New 2013 VW MK7 First Drive: Auto Car

This forum is dedicated to various tests performed on Volkswagen vehicles...
Forum rules
Please take a look at the rules for posting in the Technical section as all posts will be moderated accordingly...

Technical Section Rules
Post Reply
User avatar
Rommies
Cadet
Posts: 373
Registered for: 11 years 3 months
Car Make: Audi
Car Model: 8V1 RS3
Location: JHB
Contact:

Re: New 2013 VW MK7 First Drive: Auto Car

Post by Rommies »

What is it?
As if you don’t know. This seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf is almost clinically evolutionary in its feel and appearance, yet it is ground-up fresh technology from its MQB platform to the all-new motors in its subtly more angular body.

There is no getting away from the fact the Golf is a recipe that works and Volkswagen would be bonkers to change it. The 29 million they’ve sold since it was launched in 1974 proves this.

Here we’re testing the 138bhp 1.4 TSI in top-spec GT trim, complete with seven-speed DSG gearbox (a six-speed manual is standard) and cylinder deactivation, which actually makes this 109g/km petrol engine cleaner than the lower-powered, 120bhp version of the same 1.4 TSI that will sit beneath it in the range and go without cylinder management. Also on offer will be an 84bhp 1.2 TSI, a 104bhp 1.6 TDI and a 148bhp 2.0 TDI.

What is it like?
You won’t be surprised to hear that the experience of driving the new Golf is a very familiar one. And yet there is a subtly classier feel to the car. New softer-edged buttons, a slimmer-rimmed steering wheel, sharper edges to the dash architecture and an optional eight-inch colour screen (a 5.8in version is standard) that dominates the interior in our GT-trim car, all contribute to the high-end ambience.

This 1.4 TSI engine is unrelated to the engine of the same capacity that you’ll find in the Mk6. And you can feel the difference. Cabin refinement is outstanding on the 17-inch wheels of our test car, with very little tyre roar or engine noise creeping into the cabin and only a subdued flutter of wind. And yet you can then choose to toggle through the Audi-like variable drive settings (Eco, Sport, Normal and Individual) that the Golf will get as standard on all but the base-spec cars, and suddenly you have a thoroughly grippy, neutral and entertaining drive. Our car also came with optional Dynamic Chassis Control, which incorporates adaptive damping and a Sport setting.

Despite our car’s high spec, it is still not sparklingly communicative. But with the adaptive elements in maximum attack mode you really can plunder the huge grip on offer, and enjoy the suddenly quite audible and rasping exhaust note that is emitted from the twin tailpipes as the motor spins willingly through its rev range.

The 8.4sec 0-62mph time doesn’t sound quick, but in the mid-range this model of Golf feels spot on for a compromise between satisfying performance and real-world accessibility and efficiency. Because while you can enjoy some hoonery, you can also enjoy free road tax thanks to the 109g/km (116g/km with the manual) and over 60mpg combined.

The whole set-up feels tauter, regardless of your chosen drive and damper settings. Steering response is a little quicker off the dead-ahead the handling is more neutral and less inclined to wash into understeer when pushed hard. The cylinder deactivation is also hard to fault. The switch between two and four cylinders is imperceptible and done with such swiftness that we couldn’t catch it out even when deliberately trying to.

The 1.4 TSI engine is currently the biggest-selling Golf with private buyers in the UK, and its successor deserves the same popularity. It’s hard to believe that any other engine in the range will better the flexibility and reward on offer from this 1.4 petrol.

Even so, the Golf is not flawless. The DSG gearbox hangs on to ratios too long in Sport mode, feeling a little unresponsive to throttle input at quite crucial moments. Using the standard wheel-mounted paddles solves this. The brakes can also feel a little sharp initially and take some familiarity to be able to modulate the pedal for smooth urban progress.

