Volkswagen Golf V 2004 review

Reet petite and oh so neat, the Volkswagen Golf is the car that opened the hatch on a revolution – 30 years, 23 million vehicles and a lot of grateful city folk relieved to know their wagons can slip into the last sliver left in the carpark.

The biggest seller in its class in Europe, with 25 per cent of the market, the Golf is already at the top of the charts. But can it do the same for Stevie Wonder CD sales?

The new Golf V was unveiled in Sydney to the endearing bop of Wonder's 1976 hit Isn't She Lovely? which, when it lights up our TV screens, is likely to provoke a stampede for CDs if not Golfs.

Glossy as a sugar-lolly and just as curvy, the Golf V is lovely indeed. But how else can one tag a car that has different virtues for different people?

Hence the problem faced by VW Australia when pondering how to promote its bright new offering.

According to managing director Peter Nochar, Australia's median Golf buyer is 39, tertiary-educated and living in the inner suburbs.

But there are lots of Golf drivers in their early 20s zipping to their first jobs and another big group in late middle age. It seems you can't woo one without irritating the other, but "lovely" is hard to argue with.

Externally, the Golf V looks much like its 1997 predecessor.

It's what's inside that matters. For such a compact car, it has a surprisingly large boot – 350 litres, an increase of 20 from the Golf IV.

Passengers in the rear get an extra 5.2cm of leg room, 2.4cm of headroom and a read-out, on the stereo screen, of the radio station the driver is inflicting on them.

The most radical update to this reliable car, though, is that you can buy a diesel version.

As the price of petrol settles above $1 a litre, VW expects to sell about 40 Golfs a month – 6 per cent of its projected Australian sales of 7500 in 2005 – with the 1.9-litre two-valve and 2.0-litre four-valve turbo-diesel engines.

"Diesel has a reputation for being dirty and smelly and something to run trucks on," Nocher says.

"What we have to do is prove that diesel can be a clean option. Our diesel engine will give you 1000km to the tank, or 5.5 litres per 100km."

The TDIs have been purring since 1995 in Europe, where petrol costs well over $2.40 a litre.

Golf's petrol engines are the 75kW 1.6-litre and the 110kW, direct-injection, 2.0-litre unit. There is a choice of manual and automatic transmissions, both with six speeds.

Which, to a road-plodder such as I, is like having a stereo that cranks up to 11. Nimble on the autobahns, no doubt, but would our speed cameras smile on them?

On the road

CROWDED city streets and narrow, winding roads are where the Golf V comes into its own.

The VW handles the constant stops and starts of the Sydney suburbs, during the press launch, with grace. However, the real test of poise – the car's and mine – is the Bulli Rd.

This twister down the Illawarra Scarp towards Wollongong was once the worst death-dive in Australia. How fares the Golf V?

Agile as a mountain goat, it cruises those dangerous curves with ease.

Sadly the drive program does not give the Golf more opportunities to shine.

The steering feels particularly crisp and communicative and the 2.0-litre FSi engine is lively.

The 1.9-litre diesel gives an initial impression of being a little coarse, but noise intrusion on the highway is minimal.

Not surprisingly, the Golf V has come up trumps in the Euro NCAP ratings, which pronounced it the safest car tested.

A maximum five stars for front and side impact tests, plus three stars for pedestrian safety, makes this a trustworthy newcomer, and lovely indeed.