VW celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Golf in the Czech Republic. The choice of engines is still different, there is functional equipment and opera for a small price – Garáž.cz

You probably don’t need to be reminded of the childhood pains that the eighth generation is dealing with Golf – moreover, during the coronavirus crisis – she had to deal with it. Volkswagen learned its lesson and had to update its cult model well from the ground up. And the time it came to the Czech market was just at the time when Golf is celebrating fifty years of its existence.

First, a few numbers – serial production of the Golf model was launched in 1974, just two years later, Volkswagen is already celebrating its millionth example! In those fifty years, the Golf has sold 37 million units, making it the best-selling car with the letters VW in its logo. From the first generation, the sporty version of the GTI was with us, and in the third generation, a more practical station wagon also appeared. And today the eighth edition is on the market, which brings several important new things as part of the face change.

Volkswagen said goodbye to the basic engine, which a few years ago was represented by a three-cylinder liter. As in the Octavia, the new base was a detuned version of the four-cylinder engine 1500, which has 85 kW. Its more powerful version with 110 kW is still in the offer. You get a manual transmission as standard, but there is also an option with an automatic transmission (in this case, the one-five is supplemented with mild hybrid support).

A two-liter “civilian” with a power of 150 kW is available for more demanding gasoline lovers. A two-liter diesel with 85 or 110 kW is another option. Apart from the three cylinders, the 200-horsepower “sports diesel” GTD did not survive the upgrade.

Plug-in hybrids, on the other hand, are reporting significant progress. The Golf has two available – the standard 150 kW and the sporty GTE with 200 kW. Under the hood of both of them, there was a 15-liter gasoline engine covered with electric motor pulses. A big advantage over the previous plug-in hybrid is the possibility of fast charging with a power of up to 50 kW, as well as a much larger battery, with which the Golf can now control on more than 100 kilometers on electricity alone.

The GTD is coming to an end, but we regret it much less than if a sharp GTI or “erko” were ordered from the menu. Fortunately, these two versions continue. The standard GTI has 195 kW, and the GTI Clubsport a quieter 221 kW. In addition to higher performance, the latter is characterized by, for example, the Akrapovič exhaust system or the driving mode planned for the Nordschleife.

At the very top of the model range is the Golf R, which has 245 kW (half-evil 333 horses) that you can have in the all-black Black Edition and up to 270 km / h with the package R- Performance. “Erko” is a four-wheel drive, there are also Akrapovič robots, driving mode for the Nürburgring, but also torque vectoring on the rear axle.

If we return to the more sophisticated variants “for ordinary people”, we will find that Volkswagen has also prepared interesting promotional offers for the Limited (with a price from 554,900 CZK) and People as part of the face change, which will give them equipment worth tens. thousands of free.

The People variant starts at CZK 663,900, but already has metallic paint, 17″ light alloy wheels, rear parking camera, keyless entry and start, or tinted rear windows as standard. So this version includes equipment worth more than sixty thousand crowns for free.

Due to its success, the domestic Volkswagen dealer decided to extend the promotional offer for operating leases. This can be of interest to buyers who don’t want or can’t afford to buy a new car for cash.

As part of the campaign, you can own a hatchback for 36 months with a mileage of 15,000 kilometers per year from CZK 5,620 including VAT. You can still pay a nice 5,790 CZK for a station wagon. The offer includes regular service checks, winter bikes including a change of shoes, liability insurance or accident insurance with ten percent participating.

Although the new Volkswagen Golf brought several new things, we are glad that even its latest edition is still a completely normal car that can be yours for reasonable money. In addition, fans of electrification and sports riding will get their money’s worth. Let the next generation continue in this spirit. Information is emerging more and more often that the next Golf could run only on batteries…