Insurance Group: 13
MPG: 49.6
CO2: 134
0-62 Mph: 10.6 secs
BHP: 104 BHP
Range: 600 miles
PROS: Refinement and comfort, fun to drive, classy cabin, practical and roomy, good residual values, lots of safety kit.
CONS: The 1.2 petrol engine is not the most powerful in the range, conservative styling.
Inside the cabin, drivers will find it easy to find a good driving position thanks to the range of adjustment available on the driver’s seat and the steering wheel. The dash is well designed and laid out in a logical manner. Controls and switches are clearly marked and easy to use. Visibility all round is good.
The 1.2-litre 4 cylinder 8 valve petrol engine produces 104bhp and good low-mid range pulling torque of 129b-ft. Top speed is 118mph and 0-62mph comes in 10.6 seconds.
The Golf provides both fun and a comfortable ride like no other car in its class. It’s extremely well composed on the most demanding roads and has plenty of grip, good body control and nicely weighted steering. It’s easy to drive in town and is equally at home out on the open road.
The Golf’s cabin is a hushed environment with minimal intrusion of wind, road and engine noise at cruising speeds. The 1.2-litre engine is very smooth, quiet and refined making it an excellent long distance cruiser.
The Golf is conservative and anything but ‘edgy or avant-garde’ as some of its newer rivals are in their styling. However, customers still can’t get enough of it as its design is both practical and pleasing on the eye – almost a timeless masterpiece of ergonomic functionality.
The Golf S trim provides you with the basics in equipment such as power steering, central locking, stability control, air conditioning, electric door mirrors, electric front windows, immobiliser and CD player. VW also offer a range of optional extras like: alloy wheels £410, metallic paint £465, cruise control £235, rear parking sensor £440, alarm £230, MP3 connectivity £100 and Bluetooth £310.
The Golf offers good space for passengers - some of its rivals offer a bit more, but the Golf is by no means cramped. Four adult passengers have plenty of head and leg room and can travel in comfort. The Golf’s boot is big and with a practical shape for load carrying. Boot capacity is 350-litres with the rear seats in place and 1,305 with the rears seats folded down.
EuroNCAP awarded the Golf an overall rating of five-stars in its crash-tests; with individual ratings of five-stars for adult occupant safety, four-stars for child occupant safety and three-stars for pedestrian safety. The Golf has plenty of safety kit as standard, including electronic stability control and front, side and curtain airbags.
Security and anti-theft measures include deadlocks, an engine immobiliser, visible VIN and security-etched components.
The Golf is about as good as a family hatchback gets. It’s solidly built and the cabin interior is trimmed and finished with quality material. Both the Golf’s quality and reliability were rated as above average in the 2011 JD Power customer satisfaction survey.
VW covers the Golf with its three- year, 60,000 mile warranty.
At £16,715 the Golf isn’t as cheap as some of the other family hatch offerings, but its well worth it. A premium badge, superb quality and strong residual values make it a smart choice. Running costs are average for its class; insurance is in group 13, its CO2 emissions of 134g/km put it in VED band E, and this 1.2-litre 104bhp petrol engine gives decent fuel economy of 49.6mpg.
If buying new, there are usually big discounts available, which makes it an even better choice for your money, and selling it on in the future will present no problems as it’s equally sought after as a used buy due to its reputation and reliability.
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