It is not difficult to predict that the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf will be difficult on the market. Coming after an unusually good seven, which did not have mild hybrids, but was purely German in its approach to the matter and design, which did not turn every crown. And she looked really good, too.
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In addition, even generations of Golf are always a bit in the shadow of the odd ones. This was the case for the sixth, the development of which emphasized the simplification, acceleration and reduction of production compared to the fifth. And the seventh came at the height of Volkswagen’s fame, and also at a time when the pressure to electrify and reduce CO2 emissions, both very costly efforts, was not yet as extreme as it is today.
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The eighth generation is coming to a world where national governments are competing to ban the blood of the economy, that is, internal combustion engines, sooner. Automakers, on the other hand, which will soon offer more electric cars or switch to electric propulsion altogether, although some sideways, others openly admit that electric cars are long-term and unsuitable for many situations.
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I really like the taillights.
So I come to the gray “eight” with a two-liter turbodiesel with a bit of concern about how all this was signed on the processing and driving performance of the car.
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Except for the taillights, which have really nice graphics, I’m not a fan of its design. It seems too round to me and on the bow, in addition to strangely shaped headlights, I also mind the “muzzle” in the bumper. It has no vertical divider and decorative surfaces on the sides, some in lacquer, others chrome, it looks strange.
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It was saved here and there
I take the handle and notice the cost savings – the handle is in one piece with an exposed insert for inserting the physical key. The seventh generation had an insert hidden under a piece of plastic, protected from water and dirt. Other similar places include missing bonnet gas struts or the absence of a cover for the beverage holder and the box door in front of the gearbox selector.
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The cabin is practical, but clearly cheaper to produce than the previous generation.
The central tunnel is a bit narrower than the seventh generation, so there is a little more space in the front places. This is, I suppose, given the need to move the seat away from the door for easier operation of the side airbag, but I will definitely not complain about the more spacious interior, on the contrary.
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The square start button on the center tunnel blends in nicely with the other controls around it. The tiny shift selector, however skeptical I was at first, is very pleasant to use in the end. More importantly, the transmission responds to lightning speed, so turning in a tight space, for example, is brisk.
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The light control in the field of view is ergonomically perfect. (The malfunction indicator light in the instrument panel illuminates because Golf figured out during the photo shoot that his right taillight wasn’t working, even though it was on normally. The “fault” was fixed that day and did not return for the rest of the week.)
On the other hand, with the transition to the MIB3 system, Volkswagen has taken the path of “touch everything, even what is not possible”, although the Golf did not go so far as to put touch “buttons” on the steering wheel, as in the electric ID.3. However, it is important that the light control – now also touch – has moved higher into the driver’s field of vision. It’s easier to use, and most importantly, it doesn’t matter so much that the car doesn’t show what is on in the instrument panel.
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Infotainment has flies
The central infotainment display protrudes in the middle of the dashboard and is slightly turned towards the driver, which is comfortable. It also has an excellent home screen, great resolution and several other submenus with customizable “widgets” like a smartphone. And its colors, as well as the colors of the instrument panel, change along with the ambient lighting, in a really wide range.
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The infotainment home screen shows the map and the radio, and if I don’t use Android Auto, I have shown it most of the time.
However, the sensitivity to touch is too high and sometimes I move something else or do something other than I want. It also happened a few times that there was no sound from the radio and the volume could not be increased; reduce but yes. It is “fixed” by getting out of the car, locking it, leaving, and returning to the car after a few seconds. Practical especially in the rain.
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The air conditioning control has also moved to the display. Because the MIB3 system takes a really long time to start after the car starts, I’m also waiting for the air conditioning. And last but not least, the approach to switching on the internal circulation is too complicated – I have to open a menu called “Clima”, then switch from “smart” air conditioning to standard and that’s there. The moment I turned it on, I had long since passed through a cloud of black smoke from the unmaintained old turbodiesel in front of me and sucked some of the soot into the interior.
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The seats are very comfortable and allow you to extend the seat.
The touch panel to control the temperature and volume below the display is not backlit. Why, when it makes it difficult to use at night? In short – the display with the panel are one component that was prepared for ambient lighting, but it did not get into the production cars in the planned form.
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On the contrary, the seats are very comfortable and have the option of extending the seat, the steering wheel holds perfectly and the display in the instrument panel is perfectly controlled on its right arm. Each side of the display has its own “settings” in which I can check, from which I will choose. Easy, clear, safe to drive.
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In the side options, you can also show the driving speed, so that it is not a tiny number in the lower corner, when I want to drive with a different display than with circular “alarm clocks”. Nevertheless, I most often use this display, because when I set the cruise control, the tachometer displays the specific speed, the other numbers disappear and the set speed, together with the green dot, changes in real time as I control the cruise control. It is a very elegant detail.
