PIECES OF EIGHT(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 55

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Golf, Volkswagen has significantly updated this eighth generation design, most significantly inside. As one former Volkswagen Group Chairman once pointed out, 'the biggest mistake any Volkswagen Golf can make is to stop being a Golf'. That's not happened here and loyal Golf owners will find lots to like.

Background word count: 121

Previous versions of this model have been marked by gradual evolution and that's happened once again here. You won't notice many differences from the outside because most of the significant changes lie within. The previously awkward infotainment system's been vastly improved and the cabin's now considerably more user-friendly. Plus there's a second generation PHEV powertrain for those wanting to plug in. So most of the awkward edges of this previously quite controversial MK8 design have been ironed away. And pricing now undercuts a number of rival Stellantis Group models. All of which means you might want to take a fresh look at this Golf's family hatch segment proposition. If you always wanted one, then you'll like what Wolfsburg has done here.

Driving Experience word count: 440

In the family hatchback segment, there's nothing quite like the solid, reassuring feel of a Golf - though of course its drivetrain engineering is almost identical to what you'd find in the three other VW Group products in this segment, the SEAT Leon, the Skoda Octavia and the Audi A3 Sportback. Not much of that has changed with this update, particularly at the affordable end of the range, which ditches the old 1.0-litre three cylinder unit and is now based around 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol power. Though Volkswagen doggedly continues to offer 115PS manual and 150PS auto versions of its 2.0-litre TDI diesel for those unconvinced by the idea of the pricey PHEV powertrain we'll get to in a moment. The base 1.5-litre petrol unit also comes in 115PS and 150PS forms, though only with 6-speed manual transmission. The 7-speed DSG auto's reserved for the eTSI mild hybrid 48V 150PS model we're trying here. You might not want to stretch to it because neither performance (62mph takes 9.9s) or economy are vastly very different from what you get with the conventional TSI model. To really get frugality, you'll need to pay a lot more for the PHEV drivetrain we referenced earlier, which has been massively improved as part of this update. This powerplant (offered as before with the eHybrid and GTE models) now gets a larger 1.5-litre engine (up from 1.4) and a much bigger 19.7kWh battery (up from 13.0kWh before), which means a much longer EV driving range of up to 89 miles. The eHybrid still puts out 204PS, but the GTE offers 272PS. The sportier 2.0-litre TSI petrol turbo Golf hot hatch variants aren't our focus here, but we'll briefly reference the fact that they've also been improved. The GTI model's output is now 265PS (20PS more than before), which moves it closer to the more focused 300PS GTI Clubsport variant. And an even faster 333PS version of the top AWD Golf R super hatch slots in above. Otherwise, things are much as before. Which means that unless you stretch to a Golf with at least 150PS, it'll come without the multi-link rear suspension set-up that a family hatchback of this class and price really ought to have. If you're bothered by the slightly brittle ride this will create with lower-order Golfs over poorer surfaces, we'd suggest that an alternative to getting the more highly-tuned engine might be to option in the extra-cost 'DCC' 'Dynamic Chassis Control' adaptive damping system, which works with a 'Driver Profile' driving modes system offering 'Eco', 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Individual' settings. As usual with a Golf, there's crisp, accurate steering with excellent refinement.