Golf Upgraded, more valves, more power...
Volkswagen’s 150 bhp V5 engine has been substantially revised, giving
it ten per cent more torque and a power hike of 20 bhp. However, in line
with the company’s price reductions announced on 1st
December, the new three door Golf costs just £17,230 on the road.
The extra power is the result of the introduction of multivalve
technology. The five cylinder, ten valve unit now has four valves per
cylinder, making a total of 20. Multivalve technology means the engine
revs more freely and smoothly than the outgoing unit, has increased power
and improved performance higher up the rev range. The unit complies with
the stringent Euro 4 emissions regulations and produces less carbon
dioxide and delivers better economy than the model it replaces.
Prices for the new Golf V5 170 bhp start at £17,230 for the three door
and rise to £17,850 for the five door. Volkswagen expects to sell around
1200 new Golf V5s in a full year. This compares with 1700 V6 4MOTIONS and
6500 GTI 1.8T models. The manual Bora V5 costs £18,000, with a £1,150
premium for the five speed automatic tiptronic box. Both the Golf and Bora
manual versions are on sale now, with the automatics on sale early next
year.