FROM £13,000 Ever-popular hatch is an attractive buy - but it’s not all good news
Richard Dredge
IF you had to come up with a list of the world’s most conservative car makers, Volkswagen would probably be near the top of the list. But while its cars are generally evolutionary rather than revolutionary, they’re easy to recommend and buyers clamour for them, so this German company clearly knows what it’s doing.
When the original Golf arrived 50 years ago, it was a high-quality alternative to cheaper rivals, but few could have foreseen what an institution it would become. The Golf Mk8 typifies Volkswagen’s approach, because it’s essentially an evolution of the Mk7, but features enough new tech and design advances to mark it out as something new. And when your baseline is as good as the Golf Mk7, why start again?
History
THE Golf Mk8 went on sale in February 2020, with a 128/148bhp 1.5 TSI petrol engine along with a 114/148bhp 2.0 TDI diesel. Within weeks a 148bhp 1.5 eTSI mild hybrid arrived, followed by the 1.0 TSI and mild-hybrid 1.0 eTSI, both with 109bhp.
The GTI and plug-in hybrid GTE appeared in September 2020, each with 242bhp. The 197bhp GTD diesel arrived a month later, just before the new Golf estate, which was also sold in Alltrack form with a 2.0 TDI engine and standard 4Motion four-wheel drive. In December came the 296bhp GTI Clubsport and the 315bhp Golf R.
In April 2021 the 201bhp Golf eHybrid arrived, while a facelifted Golf has just gone on sale, bringing improvements to the infotainment set-up and a 60-mile range for the plug-in hybrid models.
Which one?
IF your priority is low running costs and you don’t cover big mileages, a petrol or hybrid model will do nicely; if you do big distances, a diesel might be best. We wouldn’t advise against a plug-in hybrid, but you may not recoup the high up-front buying costs.
Even the entry-level Life model has 16-inch alloys, LED headlights, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, climate control, parking sensors front and rear, plus adaptive cruise control. The Active (sold from April 2021) adds heated front seats and a multi-function steering wheel. The Style comes with 17-inch wheels, ambient cabin lighting, three-zone climate control, electrically folding door mirrors and extra safety features. Finally, t
