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07/07/2009
By JOHN CRAWFORD
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Your correspondent owns a Volkswagen Golf 5 with 2.0L FSI petrol engine and six-speed automatic transmission. A recent trip to the UK had me driving one of the new 2009 VW Golf 6 models. So an in-depth direct comparison made a lot of sense. The Golf 6 we drove there was a GT TDi with the excellent 2.0 litre turbo-diesel, matched to VW’s latest DSG transmission.
 The most obvious changes in this latest Golf are the rather sensual surfaces which VW’s chief designer Walter de Silva has executed on the exterior. The new Version 6 is alternatively smoother and more sculptured, with some very neat styling tricks which give the overall body shape a sleek new look, whilst providing better packaging efficiency inside the car.
Inside, though, the seat and dashboard are identical in principle to the superseded model. However, various internal elements have been subtly redesigned or re-shaped – the centre dashboard components (radio/HVAC/GPS) are completely new, and the driver’s door armrest has been re-designed and re-shaped to move all the controls higher up and in easier view of the driver.
It’s on the road where you notice the improvements in the Golf 6, and they are substantial. It was great on the motorways, and superbly efficient in terms of fuel economy. But I feel my petrol model is more fun to drive, very zippy without your conscience bothering you in regard to fuel economy.
A long drive is certain to reveal a car’s good and bad points, so an 580 km round trip from medieval Warwick Castle in the West Midlands to stunning Lake Windermere in the Lakes District was a great test of Volkswagen’s latest Golf iteration.
As we join the M6 north of Solihull the Golf is already humming along smoothly, quietly and comfortably in the light Sunday morning traffic
 Prior to the motorway, we’ve ducked and dived along a succession of country lanes in the Midlands which showed the Golf’s confident ability to go where it’s pointed with the minimum of fuss. The steering is positive and direct and the car’s accurate turn-in belies its front-wheel drive design.
Our TDI rides on optional 17-inch wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tyres, and this combination certainly complements the handling, but unfortunately not the ride. On this setup the Golf is much too stiff. We think the damper control settings need more work for this tyre/wheel combination to match the comfort of the standard offering.
On undulating roads with tight curves and a variety of surfaces the flexibility of the TDI engine copes well with speed and attitude changes and suspension movement during speedy motoring along these glorious byways of England.
Here is where the DSG transmission proves its worth. In the new Golf 6 Volkswagen seems to have truly perfected the marriage of an efficient diesel engine with an efficient twin-clutch transmission. The big torque produced by this strong 2.0-litre engine, and the swift-shifting DSG means there is no area of the VW’s performance where response and flexibility are lacking.
Without trying too hard, or adopting extreme economy-driving practices, our Golf 6 used fuel at the rate of just 5.2 litres per hundred kilometres.
 The Wolfsburg engineers seemed, for a very long time, to be denying the existence of iPods and MP3 players, but the new setup is a great solution to bringing your music with you. Not only can you plug in an iPod using Apple’s proprietary connector, but there’s an Aux In socket as well, and a USB connection plus the option of plugging an SD card into the main radio unit.
Our journey from the Midlands to the Lakes District took us through some of Britain’s most picturesque countryside, with rolling hills, pastoral tranquility and bucolic farms and forests with an abundance of animal life. From the keep at Warwick Castle, to the placid waters of Lake Windermere, this test drive was enjoyable as much for the visual splendour, as the comfortable cruising provided by Golf 6 – I feel it's the best of the breed. |
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