What is it?
Not so long ago, if you wanted an everyday car with good performance, excellent fuel economy and even better ergonomics, you bought a turbodiesel Volkswagen Golf.
British roads overflowed with these cars, whose relative dullness, it seemed at the time, was the reasonable price to pay for vice-free motoring in many other respects.
But we all know what happened next, and lately the pick of the Golf’s engine line-up has been the 1.5-litre TSI – a smooth-spinning, downsized petrol that for the eighth-generation car has also been fitted with 48V mild-hybrid tech.
It’s unlikely any diesel-propelled Golf will ever again enjoy such popularity, but the Mk8 version is nevertheless here and, according to Volkswagen’s engineers, TDI power is now even cleaner than the equivalent petrol model.
That’s because a new ‘twin-dosing’ system hits exhaust gases with AdBlue upstream of not one but two selective catalytic reduction (SCR) sites that together act on the gases over a broad temperature range to cut nitrogen oxide concentrations by 80% compared with the old model.
It all sounds quite heavy duty, but it makes the latest diesel Golf exceptionally clean too. Of course, this car also needs to bring owners the more tangible benefit of sipping fuel in religiously frugal fashion. Volkswagen hasn’t released official numbers yet but, on the basis that fuel consumption is said to be 17% better than the outgoing TDI engine, the combined economy figure should better 60mpg by WLTP standards.
On paper, it is an almost unbelievable improvement, but then again this EA288 Evo engine is almost entirely new, with significantly lower mechanical losses than the old unit. A full road test will help reveal the truth, but it seems likely that this TDI will be the most frugal Golf in the current line-up, more so perhaps than the 245bhp GTE plug-in hybrid due next year, depending on your mileage.
As for the engine itself, displacement is two litres, with the old 1.6-litre now history not only in terms of hardware but in concept. There are, however, two power outputs for this larger four-cylinder in order to cater for both those who want nothing more than a steady tool car and also those who would like some bite to match the Mk8’s visual bark.
You can then have either a seven-speed dual-clutch or six-speed manual transmission, and it’s the former Autocar has driven, mated to the more powerful 148bhp engine (versus 109bhp), which generates its peak torque output of 266lb ft from only 1750rpm.
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Focus... lacking sophistication?
I might be biased but from what I've seen I don't know how the Focus particularly lacks this new Golf's sophistication. The Focus has soft touch materials all over the front and rear doors - these have been deleted on the new Golf's rear doors, resulting in a cheaper feel. The Focus also has more legroom in the back. Everyone that steps in to mine is amazed at the perceived quality. It's got proper heating switches. And loads of standard spec that I know just won't be standard on the equivalent Golf of the Mk7.5 was anything to go by. I like it, but this Golf hasn't moved the game on in the same way as the Mk7 did back in 2012.
Also, plenty of people will still need a diesel like this if they drive high mileages on motorways and don't have driveways to charge an EV. There's still 5-10 years left of that as we continue the move across to electric.
Just a "facelift" of the Mk8 really!!
If you look closely at this allegdly new model you'll see that all the glass is carryover & the wheelbase is exactly the same. So it's not really new is it??? I bet this will be the last Golf before it's replaced fully by the electric ID 3.
Just disappointed....
Seven candidates form the list of nominees for Car of the Year 2020 award after a first vote of the 60 Jury members
1. BMW 1-Series2. Ford Puma3. Peugeot 2084. Porsche Taycan5. Renault Clio6. Tesla Model 37. Toyota Corolla..
Do they have forgotten the "new" Vw Golf.., oh mein Gott and why !??
Maybe he interior looks cheap ..?
And what about engines .., do they aims to restore credibility for TDI power..??
Of course we are all blind and brainless...