DOES THE GOLF STILL MATTER?

Volkswagen shifted 445,754 Golfs across Europe in 2018, not only making it the continent’s most popular mid-sized hatchback, but its most popular car full stop. So there’s no doubt this new model, which brings alluring new technology and more ecient mild-hybrid powertrains, is a big deal.

However, sales have fallen consistently over the last few years: in 2016 VW’s middleweight found almost 50,000 more homes, and the 2018 figure was the lowest since 2013, when the car market was battling against the last financial crisis.

A couple of factors at play include the Mk7 Golf ’s advancing age, which won’t have helped sales, and a worrying slowdown in the overall car market. Another trend – and not one that’s about to go away – is how fragmented that market now is. The previously unassailable Golf is being attacked on all sides.

The SUV sector’s bite of the European car market rose to 36.1 per cent in the first half of this year, up from 33.2 per cent last year. Volkswagen has that base covered with the T-Roc, T-Cross, Tiguan and Touareg, but you need to look outside the VW Group for the SUV sales champ: it’s the Nissan Qashqai.

Despite the proliferation of compact SUVs there’s still plenty of demand for conventional hatchbacks – and plenty of good ones to choose from. Not swayed by the better chassis on Ford’s Focus? Maybe the badge appeal of a Mercedes A-Class or newly front-drive BMW 1-series will turn your head.

Then there’s the rise of the electric car. No longer just quirky urban runabouts or super-saloon-priced luxury cars, EVs have gone mainstream. Tesla’s almost-affordable Model 3 was the UK’s third best-selling car in August, the first time an EV has ever made it inside the top 10, and VW’s upcoming ID3 has it firmly in its sights.

The proliferation of in-house products that might tempt buyers from the default sensible hatchback – including less obvious alternatives as diverse as the T-Roc SUV and ID3 EV – seems to have prompted Volkswagen to take its foot off the gas in some key areas. Golf 8 isn’t going to revolutionise the C-segment family car in terms of driving dynamics, passenger space, and definitely not styling. And without a pure electric variant in the line-up, surely this latest Golf is in danger of being left behind during its lifecycle.

But a 45-year legacy, a name even the most car-illiterate can relate to, a great interior and solid range of engines means Europe’s best-selling family car isn’t going anywhere yet.