The eighth generation of Golf in its original form appeared at the end of 2019. The design and filling turned out to be so modern that even today neither the first nor the second can be considered outdated. But four years is old enough for a leading European brand to think about updating.
Pointed
External changes are small, but noticeable. The design of the front has more sharp lines, and the lights on the stern have transformed into three-dimensional formations, especially cute when turned on. As adults, we won’t admire the lights in the corporate logo (optional), but the new design LED headlights in their top-end version are worthy of approval. Intelligent matrix optics, familiar from the flagship Touareg, allows you to drive with highly effective high beams at all times, without the threat of blinding colleagues around you.
Who cares what
In the first place in messages about restyling, Volkswagen marketers put the story about large-scale improvements in the entertainment and information system. Apparently, they wanted to emphasize the importance of the new multimedia and the optional gigantic screen with a diagonal of 13 inches (32.8 cm), sticking out like a knight’s shield in the middle of the dashboard. It is unlikely that in Ukraine this will be a decisive factor in making a choice, although there is something really practical here.
The IDA voice assistant can be ordered for the multimedia of the new Golf. Thanks to it, you can literally talk to the car – and thanks to the artificial intelligence of ChatGPT, it will respond to the driver in a human voice and “on topic”. It is not surprising that IDA can be used to control an air conditioner, telephone or navigator. You can also “verbally” control access to online information from all possible areas – even weather forecasts and questions from the field of general knowledge – if someone in the car suddenly wants to show off their erudition.
Parking assistance
As for other useful innovations, there is an improved parking assistant. He himself chooses a free seat, turns the steering wheel and presses the pedals – the driver is left to monitor the process and be responsible for the consequences. And in its top version, this assistant can drive into and out of a parking space without a driver at the wheel, for example, if there is not enough space and it is impossible to open the door for the pilot to enter and exit. True, a driver is still needed – he will command the car from a smartphone, standing next to it.
Electric power of units
While improving the entertainment component and safety electronics, the designers approached the improvement of power units from the same “electronic” side. Hybrid drives have been improved, so that the Golf plug-in hybrid has increased power and an electric range of about 100 km. That is, the electric mode has a practical meaning, and not just ephemeral assistance when starting off. Although the so-called eTSI mild hybrids (with a 48 V motor-generator), which are actually effective only at start, also remain in the lineup – according to Volkswagen, for owners who do not have a charger at home.
In short, a total of nine hybrid “eighth” Golfs will be available in different versions. We don’t think that all these exotic configurations will be in demand among Ukrainian consumers. But we give more chances to the crazy plug-in version of the GTE and also to the textbook hot hatchback Golf GTI, which has become even sportier and more powerful compared to its predecessor.
In short
This restyling of the Volkswagen Golf VIII is typical for mass models of our days. Most of the innovations, at least those announced, concern electronics or are implemented using electronic means. Of course, this is easier than creating new engines or transmissions, but if the consumer is happy with it, then it’s fine. At least in the case of the Golf, which has been at the top of sales charts for decades.
2024-01-26 06:20:35
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