50 is a big anniversary whichever way it's cut: a golden wedding anniversary, a half-century, an excuse to throw a party (and reminisce about being 30). In automotive, 50 is enormous, because precious few nameplates remain relevant and desirable for so long. Now the Golf is part of that illustrious club, and VW is marking the occasion with a comprehensive update of the eighth-generation model.
The big news for the regular variants is more power for the mild hybrid models and a significantly increased range for the plug-ins; the replacement of a 10.6kWh battery with a 19.7kWh should mean around 62 miles of EV range for the eHybrid and GTE, plus charging is faster. As with recent VW updates to the Passat and Tiguan, there’s a heavy emphasis on the electrified models (including a GTE that’s more powerful than the GTI, but more on that in a sec).
That being said, the Golf has always been popular thanks to the sheer choice it tends to offer, and that continues for the Mk8.5: at launch there will be hatch and wagon, with a pure ICE 1.5 four-cylinder (115hp or 150hp) and 2.0 TDI (also 115hp or 150hp) available. Heck, there’s even a six-speed manual for those so inclined, alongside the familiar seven-speed dual-clutch and six-speed eDSG.
There’s a slightly different look, too (including an illuminated VW logo at the front), although the biggest news for all Golfs comes inside thanks to an interior revision. Expect to hear much more about the developed-from-scratch MIB4 over the coming months, with its free-standing touchscreen, AI-enhanced voice assistant and - get this - illuminated touch sliders for the temperature and volume. Wonders will never cease.
VW says that operation ‘has been significantly improved and simplified’ for both the basic 10.4-inch and plusher 12.9-inch screen, thanks to a new menu structure and redone graphics. There are touch bars at the bottom and top that remain on screen no matter what else is going on, and individual shortcuts can be assigned. In cahoots with ‘very fast’ systems, you’ll hopefully not be left waiting too long this time for the function that’s been asked for. If all else fails, the return of proper steering wheel buttons ought to mean that a fair bit can be controlled from there.
But let’s not get bogged down by interior details too much - it looks an improvement, and that’s a good thing. The important news from a PH perspective is that the GTI remains alive and well, and gets more power than ever in a standard model (265hp). It’s DSG only from now on, however, as predicted. Other than that it’s going to feel very similar, bar a new wheel design, not least because VW doesn’t go into significant detail.
The facelifted model gets a mention right at the end of the Golf press release along with the GTE (now with 272hp), which draws attention to the honeycomb grille, twin exhaust and red accents. Partly that’s because the apple seemingly hasn’t fallen far from the tree, partly it’s because tastier morsels - the GTI Clubsport, the R and R estate among them - are being held for later. Still, the standard Mk8 GTI was already very decent to drive, - it was being a Golf that it didn’t really excel at. Hopefully, the updated interior, complete with 'optional interior applications in genuine carbon fibre' for the first time, will go some way to remedying that.
“The Golf has been at the heart of the Volkswagen brand for half a century now, offering affordable mobility for all at the highest technical level. It has constantly adapted itself to customer needs and has thus become a global bestseller,” said Thomas Schäfer, VW’s CEO.
“This is precisely what we are now building on with the latest evolutionary stage of the product line – with even higher efficiency, comfort and quality and a new operating concept. The Golf does not get any better than this.” Expect the Mk8.5 to be available to order very soon; if you're inclined to wait for the faster, pricier (i.e. better) stuff, VW says to expect them in the second half of 2024.
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