Gossip, Gossip and more Gossip

It is a common held belief that the Volkswagen Golf is the epitome of a cool car; style, performance and an impressive history all firmly place it in a very favourable light with the general public. Since its introduction in 1974 the Golf has walked that precarious tightrope of great motoring, but at a reasonable price. When I put my brain into gear, I can’t help but question the Golf’s credibility. Let me take you through my thinking and see if I can get you on board.

I have nothing but fond memories of the VW Golf. My Grandfather owned a dark blue 1984 Golf MkII which was a huge part of my childhood; providing the transport for literally thousands of trips all over the country over many years. I remember the grunt of the engine, the sporty shape of the bodywork and the slightly musty smell of the interior…but that may have been my Grandfather’s fault rather than an deliberate Volkswagen specification. My point is that the VW Golf has a marvellous heritage and undoubtedly holds a place in the heart of anyone who has spent time in one. The question is, how can a car I associate with an elderly relative ever be considered cool?

In most circles, the VW Golf is recognised as ecologically sound as the automotive industry is going to get without resorting the poorly-performing hybrids, electric powered cars that will only get you to the end of your drive before conking out, or bio-fuel which will probably involve you shovelling tonnes of bovine excrement into your car. But since when has environmentally considerate motoring ever been considered cool? It may be important for the future of the planet, but it is without a doubt entirely uncool. When have tree-huggers looked like anything more than tussled-hair layabouts, with personal hygiene issues.

In recent years every other car manufacturer has began to produce hot hatchbacks and stylish superminis that have reduced Volkswagen’s uniqueness to practically zero. The Vauxhall Corsa, Seat Ibiza, Toyota Aygo and the Fiat 500 have all jumped on the bandwagon and have started pulling high percentages of the market share away from VW. It is perhaps through reputation alone that the Golf has remained one of the brand leaders in this increasingly saturated marketplace. So as well as committing some uncool mistakes, it would appear the VW Golf has lost almost all of its individuality.

To top it all off, Volkswagen’s German lineage hardly reeks of the Fonze does it? German engineering may be efficient and reliable but it rarely makes your knees tremble with joy, or reduce you to tears with its sheer flamboyance. If anything, German motors keep you on the straight and narrow, get you there on time and make no attempts to entertain or intrigue you on the way. So why is the Golf considered a cool car?

The answer is a mystery essentially; like Aurora Borealis or the Bermuda Triangle…it just is a cool vehicle. There’s no reason or logic behind the VW Golf’s continued appreciation, it is just a naturally occurring phenomenon that even the hardiest of boffins would struggle to explain. The Golf is the equation for aero-elasticity of the automotive world; an enigma that continues to baffle and mystify.

The Golf is not the best looking car in its field, nor is it the cheapest or best performing, but for some inexplicable reason it remains one of the most popular, desirable and coolest cars available. I know that I would personally buy it over any of its price range…I will just never be able to put together a cogent arument enough to explain why.

It is a common held belief that the Volkswagen Golf is the epitome of a cool car; style, performance and an impressive history all firmly place it in a very favourable light with the general public. Since its introduction in 1974 the Golf has walked that precarious tightrope of great motoring, but at a reasonable price. When I put some thought into it though, I can’t help but question the Golf’s credibility. Let me take you through my thinking and see if I can convince you.

I have nothing but fond memories of the Volkswagen Golf. My Grandfather owned a dark blue 1984 Golf MkII which was a huge part of my childhood; providing the transport for thousands of excursions over many years. I remember the grunt from under the bonnet, the sporty shape of the bodywork and the slightly musty smell of the interior…but that may have been my Grandfather’s fault rather than an intentional Volkswagen specification. My point is that the VW Golf has a marvellous heritage and undoubtedly holds a place in the heart of anyone who has spent time in one. The question is, how can a car I associate with an elderly relative ever be considered cool?

In most circles, the VW Golf is recognised as ecologically sound as the automotive industry is going to get without resorting the poorly-performing hybrids, electric powered cars that will only get you to the end of your drive before conking out, or bio-fuel which will probably involve you shovelling tonnes of bovine excrement into your car. But when has ecologically sound motoring ever been considered cool or anything other than a bit nerdy? It may be important for the future of the planet, but it is without a doubt entirely uncool. When have tree-huggers looked like anything more than tussled-hair vagabonds, with cleanliness issues.

