2017 Volkswagen Golf fresh car review

German brand hasn’t reinvented the wheel with its fresh Golf petite car, but has made a range of improvements.

2017 Volkswagen Golf fresh car review

Volkswagen is fairly clear that its newest Golf isn’t fresh at all, but rather a mid-life update that improves on an established formula.

At very first glance the Golf 7.Five doesn’t look dramatically different from the Mark seven that came before it, but under the surface Volkswagen has gone big on available technology adding fresh safety and convenience features.

Under the catchcry of “premium for the people” the fresh Golf aims to keep pricing mainstream while including the kinds of features and technologies – even in its most basic trim – that might otherwise feature higher up the range of competitors products.

For two thousand seventeen Volkswagen has massaged the Golf range slightly. The standard models (before getting into spectacle variants that launch next month) make up a four-variant range beginning at the entry-level Golf and moving up through Trendline, Comfortline and Highline trims.

The previous 92kW base model engine has been scrapped in favour of the more competitive 110TSI petrol engine with 110kW and 250Nm on all variants, or a 110TDI diesel with 110kW and 340Nm available exclusively in Highline specification. A wagon also joins the range from Trendline and above.

Golf and Trendline hatch buyers can choose from a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch auto with auto-only available on wagons and all models from Comfortline and above.

Prices do stir up slightly for base model cars owing to the more powerful engine, but are offset by added equipment with the range now opening from $23,990 with an introductory suggest including free on-road costs for a limited time. Opting for the seven-speed automatic adds an extra $2500 while the most expensive 110TDI Highline wagon tops out at $38,490 plus on road costs or $40,490 driveaway from launch.

2017 Volkswagen Golf 7.Five. Photo: Supplied

The interior of the Mark 7.Five Golf is as sensible as you’re likely to find in any modern puny hatch. As with the exterior styling Volkswagen hasn’t ripped up the rulebook on design, but there are some subtle switches.

Even the most basic Golf comes standard with an 8.0-inch touchscreen and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, ensuring a more upmarket feel. As always interior finishes feel high-quality with excellent fit and finish inwards.

Along with the standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto media interface Comfortline and Highline models can be specced up with a massive 9.2-inch touchscreen that adds gesture controls and a 10GB hard drive plus a configurable 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster capable of displaying a range of vehicle, navigation, and entertainment displays.

Stepping up through the range, the dash and door inserts take on an array of different finishes, with different fabric trims, or leather seats for the Highline. The Highline also throws in a stack of upmarket touches like a powered driver’s seat with memory, panoramic sunroof and LED-lit ambient lighting.

Getting set behind the wheel is ordinary in all models with a broad range of adjustment for the seat and steering wheel, slew of space up front, and a clear view out thanks to slender A-pillars that provide minimal interference.

Rear seat space isn’t fairly as expansive, but nor is it overly limitary. Taller passengers may find knee space taut, but most occupants will fit without a problem and few will run out of headroom.

At three hundred eighty litres the boot of hatch models is fairly a decent size and will fit more than enough luggage for a duo on a week away. Those that need a little extra space will be well served by the wagon’s handy six hundred five litre boot, making it an ideal family companion.

With a fresh, more powerful entry level engine the most basic Golf feels more upbeat than before. Just one petrol engine, a turbocharged 1.4-litre unit with 110kW of power and 250Nm, keeps the Golf more competitive with key rivals too.

By far the most popular transmission is expected to be the seven-speed dual clutch automatic, which has undergone minor tweaks to improve low-speed drivability compared to earlier versions.

The base-model Golf and Comfortline hatch are also available with a six-speed manual transmission, with a slick, but rock-hard, shift activity and nicely weighted clutch that make the manual models a viable option for commuting without being a chore to drive.

On loping country roads through Victoria’s Yarra Valley, the Golf proved itself to be every bit familiar. Current owners will know the feeling of its managed rail, solid steering, and surprise-free treating.

Albeit time on city streets was limited, the automatic models seem to have improved in terms of low-speed control, with less of the jerkiness that earlier dual-clutch cars exhibited, tho’ at times moving off from a finish stop can take some coaxing. Once rolling gear switches are impressively slick, with an uninterrupted flow of acceleration.

Engine noise from the 1.4-litre engine is amazingly well managed, during normal driving there’s not much to hear, and even when shoved hard you can notice the engine at work, but it never intrudes with harshness or excessive noise. Wagon models tended to display a touch more road noise, perhaps owing to the larger cargo bay.

The rail on standard 16-inch wheels works ideally with the kind of choppy surfaces suggested up by rural tarmac, while the larger 17-inch wheels and lower profile tyres of upspec models did little to upset the balance.

Add the R-Line package to a Golf Highline and, as well as a series of sports-styled visual upgrades both inwards and out, it comes with a lowered suspension tune with 18-inch wheels.

Rail on the firmer suspension still works a treat on rough surfaces, however acute hits that might otherwise have been absorbed can make their way into the cabin. However the penalty for picking the more sporty setup isn’t severe, with more tautly managed treating into the mix.

Diesel fans can choose a 110kW/340Nm Two.0-litre engine in the Highline only, and while acceleration is a little less impatient than the petrol engine (0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds for the TDI hatch versus 8.Two seconds for the TSI) its sturdy mid range makes it feel unstoppable on hilly roads or when overtaking.

Noise and stimulation levels from the diesel engine are also superbly low, there’s a hint of traditional diesel noise from time to time when accelerating step by step, or as the engine stop-start system springs back to attention, but otherwise passengers would have a hard time telling the two engines apart.

Volkswagen’s positioning of the fresh Golf range sees it embark a little way above the pricing of most mainstream puny hatches, like the Hyundai i30 or Toyota Corolla, but balances that with standard features like alloy wheels, 8.0-inch infotainment, autonomous emergency braking and a leather packaged steering wheel or harshly equal to most of its mid-spec competitors.

For buyers that want more than just a basic runabout, moving up the range adds an appreciable amount of equipment with the Highline again priced ever-so-slightly higher than a flagship Mazda3 or Ford Concentrate but with a total range of standard equipment that doesn’t mean it’s out of its depth on price.

In the end, the Golf excels away from spec sheet analysis, with built-in refinement and road-holding that’s hard to fault and ensures it lives up to its ‘premium for the people’ tagline.

2017 Volkswagen Golf 7.Five price and specifications

Price: From $23,990 before on-road costs

Engines: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol; Two.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel

Power: 110kW at 5000-6000rpm; 110kW at 3500-4000rpm

Torque: 250Nm at 1500-3500rpm; 340Nm at 1750-3500rpm

Transmissions: Six-speed manual or seven-speeddual-clutch auto

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