2013 Volkswagen Golf Reviews

Those who need a sensible car, yet who also enjoy spirited driving will find the Volkswagen Golf does a good job of meeting these apparently conflicting needs.Even by Australian standards the Golf has grown in size with each new model, going from small to small-medium and finally to medium in overall dimensions. This is partly to provide the extra space needed for occupant crash protection though there is some more interior room as well.Aussies tend to regard them more as transport for a family with preteen children, but if you live in an inner city area in Melbourne of Sydney you may need nothing more than a Volkswagen Golf to fill all your motoring needs. In Europe, the VW Golf is often seen as a full-sized car and it's not unusual to see them carting four large adults about.Golf is chiefly sold as a three- or five-door door hatchback. A 'Golf' four-door sedan was called the Bora from 1999 until the launch of the fifth generation model in 2005, when it was renamed Jetta. Boot space in the sedans is substantially better than in the hatches and the four-door models are certainly worth consideration.VW Golf Cabriolet was sold until 2003. It has good roll-over protection for an open-top car and still offers a reasonable amount of space in the back seat. Access to the boot is difficult with the smallish boot lid sitting very low at the rear. The Cabriolet was replaced by the New Beetle Cabriolet, but in a surprise move, VW reintroduced the Golf Cabriolet in 2012.Engines come in various guises: petrol and diesel; with four-, five- and six-cylinder units. Four-cylinder petrol engines are the most common, coming in capacities of 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litres. The 1.6 will suit most drivers, but those who like to drive hard may find it a bit dull. The 1.4-litre is a brilliant, relatively recent, design and the little turbo unit provides performance with economy.Volkswagen in Australia started a big push in the diesel field several years ago and these engines are now far more common than in the past. With capacities of 1.6, 1.9 and 2.0 litres they provide plenty of grunt and turbo lag isn't too bad. Those who enjoy a really good drive should consider the VW Golf GTi. A fun machine for the keen driver, it's rapidly becoming regarded as a classic in the Australian hot-hatch market.Then there's the Golf R range of extreme hotshots. These traditionally had a large V6 engine – 3.2 litres in a smallish car gives plenty of performance. These are tagged as Golf R32. The mk6 Golf R, launched in 2011, takes a different tack, going for 2.0 litres and a high-pressure turbo. Disguising the smaller size of the engine is the change of name to simply Golf R - somehow it wouldn't have been right to replace the R32 with an R20.Six-speed manuals arrived with the fifth-generation Golfs in 2004 and are popular on the used scene. The DSG gearbox, also launched in 2004, is a self-shifting manual gearbox. It provides far better performance than the old-style four-speed automatics used until 2004. However, in those early days the dual-clutch DSG was often slow and awkward at very slow speeds, making it a pain in tight parking situations. Later DSGs have been improved, but still aren't as good as conventional automatic transmissions.This VW is a relatively easy car to work on and spare parts are not overly expensive. The dealer network has expanded from a low point during the mid-1990s and nowadays we hear very few complaints about parts availability or servicing.Insurance charges are about average for an imported European vehicle on most Golf and Jetta models. The high-performance Golf GTi may attract higher premiums, the Golf R32 and Golf R almost certainly will cost you a lot more.WHAT TO LOOK FORRust isn't common in Golfs and is more likely to be the result of bad crash repairs than vehicle design. Have the car inspected professionally, or find another one. Older Golfs that have been kept in the open continuously may suffer from sun-dried dashboard tops and rear parcel shelves.Feel and look for uneven tyre wear, particularly on the front wheels. Engines should start quickly. Listen for untoward engine noises, especially when it's cold. Look for smoke from the exhaust when the engine is driven hard, particularly on long uphill runs. Make sure a manual gearbox doesn't crunch on fast downchanges.Check that dual-clutch transmissions are positive in their shifts and don't hesitate too much at very low speeds. Be sure the brakes pull the car up evenly. If ABS is fitted you should feel a pulsing through the pedal during hard stops.CAR BUYING TIPAn area to check early in the piece is the top of the rear bumper. Careless owners may have rested luggage on it while loading the car. And careless luggage packers may also be careless drivers, even careless about having servicing carried out according to schedule. 

Volkswagen set the bar high with last year's seventh-generation Golf, combining a brilliant chassis, ergonomic efficiency and responsive turbo engines.

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

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.