Volkswagen Golf End of the line for our used family hatch

Our used family hatchback has proved to be not only a ne all-rounder but also pleasingly cheap to run

MY VOLKSWAGEN GOLF has gone and I’m feeling a little bereft.

You see, although we get to drive a lot of cars in this profession, from the decidedly humdrum to the spine-tinglingly exotic, it’s rare to find one that’s such a competent all-rounder, so pleasant to ride in and so easy on the pocket that you begin to wonder how you ever lived without it. That, though, is exactly how I came to feel about this smart family hatchback.

The Golf doesn’t flex its muscles ostentatiously like a BMW 1 Series, do glam like an Audi A3 or Mercedes-benz A-class, or offer unbelievable space for a bargain price like a Skoda Octavia. What it gives you instead is a combination of extremely useful abilities in a delightfully classy and tastefully restrained package you’d be happy to take anywhere.

My car wasn’t even the latest, high-tech, allsinging and dancing Mk8 Golf, but a nearly new version of the superseded Mk7.5, with 2000

RIVALS

miles on the clock and a £3000 saving on what it would have cost new. It left four months and 3000 trouble-free miles later with a negligible further drop in its value.

Why was it so impressive? For starters, the driving position was first class and the interior simple, straightforward and neatly finished, with logically placed controls. Indeed, I prefer my Golf’s infotainment setup, with its combination of touchscreen and nice oldfashioned rotary dials for the air-con, to the new Mk8 Golf’s touch-only affair. Visibility was excellent, too, and all who travelled in it, with the exception of the very tallest rear seat passengers, were comfortable.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine was smooth and refined, albeit slightly asthmatic at low revs, and the six-speed manual gearbox was a delight to use. The car steered nicely, handled well and rode wonderfully on all but the most broken back roads.

My Match edition was decently equipped, too, and the car I chose came with a healthy list of options, including heated front seats (which worked with a pleasing rapidity), a rear-view camera (for which I gave daily thanks) and keyless entry and start, which was

80 April 2020

Golf rides, handles and steers in a slick, assured manner, while it stands up to scrutiny in almost any company, thanks to its smart, user-friendly interior and timeless looks

Audi A3 Our Used Car of the Year is great to drive and supremely classy inside.