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Digital instrument panel of the new Volkswagen Golf
However, I’m a little annoyed that when I’m just sitting in a switched off car, I can’t freely turn on the interior lamps. Every few tens of seconds I have to open the door and slam it shut again. And also that the right wiper ends its path exactly where I look at the road. So not only do I see the wiper there for a fraction of a second and it disturbs me, it also leaves water there for a (longer) fraction of a second, and if the rubber band of the left wiper is not in perfect condition, it smears and I see worse.
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Headlights with two extremes
Speaking of visibility – this Golf is equipped with so-called bad weather lights instead of the classic front fog lights. This is not my first time with them, but I finally have a real opportunity to use them.
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Their principle is that it extends the cone of the dipped beam headlights by proper pieces to the sides, but the light comes from the main lamps, not from the bumper, as with conventional fog lamps. When driving in thick fog in the dark with them, I really feel like I can see better. However, I do not have a direct comparison with the classic fog lights of the same car.
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The engineers have mastered the function of the LED matrix headlights perfectly.
The low beams, on the other hand, are not very good – they are too low. This is a problem in the city, because the reflectors of parked cars or bicycles are not visible, even outside the city, because driving without high beams is safe up to a speed of 30 km / h.
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Fortunately, the high beams are equipped LED Matrix technologywhich works excellently – it reacts quickly and sends light around other cars correctly. It’s a pity that the headlights do not have washers – again, unlike the seventh generation Golf.
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No surprises inside
Under the hood, I have a 150-horsepower 2.0 TDI Evo engine, which will please with its powerful torque at medium speeds, but it’s not for really fast driving on the highway – like most similar diesel engines. It also enjoys consumption – a 5.7 liter fast ride is surprisingly good value, as well as a 4.7 liter quiet ride around the city. The average for the whole week is 5.4 l / 100 km.
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Unfortunately, in normal mode, the transmission overspeeds the engine, and when you need a quick start to the gap between the cars, when I connect to the main road, for example, everything takes. First I wait for the start-stop, then for the transmission, then before the control electronics, set for the lowest possible exhaust production, allow the engine to start. However, it sails successfully and often – in contrast to the S mode, ie Sport, in which it shifts more pleasantly, but when it slows down smoothly, it jerks unnecessarily when it downshifts.
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The chassis has no flaws, but neither is its character. And he even lacks German precision and rigor.
The adaptive chassis works well in all modes and perfectly monitors the movements of 18 “wheels – they do not beat on uneven surfaces, they do not bounce. However, you will never get strength or security from it, even in the toughest setting. It is trustworthy, but the driving speech as a whole is soft and, compared to its predecessor, somehow “non-German”.
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In a way, I understand that Golf was always a “car neauto” in its civilian versions, a bus replacement, a machine for a driver’s license holder, not a real driver. Still, I’m not happy about its “muddy” and I’m curious about the GTI version and the sharp R.
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Even more conformist than before
Mainly for this reason I have to end by saying that seventh generation Golf was, in my opinion, a better car in general. And that is even better electrical ID.3 – because he just looks like a blob, he doesn’t ride, so I enjoy it more.
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The taillights are perfect, except for perhaps one fog lamp (not lit here) in the left one. However, the space under them gives me the impression of anxiety. Like the rest of the car, unfortunately.
There is no doubt that in terms of technology on board, the “eight” is top in its class, as well as the quality of workmanship is excellent and a huge mass of people will serve as a means of transport more than well. For me, however, unlike the seventh generation, it fell into a small category of cars for which I am not particularly looking forward to driving.
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| Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI DSG Style | |
| Motor: |
1968 ccm, in-line diesel four-cylinder, turbo |
| Max. performance: |
110 kW (150 hp) at 3500-4000 rpm |
| Max. torque: |
360Nm at 1600–2750 rpm |
| Transmission: |
seven-stage two-clutch |
| 0–100 km / h: |
8,8 s |
| Top speed: |
223 km / h |
| Average consumption according to WLTP: |
3.9 l / 100 km |
| Standby / maximum weight: |
1465/1960 kg |
| Length x WIDTH X HEIGHT: |
4284 × 1789 × 1491 mm |
| Basic / maximum luggage volume: |
380/1237 l |
| Driven axle: |
front |
| Basic price of the model: |
508 900 Kč (Golf 1,0 TSI 110 k 6M / T) |
| Basic version price: |
CZK 765,900 |
| Price of the tested car: | CZK 859,100 |
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