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VW Golf VI
West Sussex – January 8, 2009
Words and photos by Glen Smale
It’s a dangerous game when manufacturers introduce new models that look remarkably similar to the one being replaced. Porsche have done this successfully for 45 years, but then the 911 is a specialist sports car with a very loyal following. The Golf, on the other hand, is an every day commuter, a fun car, a fashion statement, a family car, go-anywhere-you-want car, and one might take a step back in surprise when you first see the new generation Vl Golf just launched to the press in the UK this month.
There would certainly be two schools of thought when looking at the new Golf; one group might say – ‘well what’s different about this one, what’s all the fuss about?’ and the other group might be saying, ‘well, I can still recognise the reliable Golf shape and that makes me comfortable’.
Whichever camp you fall into, 26-million Golfs sold to date since the introduction of the first Golf in 1974 certainly says something about the little favourite from Wolfsburg. In fact, to tell the difference between the Golf V and Vl models, it is best to put the two alongside each other.
But those clever engineers in Wolfsburg have done to the Golf what those clever engineers in Stuttgart regularly do to the Porsche 911, and that is to try to keep appearances as close as possible to its predecessor on the outside, while making extensive changes under the skin. Gone is the old Golf V’s vertical Audi-like front grille, being replaced by a deep and full-width bumper where the number plate sits. Besides an increase in body width of 27mm, this design change, combined with a 34mm lower roofline, accentuates the car’s width even further. The new car’s front headlights are more slender while the front windscreen is less steeply raked, albeit by only a few degrees, which helps in the streamlining stakes. But I must again point out that these changes are not easy to notice unless the two models are viewed alongside one another.
Should the Golf Vl pass you in the street, you might be forgiven for not noticing the slightly more slender rear light cluster that reaches a little further towards the centre of the tailgate, the slightly lower roofline at the rear or the deeper all-in-one rear bumper. In the cabin, the changes too are minimal, but obvious when driving the two models one after the other. Taken as a package, the interior is more comfortable with controls more easy to find and operate, like the window controls which are angled towards the occupants – small changes, but ‘nice’, if there is such a word in auto engineering terms.
“Every detail is uncompromisingly aimed at improving value,” explained Klaus Bischoff, Volkswagen’s head of design for the Volkswagen brand.
What the engineers and marketing people have done is to give the new model a ride as smooth as butter, and to reduce engine noise. The reduction in vibration and engine noise is achieved through upgraded chassis and body insulation, the result of the repositioning the engine mounts. Next, the glass has been thickened by adding an extra layer of lamination, as found when carrying out the very scientific test of ‘knocking’ on the windscreen and door glass – it has a more distinct thud, with less noise penetrating the cabin. Journalists were able to test the new Golf with a sound engineer who was equipped with cabin sound measuring equipment to show how the interior noise level had been reduced by up to 20%.
Additional sound insulation has been added to the firewall and the engine has a full-width sound tray underneath it, successfully containing the sound further. In improving or adding extra sound deadening material, the weight of such material was considered, and wherever possible new ‘lightweight’ insulating material is being used. Development engineers have also come up with a new sealing concept for the doors with new dual-lip window guide seals, ensuing for a quieter ride for the occupants.
One exterior change which benefits drivers and passengers is the Golf’s new wing mirrors design based on those fitted to the Passat CC, which have better aerodynamics. These mirrors reduce wind noise and minimise dirt sticking to the mirrors in poor weather. Also in the area of aerodynamics are the Golf’s newly designed rain channels at the A-pillars, which cut wind noise even more.
All of these exterior body improvements have trimmed the drag coefficient of Cd by 0.32 (Golf V) to 0.31 on the new model. This may not sound like a huge improvement, but ‘every little helps’ as they say. Not only does this reduced Cd mean more refinement and less noise, but it also means lower fuel consumption and emissions. The new Golf also maintains the high quality production benefits of its predecessor, including, for example’ laser welding which leads to smaller panel gaps and this in turn, by design, makes the car more comfortable, more refined and safer to drive.
However you describe this model, the proof of this pudding will be in the eating - or driving. VW has certainly taken a step forward in the right direction, and sales of Golf Vl are expected to be brisk, in spite of the depressed state of car market worldwide just now.
Asked if Golf Vl should be described as a completely new model or a significant facelift of the Golf V, a VW engineer replied smiling: “Somewhere in between.” But he would, wouldn’t he?
A summary of on-the-road impressions can be found ‘here’.
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