A day or two after images were ‘leaked’ on to the internet, Volkswagen has ‘officially’ released details of its redesigned sixth generation Golf hatchback (Rabbit in the US).
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European sales begin in October followed by Africa, Asia, Australia and North America. The starting price in Germany is about EUR16,500. UK sales of right hand drive versions start next January.
The redesigned model comes after five generations, 34 years and over 26m units since the 1970s original.
VW chairman Martin Winterkorn claimed: “This sixth generation of Golf cars will completely redefine the quality and comfort level of its class over broad categories, offering more customer value than ever before.”
The latest Golf has a new look that draws on the new styling of the recently launched Scirocco coupe. Design was headed by Klaus Bischoff overseen by group design chief Walter de Silva. “It is more accentuated than its predecessor with precisely defined lines and edges and with finely proportioned flared surfaces and recesses,” said de Silva.
The current Golf V was criticised at launch for not matching the interior design and materials quality of its benchmark-setting predecessor.
VW appears to acknowledge this, saying: “A new level of quality is established in the Golf [VI] with the adoption of materials and equipment usually associated with a vehicle in a higher segment.”
White backlit dials sit in recessed, individual binnacles behind a three-spoke steering wheel with the option of controls for entertainment and communications functions. High quality, soft touch plastics are integrated with aluminium and chrome highlights.
The new look is combined with reduced wind noise, including a completely new design of door and window seals, a new damping film that supports the windscreen and a new engine mounting system.
“The result is new levels of acoustic damping to make the new Golf the quietest yet,” the automaker claimed.
Common-rail technology replaces VW’s own individual injector ‘pump duse’ (PD system) on all the new TDI diesel engines being used in the Golf for the first time. These have two balancer shafts to reduce vibrations. TDI power options will eventually range from 66kW/90PS to 125kW/170PS but the new Golf will be launched with two-litre 81kW/110PS and 103kW/140 PS units with diesel particulate filters optional or standard according to market, as at present.
The initial 110PS entry-level engine sips as little as 4.5litres of fuel (119 g/km CO2) per 100 kilometres – that’s about 60 miles per imperial gallon and a 0.6 litre reduction compared with the current 1.9-litre TDI engine. CO2 output of 119g/km slips it into one of the cheapest annual road tax bands here in the UK.
The 140PS version consumes 4.9 litres of diesel per 100km, also a 0.6-litre reduction and emits 129g/km of CO2 which is sure to win it company car driver friends here in the UK where ‘benefit in kind’ tax is also based on CO2 emissions.
Four petrol engines will be offered from launch: 59kW/80PS, 75kW/102 PS, 90kW/122PS and 118kW/160PS. The 122PS and 160PS engines use the TSI technology with supercharger and/or turbocharger first used in more recent versions of the Golf V when the 1.6-litre FSI engine was replaced with the more efficient 1.4TSI.
In the Golf VI, that engine consumes 6.2 litres of 95-octane European ‘super’ petrol per 100km and emits 144 g/km of CO2. A new 160PS version drinks 6.3 litres/100km, 1.6 litres less than the outgoing 150PS FSI engine.
Most petrol and diesel engines can be paired with Volkswagen’s dual clutch transmission (DSG) with either a six or seven speeds – torque converter automatics are gone.
Efficiency and low CO2 emissions are the reason: the 160PS 1.4 TSI consumes 6.0 litres/100km and emits 139 g/km of CO2; it’s 28% more fuel efficient that the outgoing 150PS 2.0 FSI with conventional six-speed automatic.
This is the first Golf offered with driver assistance systems such as adaptive chassis control (ACC), also available on the Passat CC and standard on the new Scirocco, that allows the driver to select from normal, comfort or sport modes to define the desired suspension, steering and accelerator response settings for any particular journey.
Automatic Distance Control (ADC) is also offered, which monitors the area around the vehicle through a series of sensors and will, if necessary, reduce the vehicle’s speed should an obstruction be identified. In extreme cases the vehicle can be brought to a complete stop.
A parking assistant, first used by VW on the new Tiguan SUV, is also optional for the new Golf.
There is also a a new ESP system with sharper response over its control range, further optimised crash properties, seven airbags including knee airbag, head restraints (WOKS) to counteract whiplash, a seatbelt detection feature for the rear seats and standard daytime running lights (soon to be mandatory in the European Union in any case).