In recent years every other car manufacturer has began to produce hot hatchbacks and stylish superminis that have reduced Volkswagen’s uniqueness to practically zero. The Vauxhall Corsa, Seat Ibiza, Toyota Aygo and the Fiat 500 have all jumped on the bandwagon and have started pulling some of the market share away from VW. It is perhaps through reputation alone that the Golf has remained one of the brand leaders in this increasingly saturated marketplace. So as well as committing some extremely anti-cool clangers, it would appear the Golf has lost almost all of its individuality and personality.

To top it all off, Volkswagen’s heritage barely registers on the Fonze-o-meter does it? German engineering may be efficient and reliable but it rarely makes your knees tremble with joy, or reduce you to tears with its sheer flamboyance. If anything, German motors keep you on the straight and narrow, get you there on time and make no attempts to entertain or intrigue you on the way. So why is the Golf considered a cool automobile?

The answer is a mystery essentially; like Aurora Borealis or the Bermuda Triangle…it just is a cool car. There’s no reason or logic behind the VW Golf’s continued appreciation, it is just a naturally occurring phenomenon that even the hardiest of boffins would struggle to explain. The Golf is the equation for aero-elasticity of the automotive world; an enigma that continues to baffle and mystify.

The Golf is not the best looking car in its field, nor is it the cheapest or best performing, but for some inexplicable reason it remains one of the most popular, desirable and coolest cars available. I know that I would personally choose it over any of its price bracket competition…I will just never be able to explain why.

It has to be one of Volkswagen most important models and perhaps one that invokes and lot of emotion from all motorists and commentators alike. In its 35 odd years history VW has sold about 26 million Golfs making the car a sub icon mostly because there exists a Beetle. And yes along the way VW had its best sellers the likes of the cheap Citi Golf and the Polo for sale still in most countries. But the original Golf is the most special.

The Shape

This time it is round 6 for the golf with the new model being pampered with gizmos, made more efficient and safer. There is not that much difference between the new comer and the outgoing one. It more like Golf 5 reloaded. The design of the Golf has always been a draw card to lure buyers. Even today, the Golf 5 still looks modern bacause when lauched the design was just ahead of its time. Five years later VW has not made that much change in terms of design.

Is this a good or bad decision? Well if you liked the previous shape then you might be slight disappointed as this is a little conservative in appearance. The new and the old do not look that much different from each other. Put in simple terms, VW played it very safe with the design of the Golf. More like boring to be exact.

Cheaper to manufacture

Well the main point is that VW struggled to manufacture the Golf 5 at costs they would have liked and they aimed to have a more efficient production process with the next version. VW claims the car costs them 20% less to produce and that they will get smarter at reducing these costs.

VW has done a very good job in reducing their costs of making the Golf which is to the benefit of the buyers. The golf 6 is mostly a new car but some of the parts and design are carried over and improved off course.

Engines and transmission

Engine for the Golf 6 will deliver power ranging from 59kw (79hp) and 118kw (158 hp). Power from the diesel versions is between 81 to 103kw (108hp to 138hp) and the engines are based on a 2 litre TDI.

But if VW has one area to brag about, it has to be the fuel efficiency of the new models. For instance the petrol engines have in the region of 6.4 litres/100km while the diesels are in the 4.6 litres/100 km approximations.

There is serious talk of the Golf 6 not featuring any automatic transmission but only a choice of 5/6 speed manual and a 6/7 speed DSG (direct shift gearbox)

Features

There are plenty of electro giga-gizmo goodies and the most significant being the auto brake distance control adaptive chassis control (select normal, comfort or sport), parking assistance and many more (all the usual electronics in improved guise cruise control, abs etc).The car is close to self parallel park with the assistance system where the driver is only required to brake for once the sequence is complete.

Major improvements in terms of safety have been made for the Golf with head and knee protection system together with 7 air bags. Golf is actually very safe by NCAP standards, awarded 5 stars.

Interior quality is another big talking point about the golf six. Audi A4 For SaleVW rather (Audi’s parent/Uncle) has made the cabin and overall quality of the product more upmarket. Many motoring journalists sing praises at the interior being with par with the more expensive Audi A3 segment. Very Good for now.

Summary

The new Golf is does not come across as an entirely new car. Which is good for the buyer because VW manages to cut the productions costs while adding cool features. So the driver ends up with a super golf 5 at roughly the same price.