Golf still top of hatch pack
for example.
But while the Golf’s lead has been eroded, its superb classleading handling has not.
The Astra has upped Holden’s game considerably in the handling and fun department, but the Golf still has a distinctive edge that has always made it a little bit special.
The confident, planted feel that it has in virtually every situation; the eager, razor-sharp turn in; the beautifully weighted, chatty steering and, of course, that brilliantly responsive chassis that feels like the Golf is wanting to cock an inside-rear wheel under aggressive cornering.
The R-line’s 110kw engine may not pack the head-kicking wallop of the R’s 220kw engine (not by a long shot), but it packs more than enough grunt to have plenty of fun on a winding backroad with.
In fact, you could even make the argument that the much lower-powered FWD car is more fun to punt from corner to corner than the effortlessly powerful and endlessly confident AWD R. You probably wouldn’t be right, but you could certainly make the argument.
Let’s get to the elephant in the room. That radioactively bright yellow elephant – the colour.
While the searing goldenyellow of our test car certainly wouldn’t be our choice, it is the new ‘‘hero’’ colour for the Golf R-line. And it certainly did attract attention and comment. Not all of it positive.
But because it is a VW, you can still buy it in silver, you will be pleased to know.
While the competition has caught up to Volkswagen’s aggressive pricing, at $44k the Golf R-line is still an impressive amount of car for the money. A comfortable and beautifully built interior, those extra-sharp looks thanks to the R-line add-ons, the eager, flexible engine and that sublime handling all conspire to keep the Golf at the head of the pack.
Not by as much as it used to be, though; for example, the recently released Hyundai i30 offers similar specification and is considerably quicker. But the Golf still manages to hang on by the skin of its searingly yellow teeth... for now.