does more than just drive like a golf turn sharply into a bend and if you happen to be familiar with the previous mark, 7 version youll notice that this golf 8 responds a little more directly, especially in the first few degrees of lock. So its reactions feel fractionally faster, allowing you to more confidently place it at corner entry, helped by the standard, xds torque vectoring system. If you pay the extra for the brands, improved dcc, dynamic chassis control, adaptive damping setup youll benefit from a new driving dynamics manager system that coordinates the dcc damping with the xds torque vectoring, so as to always allow your golf to select precisely the right control system. At the right time for any driving maneuver what else? Well, there are more sophisticated golf variants: if you have the money to fund them, theres the gte plug in hybrid, which uses a 1.

4 litre, tsi, petrol engine mated to a six speed. Dsg, auto gearbox, along with an 85 kilowatt electric motor powered by a now much larger lithium ion battery that allows for an all electric driving range of up to 36 miles. The gtes total output is 245 ps, which, possibly not, coincidentally, is the same as that boasted by the eighth generation. Golf gti hot hatch, which, however uses a conventional two liter tsi petrol, turbo unit, an engine also available in uprated 330 ps form in the top golf r super hatch, which has standard four motion. Four wheel drive completing the range of further golf options: theres the gtd, an all to only diesel hot hatch variant with a gti style handling setup that uses the 2 liter tdi engine in a 200 ps state of tune across the range theres. A clever new travel assist system which is either standard or optional, depending on the trim level you select and enables partially assisted so called level 2 autonomous driving thanks to use of the standard adaptive cruise control and lane assist systems. The previous generation model had a traffic jam assist set up that could enable it to do this kind of thing in low speed traffic cues, but with trouble, assist autonomous driving will work at speeds of up to 130 miles an hour, provided that your hands are firmly On the wheel, the golf has always been one of those cars that almost everyone recognizes that should continue with this 8th generation version, but you certainly know in advance that it was a slightly more progressive interpretation of a classic theme, an indicator of the present according to Head of volkswagen group design, klaus bischoff, the silhouette here – seems a little more stretched and dynamic than before, but actually the compact dimensions arent that much different to those of the previous generation model, though it is 26 millimeters longer.

The main talking point, though, is the way the designers have changed the front end with its lower nose and slimmer grill, flanked by full, led headlights at the back theres the same clean, sharp, finishing thats, always pleased golf customers, but perhaps more of a chiseled. Look this time round with wide led tail lamp clusters and a more sculpted bumper arrangement disguising the fact that this eighth generation model is 10 millimeters narrower and sits 36 millimeters lower than its predecessor, Music. Behind the wheel, you may be reassured to hear that the quality on offer is satisfyingly. Golf like the classy, full width strip events. We first saw in the market passat embellishes the mid level of the fascia below a smart trim, dependent decor strip. Ambient multi colored lighting is now standard and the lower center consoles now much wider delivering something of the feel of a larger, more expensive car. The big news here is this cabins, so called digital revolution. This market golfs inner vision, cabin concept, seeing a inch discover media navigation center dash touchscreen matched with a digital, cockpit pro instrument bin, of course, display of the same size. Now conventional switches have been replaced by capacitive touch buttons and theres, a clever new, optional, hello, volkswagen, intuitive voice control system. Thank you. If you were waiting for the goal for the future here, it is lets take a seat in the rear. Thanks to the extra 16 millimeters of length between the wheels with this mark 8 design theres a fraction more legroom than there was before so a pair of six for adults could now be accommodated reasonably here, providing front seat occupants dont slide their seats fully back.

Lets finish this segment by taking a look in the boot, the catch for which, as usual, is activated by pushing this center tailgate badge. Your volkswagen salesperson may well be keen to reference the fact that the 381 litre space provided here is 40 liters more than you get in a rival ford focus pushing forward the conventional 6040 split rear bench that you do get frees up 1237 litres of space across A load area that will be virtually flat if you have the boot floor in its upper position more youthful and contemporary. This market golf might be, but its still very much a golf, though quite a different kind of one, where the old mark 7 version of this design was radical in its engineering but conservative in its packaging. This eighth generation interpretation of this enduring model line is, to some extent the precise opposite. Fortunately, though, for volkswagen, the result turns out to be a very complete package, all of which means that this is still as a golf always should be a benchmark in its segment. A car that must feature highly on any family hatch buyers shopping list. In short, this is still a golf with all the model line, heritage, depth of engineering and inherent quality that this badge has come to represent.

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