FAMILIAR FAVOURITE
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
It is held in the same esteem as icons like the Porsche 911 and BMW 3-Series, as a product that popularised a genre. It might not have been the first of its kind, but the Volkswagen Golf is lauded as the archetypal Csegment hatchback, the first goto. Such bragging rights do not come cheaply, of course. This is seemingly no deterrent for consumers, given how well it fares from a sales perspective. Amusingly, it should be noted that Volkswagen sells more GTI and R versions than the regular, humdrum flavours. Our tester sought to invoke the spirit of its more potent sibling, by wearing an optional R-Line styling kit. It might be the oldest offering here, first launched in 2013 and treated to a mild update in 2017. But the inherent quality of the Golf creates the impression that it would endure forever. Vault-like insulation, cushy ride quality and a well-sorted powertrain make the Volkswagen an assuring steer in all conditions. The new one is poised to arrive next year and in typical fashion, is likely to be evolutionary rather than dramatic in its progression. Sure, the Golf might be a bland and conventional choice. But as is often proven, it is this quirk-free engineering approach that stands the test of time.
PRICED FROM R320,800 THIS MODEL R394,600 (Comfortline DSG) ENGINE 1,395cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged, petrol
POWER AND TORQUE 92kW and 200Nm CLAIMED CONSUMPTION 5.2l/100km TRANSMISSION Seven-speed, dual-clutch, automatic
UNITS SOLD (MARCH 2019) 382
WE LIKE Solidity, iconic status, superb powertrain WE DISLIKE Gets expensive with options, loved by thieves
CONNECTIVITY “Pairing a smartphone to a car should be a seamless process, however, this was not the case on the Golf using an iPhone Xs; the first three attempts failed for different reasons. Once paired over Bluetooth, our music tracklist was not available, which was rather odd, despite being able to pause, skip and play. CarPlay (Or Android Auto) works with a cable connection; and can read or compose messages for you, however, the voice command feature needed a separate activation key to use. The overall design of the infotainment system is modern and there were no unnecessary buttons to fiddle with. Unfortunately, it was let down by a poor user experience; and certain functionality appears to be tied to extra costs.”