Equally, while the ride comfort in our car is smooth and pliant 90 per cent of the time when left in Normal, coping particularly well with eroded surfaces and high-frequency undulations regardless of speed and cornering force, it does get a little firm and thumpy at higher speeds over bigger intrusions such as expansion joints and raised manhole covers. Sport doesn’t seem dramatically different from Normal, though Comfort is quite noticeably softer, with a little more wallow than you might expect at urban speeds.

Beyond the driving dynamics themselves, there are other practical improvements that will come in useful for life in the latest Golf. The driving position seems to mould itself around you thanks to an exceptionally broad range of adjustment that few class rivals can compete with. Steering wheel rake and reach is particularly impressive next to the class standard.

A slight increase in elbow room also pays off in the front of the cabin, and knee room is marginally more abundant, all of which makes the Golf feel a whisker closer to the class above. And who doesn’t appreciate a bigger boot? The Golf now gets a healthy 380 litres and a usefully low load lip.

To name the most dramatic improvements in the 1.4 TSI specifically, it would have to be refinement and engine performance. Over the range as a whole, it’s likely to be the quite extravagant array of technology.

Premium downgraders need not worry. You could slide down the market ladder from an Audi A8 to a Golf and have comparable safety and infotainment tech, from multi-collision avoidance as standard, through to the optional eight-inch HD sat-nav with smartphone tethered wifi hotspot, voice command and proximity sensor that automatically raises the menu when your hand approaches the screen.

Should I buy one?
Yes. The Golf is precisely the globally appealing and useful car it needs to be. The desirability stakes have been upped, and it is generally a sharper, more complete package. It is a VW Golf, purified.

Best in class? Ford should be very worried indeed.

Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 140 GT 5dr

Price £23,500 (est); Top speed 131mph; 
0-62mph 8.4sec
; Economy 60.1mpg; 
CO2 109g/km
; Kerb weight 1288kg; 
Engine 4 cyls in line, 1395cc, turbo, petrol; 
Installation Front, transverse, FWD
; Power 138bhp at 4500-6000rpm; 
Torque 185lb ft at 1500-3500rpm
; Gearbox 7-spd dual-clutch auto
2016 Audi 8V1 RS3


Click: My Youtube Channel
Click: My Build Thread
User avatar
Rommies
Cadet
Posts: 373
Registered for: 11 years 3 months
Car Make: Audi
Car Model: 8V1 RS3
Location: JHB
Contact:

Re: New 2013 VW MK7 First Drive: Auto Car

Post by Rommies »

Is the seventh-generation VW Golf still the car to beat? We get behind the wheel to deliver our verdict
Verdict5...In isolation, the new Golf is predictably fantastic. In many ways, it’s the iPhone of the car world – it’s well designed and built and does everything you could ask of it. Its biggest test will come when it faces its sister cars – the good-looking SEAT Leon and plush Audi A3 – and our class current class leader, the BMW 1 Series. But from where we’re sitting, the Golf looks like a good bet..If ever there was a test that should be a foregone conclusion, this is it. The current VW Golf is still competing at the top of its class (only in August, four years after its launch, did it lose its crown in a group test to the BMW 1 Series). And sales are showing no sign of slowing down: the Golf was the UK’s fourth best-selling car in the first half of 2012.

But this is the brand new Mk7 model, revealed at the Paris Motor Show, and the data suggests another giant leap forward. There’s more space for passengers and a bigger boot than before, it’s up to 100kg lighter and 23 per cent more fuel efficient, and thanks to a stronger body structure and a dazzling array of new technology, it’s safer than ever, too.


On paper the competition doesn’t stand a chance – but nothing can be taken for granted, and this new Golf will need to earn its stripes on the road like everyone else.

Let’s start with the styling. It’s still a conservative car to look at, but you wouldn’t expect VW to change a winning formula. Take in the details, though, and a much more taut, modern shape begins to emerge. The outlines of the headlights and tail-lamps are now all angles, instead of curves, giving the car a sinister rather than surprised look from the front.

