COVER STORY

I believe the correct term for announcing this launch is: Fore!

Though possibly that should be spelt FOUR as this is the launch of the much-anticipated Golf 8 which is four twice or Fore Fore!

OK, I’m not promising to stop with the Golf-related punnery, because well, it really is too easy, but I don’t want to take away from the importance of this launch for Volkswagen, which – despite the confidence from the man at the top in New Zealand – has seen a rough ( see what I mean?) year which has definitely not been up to par.

The brand is looking forward to a growth year in 2021 however, and the newly released Golf and its twin launched Tiguan are going to be key assets in this regard.

Both vehicles are shining stars in the VW galaxy: Golf has one of the strongest following of any Volkswagen while Tiguan is the best-selling Volkswagen in the country.

Even in the year that was the worst in automotive history, Golf secured 132-unit registrations for the highest market share in segment, nearly 30 percent – and while it looks grim, that was a drop of 70 percent from 2019’s share, so 2019 had a pretty decent figure.

Added to which, 2020 was the last hurrah for Golf VII, and we would typically see reduced registrations as a result as the vehicle goes into run out and buyers hold off for the new model.

Golf has been around since 1974 and took over the mantle of the Beetle at the time. We saw a massive shift from Volkswagen’s ‘every line is a curve’ design philosophy to ‘every curve is a line’ and the world markets just lapped it up.

Obviously, Golf then stood for style and technology but over time, that focus shifted too, and now we have Golfs, which have to date focussed on tech and then style.

With the Golf 8, Volkswagen seems to have turned everything upside down again. The lines making up the new model are more curves than not, although from all aspects, the Golf is still emphatically and unmistakeably a Golf, and a five-star safety rated one at that.

The Golf ‘club’ has been significantly rationalised and that’s good news for anyone in fleet-land, since it means a serious sharpening of the price pencil.

For the fleet market then, we’re picking the TSI Life is going to be the one to watch. Up from that is the highly desirable TSI R-line, but we suspect this will be the private buyer’s choice, while the GTI (due in May) is for the aficionado, as is the November arrival, the Golf R.

Both Life and R-line models share the 1395cc, four-cylinder, turbo petrol engine. There are no diesels for the Golf line up with Volkswagen holding its powder dry for the ID alternatively fuelled vehicles which we will likely see here, but much later.

The ID vehicles are not expected to replace Golf, which does have a next generation planned for the future, but rather

park alongside the Golfs, as do the T-roc and T-cross small SUVS which are the closest we’ll get to a Golf wagon by the way.

For the hatchback Golfs though, we are seeing some – unexpected – changes, not least of which is the shift (excuse the pun) from a dual shift gearbox to a more conventional eight-speed automatic in the Life and R-line models.

Coupled to this is shift-by-wire technology which effectively increases cabin space by minimising the size of the gear shifter itself.

Safety has always been a big part of the Golf’s make-up and for 2021, the safety suite is comprehensive as you would expect.

Noteworthy additions include rear side airbags to complement the front, side and rear airbags, and electronic differential lock as standard.

Adaptive cruise control is also a standard feature across what we see as the two most popular models, Life and R-line.

For the Life model, that is packaged with Stop&go functionality and a speed limiter, while the R-line pairs it to Travel and Emergency Assist.

Travel Assist can actively steer, accelerate and brake the car on highways at speeds well in excess of our speed limits. This is the system’s first deployment in a small hatch.

Emergency Assist can bring the car to a complete halt if it does not detect steering, braking or acceleration input from the driver in the event of imminent collision or unintentional lane deviation.

Internally, the Golf 8 has enjoyed a significant overhaul with what Volkswagen calls its ‘inner vision cockpit’ which translates to being very driver centric, incorporating the new MIB3 infotainment suite with either an eight-inch colour touchscreen for the Life model or a 10inch with satellite navigation and voice command.

Golf also features a touchslider for volume and air conditioning controls as part of the 2021 release, along with a new steering wheel and variable ambient lighting both inside the cabin and outside as part of the revised exterior.

The pricing ladder starts with the Life ( we no longer have the Comfortline/highline model complexity) entering the market at $37,990 while the R-line commands a price premium of $10k at $47,990 and the GTI tops the current tree at $61,490. Pricing for the Golf R is still being determined.

As to the Tiguan, the range has been rationalised here too, with two 2WD models: Life and R-line as with Golf and priced at $46,990 and $55,990 respectively.

Then there are the two 4WD models landing in July and May in the form of the $59,990 Style and $68,990 R-line.

These are all five-seater models. The seven seat Allspace line will continue with a facelift in November. We can also expect a Tiguan R in December, with pricing and specification to be advised.