2015 VW Golf – Small engine, Big power

In 1974 the VW family expanded with a new member, the Golf, a hatchback known for its consistent design over the years which holds true for the seventh generation.

Who is it for

- Someone who wants to have a hatchback with a premium aura.

- A golf aficionado who owns a previous model and wants to upgrade

 

What I learnt

Impressive 1.2-litre engine

The car uses a turbo-charged engine, which is a trend that has become very common with German automakers such as BMW and Audi.

A major disadvantage with these engines is there is a slight lag before the car accelerates, which the driver will have to get used to.

The vehicle is equipped with three driving modes: normal, sport and manual. Normal mode is what you use for round-town driving to optimise on fuel economy.

If you want to get really engaging, try the tiptronic function in manual mode. Just keep in mind, in this mode the car expects you to be aggressive, which requires you to constantly gear up and down. After awhile, this can seem a little hectic, especially If you are accustomed to driving an automatic vehicle. If this is the case, keep it in sport mode and let the car do all the work for you.

 

Small details

There won't be much hoopla once you are inside the car, but there are some simple things that the average driver will appreciate.

 

Arm rest

It's positioned between the two front seats and can be adjusted for length as well as height.

 

Centre console

It is slightly angled towards the driver which means less reaching when adjusting knobs. Something reminiscent of the 1980's BMW 3 Series.

 

Windshield spray

This is the first I have seen the option to adjust the intensity of the windshield spray. I don't know if it will make a big difference but it's a cool feature to have.

 

Honourable mention

Rear A/C vents, rear arm rest with adjustable drink-holder slots

 

Manual adjustments

A big spoiler was the manual rotary knob to adjust the back of the front seats, a concept I thought died in the 80's. I can just imagine the frustration of an owner who has to readjust his seat after lending his car to someone.

 

Great fuel economy

Due to our traffic in Kingston and grade of fuel, I doubt the average driver will get the gas mileage figure boasted by VW. None the less, the car has a great fuel to power ratio. While driving through New Kingston and Beverly Hills, I easily got 8.5 km/1L with the vehicle in sports mode. Keep in mind that normal mode should give you a better gas mileage.

You can check the video review on our JamaicaGleaner page on Youtube.

Also check out previous reviews on: The Nissan Pathfinder, the Suzuki Ciaz and the Mazda CX-5

Vehicle provided courtesy of ATL Automotive, 754-0013-5

For comments and suggestions email yl.jamaica@gmail.com