If the cars on the previous pages don’t tickle your fancy, there could be something in the pipeline for you
FIRST LOOKVolkswagen Golf
Family hatchback gets a longer electric range for plug-in hybrids, plus upgraded infotainment On sale Spring Price from £28,000 (est)
IT CAN BE hard to know what to get someone for a milestone birthday. Jewellery? A thoughtful keepsake? Well, to celebrate its 50th, the Volkswagen Golf is getting, er, a facelift. And for the plug-in hybrid models in particular, it’s much more than cosmetic.
Both the regular eHybrid model and the sporty GTE hot hatch in these pictures have been given bigger batteries – up from 10.4kWh to 19.7kWh. Volkswagen says this increases the electric-only range to around 62 miles in both, compared with the 42 miles for the outgoing eHybrid (and 38 miles for the GTE). While the eHybrid’s total power remains unchanged, at 201bhp, the updated GTE leaps from 242 to 268bhp.
Looks-wise, the LED headlights are now narrower and more angular, with the option to upgrade to Matrix LED units; these can shape their output in order to maintain full beam without dazzling other road users. Meanwhile, the rear lights illuminate with a new 3D visual signature.
The biggest changes inside concern on-board tech. The previous confusing, slow and often buggy 10.0in infotainment system has been replaced by a new 10.4in touchscreen on most models, with high-end variants getting a larger, 12.9in display. The system’s layout has been simplified, too; sections at the top and bottom are dedicated to customisable shortcuts, and most of the icons are larger and should be easier to hit than the previous equivalents.
As for the air-con controls, we found the unlit touch-sensitive sliders for interior temperature adjustments in the outgoing Golf difficult to operate safely when on the move, especially in the dark. While these controls remain in place, they are now at least backlit.
What’s more, the fiddly touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons found in some versions of the outgoing Golf are gone. Across the range, you now get proper buttons that should prove much easier to use while driving.
Elsewhere in the range, a 113bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine replaces the old entry-level 108bhp 1.0-litre, joining the existing 148bhp 1.5-litre unit. As before, DSG automatic cars get fuel-saving mild hybrid tech; those fitted with th
