2003 Volkswagen Golf Reviews

The Golf GTI is a long time favourite. In fact, you won't meet many people who don't like it -- drivers that is.

In a good year, the Golf GTI accounts for every fifth Golf sold due to Australia's outsized appetite for performance variants.

What better place in the world to test drive VW's new Golf GTi than on the twisting, tortured back roads that make up Targa Tasmania.

This is the one we’ve been waiting for – the new Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Has VW been too conservative in styling it's new Golf 7 along "generic" Golf lines? Probably.

Volkswagen Golf 110 TDI

Before you sign up to that compact SUV, do yourself yourself a favour.

We turn the spotlight on the car world's newest and brightest stars as we ask the questions to which you want the answers. But there's only one question that really needs answering -- would you buy one?What is it?Volkswagen's entry level Golf. This is generation seven of the world's best selling hatch, but you'd be forgiven for not being able to pick it from the old one the exterior changes are subtle.How much?Prices for Golf start at $21,490, although our test vehicle in Comfortline trim is one step up the ladder at $24,990. That price does not include an auto which adds $2500 nor a decent paint which is another $500.What are competitors?You name it. The Mazda3 is Australia's best selling hatch followed closely by the Corolla but many people aspire to own a Golf.What's under the bonnet?A 1.4-litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine that produces 90kW of power and 200Nm of torque, the latter between 1400 and 4000 revs. It's mated with a six-speed manual as standard or 7-speed double clutch style DSG transmission as an option.The XDL electronic differential lock is now standard in all models and improves both traction and handling.How does it go?The turbocharged engine offers punch, but throttle response can be jerky in traffic. The brakes can also be quite aggressive.Is it economical?Gets auto stop/start which contributes to the excellent fuel figures: 5.4 for the auto and 5.7 litres/100km for the manual, bearing in mind that it takes premium 95RON petrol.Is it green?Gets 4.5 out of 5 stars from the Govt's Green Vehicle Guide, just a whisker less than the hybrid Prius.Is it safe?No probs here. Gets a full five stars for safety and has done so since 2005, with seven airbags and electronic stability and traction control as standard.Is it comfortable?Golfs are built for big people and bogans like us fit easily. Too bad the plastic cap on the seat back adjustment fell off the first time we used it.What's it like to drive?We're in two minds. Golf nails the figures but the combination of small force fed engine and robotised double clutch gearbox is just not as smooth as a standard setup. As such we didn't find the experience particularly relaxing.Is it value for money?More so now that Volkswagen has adopted fixed price servicing. Comfortline is the one to get with dual zone air, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, auto lights and alloy wheels. But it's a $30K car by the time you get it on the road.Would we buy one?Having recently driven the new Mazda3 overseas we'd prefer to drive them back to back before making that call. The 3 is impressive, maybe more impressive than the Golf?

It's the car world's equivalent to a returning messiah but the latest Golf still carries dents from recent wars. There's no doubt that Volkswagen is shaken, not stirred, as quality issues with its seven-speed DSG transmission and engine breakdowns rattle owners and quietly amuse rival carmakers.It says the issues are behind it. It launches the seventh-generation Golf to an Australian small-car market that is very astute with buyers aware that there's 30 other name plates from which to choose.The market has also twisted its focus from fuel-saving diesels - a Volkswagen hallmark - to recognising a new breed of petrol engines that are almost as economical, more convenient to refuel and cheaper to buy. The Golf is a new car for a new age.VALUEVolkswagen has aggressively priced its cars over the past five years to such an extent that in Australia it almost mirrors pricing of its discount sister, Skoda. Golf Gen-7 prices start at $21,490 but that model is a bit bare and you'd be happier with the features of the Highline automatic range at $31,990 for the 103TSI petrol and $34,490 for the 110TDI diesel tested here.Choose diesel for long-distance range but for most of us, the 103TSI will save $2500 in purchase price and cost only $55 a year extra in fuel (based on averages). The diesel costs $876 to service for three years and the petrol is $931. Resale values are identical at a high 58 per cent.DESIGNCrisper, neater and oddly not too far departed from the previous Golf's style, the latest is both attractive and purposeful. No wasted line, no extraneous metal or plastic. Better, it won't tend to date. The cabin is even better.Electric park brake, lots of personal storage - including a driver-side glovebox and underseat drawers - add to the liberal passenger room and reasonable 380-litre boot (Mazda3 is 340). Soft-touch dash, piano-black and metal trim, instrument and switch clarity, the touchscreen and high-resolution reverse camera plus superb build quality put it into Audi territory.TECHNOLOGYThe platform is Volkswagen Group's MQB version designed to suit all its front-wheel drive cars. The chassis is lighter, stronger and cheaper to make. Engines are tweaked for more fuel economy and Volkswagen says the latest DSG transmissions won't have the same problems as previous versions. There's more focus on driver-focussed tools - sat-nav, smartphone integration and voice control - but nothing is complex or excessive. Golf models also get an Eco Tip function to help drivers save on fuel.SAFETYThe five-star car has seven airbags and a host of electronic aids. Aside from stability and traction control, all new Golfs get the GTI models' upmarket electronic limited-slip differential. The Highline adds daytime running lights, corner lights, auto headlights and wipers, emergency brake flashing, driver fatigue detection, hill holder, tyre pressure monitor, heated mirrors that dip when reversing, front and rear park sensors, reverse camera and a space-saver spare wheel.DRIVINGThis is so quiet. The engine is suitably muted but the cocoon-like cabin dismisses road noise like a luxury saloon. Everything feels tight and gauges are clean and simple while controls move positively and crisply into action. It reeks of attention to detail.The drivetrain is familiar and noted by the hesitancy of the diesel engine to arouse the six-speed dual-clutch automatic, the confident pull of the strong mid-range torque and the abrupt upshifting as that same torque seeks to save fuel flow to the engine.Handling is spot on and a credit to how good an electric-assist steering system can get. The ride isn't as firm as previous Golfs yet its suppleness doesn't upset the handling's fun factor. But I'm still not a fan of those awkward moments when the engine is called on for power and it's found sleeping with the transmission - a period of lag that gets very annoying.VERDICTHard to compare this to price-like rivals when the Golf is such a great drive. The diesel's love-hate relationship with the DSG means drivers must learn to be patient. Overall, the 103TSI petrol version may be better value.

The problem with getting to the top of the heap is everyone wants to knock you off.And when it comes to car makers, the battle is more mixed martial arts than Marquis of Queensberry. Volkswagen has engineered its seventh-generation Golf to take the fight to the Mazda 3 and anything else in the small-car class. At stake is the title of the best private-buyers' car in the country.