ROAD TEST: VW Golf 1.4 TSI Comfortline DSG
There seems to be two distinct schools of thought on car design.
The first prefer the safer approach to car sketching, trying hard not to upset the apple cart or offend loyal and stalwart buyers with too much flair in their lines.
The second are the guys who prefer espresso to cappuccino, Red Bull to orange juice, and mountain to road bikes. They also don’t mind a bit of controversy on their easels, and are probably the group that stormed VW’s design Bastille with the revolutionary shift in metal from Golf 4 to Golf 5. That team’s since been reassigned, probably to sister brand Bugatti, as Golf 6, and now 7, are simply safe evolutions of Golf 5.
Having said that, many would argue that it’s harder to design something new yet preserve its safe look. And I would agree, as icons like Porsche’s 911, the Beetle, the Mini, and Fiat’s 500 needed to hark back to the original.
But the Golf was more a people’s car with good looks and an exhilarating drive paramount to its success – I don’t think VW’s designers turn as much to the first Golf for inspiration as, say, Mini or Porsche turn to their originals.
So for me it’s a little disappointing that just about nobody knew that the Golf 7 we had on test was the freshest version out of Wolfsburg. And I say that not because my ego needed stroking, but simply because the newcomer is so good it’s a travesty it doesn’t have its own design flavour.
It’s almost like it was short changed of a fresh personality.
Under the familiar-looking skin it’s just about all-new though. It has more cabin room thanks to a longer wheelbase, weight is down from its predecessor by an impressive 100 kilograms, it has greener force-fed engines, and comes with premium-spec extras like active cruise control, second-generation Dynamic Chassis Control, and fatigue detection – now on the options list.
The biggest exterior change I noticed was the shape of the fuel lid, which now has elegant slanting lines. The interior has some cool new tweaks, though, which buyers should easily recognise. The most obvious is a modern new touchscreen with intuitive technology. Move your hand close to it and it will sense where your finger’s headed, bringing up the next part of that menu.
I’ve heard that this isn’t great in manual Golf 7s as it sometimes accidentally activates when you change gears, but in our DSG version it worked like a charm.
It’s also quite a clever system. I managed to pair it to my smartphone quite easily, and it slices through menus quite cleverly, showing even your cell’s battery life in the telephone display settings.
NICE TOUCHES
I also liked the digital display of an analogue clock when the radio was switched off; the design of the indicator lever now has a perfect indent for your finger; the seat fore-and-aft settings are fine-tuned for tiny adjustments; there’s finally an option for USB connectivity; and there’s a simple forward and backward lever for the sunroof (versus that turn-knob before).
The RDS setup was a little offside though; it lost signal every now and then on major radio stations, and saved stations would show only the number, and not the station name. And a little suggestion to the designers would be to separate the front and rear foglight activation – I see they now work together.
But these are little things – by and large the new Golf 7 is an absolute pleasure to drive.
We had the 1.4-litre TSI on test (turbo only – that badge could also mean turbo and supercharged), and I can safely say that the 90kW and 200Nm on offer are delivered in a most palatable way. It’s one of the few engines carried over from the previous range, and I can understand why VW held on to it.
Combined with the 7-speed DSG it’s damned near perfect, with the only fault I could find being a slight lag between gear changes under hard acceleration. But many wouldn’t notice, and whether booting it or milling about, it was a pleasure to pilot, with lots of guts.
The handling has also got to be one of the best in its segment. It’s stuff the Koreans and Japanese can only dream about.
The Germans have thrown in their XDS electronic front diff-lock into the entire range, and you can’t help but push front rubber through suburban corners with glee. Throw in the very plush ride quality and it’s Queen meets Ace in Golf 7 Blackjack. Consumption, at 6.7l/100km (VW claims 5l/100km) is easy on the pocket too.
VERDICT
At R279 400 I reckon this is a winner, and I’d be surprised if a Golf didn’t walk away with next year’s SA Car of the Year trophy (it’s already won the European competition). It’s a refined car to drive, offering a cocooned, comfortable and safe feeling. I would have liked more creativity in the design, but the rest of the package is so good that Volkswagen’s conservatism can be forgiven. -Star Motoring
Click here for more pictures and info on the Golf range
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