Review: Volkswagen Golf 8 hatchback
The popular German car was launched in May 1974 with now 35 million sold worldwide.
It’s a big kia ora and Nau mai to New Zealand for the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf hatchback, although before you get too settled, we just need to remind you that you have big tyres to fill after the award-winning previous model.
The Golf 7 won World Car of the Year, European Car of the Year, Car of the Year Japan, and New Zealand motoring writers’ Car of the Year.
The hatchback has been popular with Kiwis but in the eight years since Golf 7 was launched SUVs have dominated new vehicle sales.
The Golf gets a new a sculpted bonnet and a narrow grille, which the new LED headlights blend into it.
That doesn’t mean that there is no place for this European hatchback, as it has such an iconic history, the badge brings with it prestige.
The first Golf was launched in May 1974 with now 35 million sold worldwide, with 10,000 in New Zealand. VW NZ says that Kiwi owners range from 20-year-olds to customers in their 80s.
So, what’s new with the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf? Basically, a whole lot.
The VW Golf 8 R-Line has been joined by the GTI and later this year, the R.
The VW Golf lineup starts at $37,990 for the life, the R-Line costs $47,990. The iconic GTI hot hatch landed this May and will cost $61,490 while the Golf R performance model arrives in November.
The e-Golf and a mild hybrid version will arrive in New Zealand hopefully next years, says VW.
There’s also great news; there will be a 9th generation Golf before electric takes over completely.
It has a striking line through the side of the hatch, highlighting new taillights.
The Life and R-Line have a 1.4-litre litre petrol engine producing 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque. They have an eight-speed transmission plus new shift by wire gears, which sees the transmission modes changed through electronic controls not mechanical between the gear lever.
What’s new is that it has a sculpted bonnet and a narrow grille, which the new LED headlights blend into it. I like it as it’s a more sophisticated and futuristic appeal, sort of like the electric cars non-grille.
It has a striking line through the side of the hatch, highlighting new taillights while it also gets new badging.
The German hatchback also gets new badging.
Inside, there is the Heads-up display, plus ambient lighting of up to 30 colours.
It has a digital instrument display that you can control layout via the steering wheel dials.
The 10.25in infotainment screen has gesture control and I loved the way it fitted in the dash, elongating the screen and bringing a luxury element to the cabin.
The Golf also has a voice-activated system that controls such things as heating, but has a few teething problems, as Mercedes-Benz and BMW had when they introduced their Siri-like system. But kudos to Volkswagen for introducing this premium feature.
It has a new digital instrument display that you can control layout via the steering wheel dials.
The Golf has a five-star ANCAP rating including advanced safety features as standard including pedestrian and cyclist monitor, side and rear cross-traffic alert and rest assist that tells you if you are tired.
We had the R-Line in the hero colour of Lime Yellow Metallic and this model has the addition of park assist with exit warning and emergency assist.
The Golf had different driving modes: eco, comfort, sport or individual each change the ride quality, steering and throttle response. I had the Golf in comfort for city driving and sport for motorway driving and a road trip to Miranda for our video review of the hatch (out soon on youtube).
The VW Golf 8 has sophisticated interior including soft-touch materials.
What really impressed me when I was city driving was the ergonomic setup between start-stop, gears, and electronic brake. It’s a simple maneuver to change gears, making extra practically when you’re having to quickly reverse; the movement takes a few seconds.
The layout of the gear, brake and stop-start was one of the best I’ve seen in recent years, as it makes it so much easier to start the vehicle with all the functions close together rather than, for example, the start-stop button on the right of the steering wheel.
The whole cabin has an increased level of sophistication over Gen 7, with plenty of soft-touch material and comfortable driving for four adults, albeit a bit of a squeeze for three adults on the back seats.
The Golf has enough room for four adults in the rear seats.
So, what is the Golf R-Line like to drive? On its standard suspension, the Golf rides potholes and rough bitumen adeptly and with similar ease to the Mercedes-Benz A-Class.
On the motorway at higher speeds it can get a little unsettled over minor imperfections, but it’s not annoying. I did get a bit of understeer when I entered a tight downhill corner.
The Volkswagen Golf’s light steering is great for city driving, but some might prefer a bit more heft and directness for faster, twistier roads. The Driver Profile Selection system in the R Line trim) adds a weightier Sport mode, which helps.
The Life and R-Line have a 1.4-litre litre petrol engine producing 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque.
The Golf provides agile handling plus zippy, enjoyable dynamics, especially when I was on the back roads heading to Miranda. The Golf liked the spirited drive over the rolling hills when I moved it to Sport mode and enjoyed overtaking a few locals moseying along in their utes at 80km/h!
Back in the city, the good visibility through the VW Golf’s large windows meant it was great to handling busy car parks,
The VW Golf is impressively relaxing to drive for long periods. It’s comfortable at motorway speeds and – besides a slight whistling from the air whipping past the door mirrors – you’ll hear very little wind or tyre noise.
The VW Golf 8 has a a five star ANCAP rating.
You can also get it with a range of clever driver assistance systems that’ll steer, accelerate and brake for you on motorways – providing you keep both hands on the steering wheel,
The Golf has competition on the streets of New Zealand, including Mercedes-Benz A-Class, BMW’s 1 Series, and even Ford’s award-winning Focus. It will be interesting over the next few months the registration numbers for the Golf, especially with the GTI. I can see a lot of existing Golf customers moving into generation eight thanks to technology and upgraded interior.
Our VW Golf R-Line sported the Lime Yellow Metallic hero colour.
