Golf: 45 years on the road - 35 million sales
THE story of the Volkswagen Golf began in 1974 ... 45 years later the Golf has firmly established as the world’s best-selling car, with more than 35 million sales worldwide.
The Golf has managed to remain relevant and competitive in Europe’s hardest-fought market segment without resorting to any radical or contrived changes for seven complete model cycles - something no hatchback rival can claim.
Engineering-wise, the new eighth-generation model is more of a revision than a replacement; the new Golf retains the same front-wheel drive MQB platform as its predecessor, albeit updated to offer greater structural rigidity. Its chassis draws heavily on the car it replaces without any significant changes in geometry or hardware.
The exterior is more individual looking than the previous Golf. The flamboyant design of the LED headlamps is particularly out of character for Volkswagen’s best selling model and the most controversial design element in a distinctly lower front end. There’s also a more defined swage line running from the leading edge of the front doors through to the rear lights.
In a development that helps to bring it into line with some rivals, buyers can option Volkswagen’s IQ light package. It includes automatic main beam, strobe-like indicators, and gives the rear lights a distinctive LED graphic.
The new Golf is 29mm longer, 10mm wider and 4mm taller than before, with the same wheelbase. Yet Volkswagen has managed to improve aerodynamic efficiency; the standard model boasts a Cd of 0.27 compared to the 0.30 of its predecessor.
The new Golf ’s engine lineup includes three new turbocharged petrol-based eTSI mild hybrids that use a 48-volt electric drive system, and a revised petrol-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain offering two different states of tune.
Over time Volkswagen has perfected the Golf, and every new model faces a tough task to improve on the version it replaces. Is the new Golf a worthy replacement for the last one?
The answer comes the moment you step inside. It’s the eminently practical interior where arguably the biggest changes have taken place, and which will help to extend the appeal of Volkswagen’s enduring hatchback.