Creases running down the bonnet and along the sides have been sharpened up, too. The new Golf is 56mm longer than before (with a 59mm longer wheelbase), plus 13mm wider and 28mm lower – unless you choose the 85g/km BlueMotion, due next summer, which drops the suspension a further 15mm. These are subtle changes, but the overall effect is 10 per cent less air resistance and a more dynamic stance.

There’s a cheaper (by around £650) and lighter (by around 20kg) three-door – previewed by the 217bhp GTI concept – which cuts a more dashing shape. But as 90 per cent of Golfs sold in the UK are expected to be five-doors, we’re focusing on this more practical version. And inside, designers have made the most of the Golf’s larger footprint.

Rear legroom is up 15mm, the front seats are mounted 20mm further back – important for taller drivers – and boot capacity is 30 litres bigger, at 380 litres. There’s certainly plenty of head, leg and shoulder room in the front and back, while seating three across the rear bench shouldn’t be a problem.

As you’d expect, the quality is exceptional. Details like the thin chrome trim around the air vents and glossy piano black plastic on the centre console and wheel give the whole car a lift, so it looks more interesting and feels more upmarket than before. Helping that is the eight-inch touchscreen, with clear graphics, a superb voice control function and a sensor that detects your finger moving towards the screen and brings up a range of options. Clever stuff.

By reducing production costs, the Golf now comes with more standard equipment for roughly the same price as the old car, and there’s some high-end options to choose from.

Adaptive cruise control is included on all SE trim cars and above, while a DAB radio and at least a 5.8-inch screen are fitted across the line-up. Options range from autobrake to lane keep assist and alloy wheels up to 18 inches in diameter.

Not including the BlueMotion and GTI, due next year, there are two petrol engines and two diesels at launch (see opposite). All have stop-start; we drove the 2.0 TDI, with a six-speed manual box.

How VW can produce an engine as effortlessly powerful and refined as this, while keeping CO2 down to 106g/km, is remarkable. Only five years ago, the original Golf BlueMotion did 0-62mph in 11.3 seconds, with 62.8mpg economy. This standard 2.0 TDI beats those figures by 2.7 seconds and 6.1mpg respectively. Now that’s progress.

Acceleration is strong and smooth, and it does a passable impression of a petrol engine, revving freely to the red line. The 1.6 TDI will be more popular, but if you’re a keen driver the 2.0-litre offers extra power for only a small cut in efficiency. Noise isolation inside is improved, too – open the door with the engine on, and close it again, and you realise just how well insulated the interior is.

A major change is the move to variable-ratio steering on all Golfs, to make low-speed manoeuvres easier and give a more direct feel at speed. The difference is barely detectable, but the Golf feels just as at home in town as it does on fast B-roads, where the weight reduction is most evident. There’s plenty of front-end bite and a natural balance in corners, which bodes well for the GTI.

A driver profile selection lets you choose between Eco, Sport, Normal and Individual modes (there’s also a Comfort mode if you add our car’s £800 Dynamic Chassis Control). Each setting alters throttle response and engine management. Plus, the suspension feels firmer in Sport mode, although it doesn’t spoil the well cushioned ride. And whichever setting you select, the Golf strikes a superb balance between comfort and control.



Key specs
Price: £23,000 (est)
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbodiesel
Power: 148bhp
Torque: 320Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
0-62mph: 8.6 seconds
Top speed: 134mph
Economy: 68.9mpg
CO2: 106g/km
Equipment: Adaptive cruise control, electronic parking brake, eight-inch touchscreen, climate control, USB input, Bluetooth
2016 Audi 8V1 RS3


Click: My Youtube Channel
Click: My Build Thread
User avatar
Rommies
Cadet
Posts: 373
Registered for: 11 years 3 months
Car Make: Audi
Car Model: 8V1 RS3
Location: JHB
Contact:

Re: New 2013 VW MK7 First Drive: Auto Car

Post by Rommies »

And some pictures of the golf 7 tdi:

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
2016 Audi 8V1 RS3


Click: My Youtube Channel
Click: My Build Thread
Post Reply