Gas Golf beats diesel as better compact hatch
An all- new Volkswagen Golf arrived for 2015 in Canada. Slightly longer, lower and roomier inside than the outgoing model, the compact four- door hatchback has quickly gained acclaim for its lightweight platform, premium interior and excellent road manners.
While you can choose from a trio of gas engines — as has been the case for decades — the new front- wheel- drive Golf is also the only small hatchback you can buy in Canada with a diesel engine. So we had to ask: between a gas or diesel Golf, which one is the better allaround compact hatch?
FIRST PLACE: 2015 Volkswagen Golf 1.8 TSI
Diesel fans can skip to our secondplace Golf TDI. However, for buyers counting their pennies — and not the amount of fuel they burn — it’s hard to ignore the value Volkswagen has cooked into its gas- engine Golf 1.8 TSI.
For starters, if you do want to go diesel in your Golf, you have to want four doors and pay at least $ 24,700 ( all prices include freight and pre- delivery inspection fees). However, you can get a two- door Golf 1.8 TSI — with its 1.8- litre turbocharged four- cylinder gas engine — for as little as $ 19,160. If you want more doors, the gas Golf is still $ 3,100 less than a comparable diesel TDI four- door hatch.
In addition to the savings at purchase time, the gas Golf comes out on top when we look at long- term fuel costs over the diesel.
Volkswagen has worked hard to make the gas Golf a very frugal car. With a five- speed manual gearbox, the four- door Golf 1.8 TSI is estimated to sip 9.3 litres per 100 km in the city and 6.4 on the highway. Opt for the $ 1,400 six- speed automatic, and the only change is a slight difference on the highway, to 6.5 L/ 100 km.
Based on manual transmission models, driving 24,000 kilometres per year, and averaging $ 1.20 per litre for regular gas and $ 1.20 for diesel, a diesel Golf TDI will save you an estimated $ 276 per year. But that means it will take about 11 years to make up for the premium price over the gas Golf TSI.
Although we would like to see a sixth gear added to the Golf TSI’s five- speeder ( mainly to reduce highway noise and tighten up its in- town gear ratios), the gas VW compact drives a bit better than its diesel sibling. Diesel Golfs have a torsion rear suspension, while gas Golfs get a coil- spring setup. The springs offer more vertical adjustability, which aids in both handling and ride comport. It’s not up to Golf GTI hot hatch standards of grip and tenacity, but the Golf 1.8 TSI is relatively fun to drive, goes where it’s pointed easily, with little or no fuss in the corners.
In the end, with its available twodoor model, lower long- term costs, and more refined driving manners, the gas- engine 2015 Volkswagen Golf 1.8 TSI is the better Golf.
SECOND PLACE: 2015 Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI
If you’re one of those faithful diesel fans who would never consider a gas- engine vehicle, the 2015 Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI is your only choice in the small hatchback segment. Thankfully, though, the frugal compact rewards its owners in just as many ways as its gas model counterpart.
With estimates of 7.7 L/ 100 km in the city and 5.2 on the highway, the six- speed manual Golf TDI diesel is obviously more efficient than the comparable gas Golf TSI gas version. ( Even the Golf TDI equipped with a six- speed automatic scores excellent 7.5 L/ 100 km city and 5.5 highway ratings.) And no one should suffer range anxiety in the diesel Golf: its estimated 960- km range between fill- ups is about 180 km more than in the gas Golf.
Beyond stopping less for fill- ups, one reason to get the diesel Golf over the gas Golf is the way the 2.0L turbocharged TDI diesel fourcylinder engine behaves compared to the 1.8- L turbocharged TSI gas four- cylinder engine. With 150 horsepower, the diesel TDI engine is 20 shy of the gas TSI. Also, getting from zero to 100 km/ h takes only 7.0 seconds in the gas Golf, which is 1.5 seconds quicker than the diesel Golf. But, as is the case with most diesels, it’s more about the torque: the TDI has a generous 236 pound- feet rating, which is 51 lb- ft more than the TSI model.
With all this torque on hand — torque peaks at 1,750 r. p. m. — opting for the six- speed manual will amplify the Golf TDI diesel’s lowrevving nature. And with one more gear in its manual gearbox, pop it into sixth, and the Golf TDI is luxurysedan quiet at highway speeds.
The gas 2015 Golf 1.8 TSI is still the better value overall, but if you are in the market for a new small hatchback and want to use less fuel, get a diesel 2015 Golf 2.0 TDI.