Volkswagen's eighth Golf arrives at a time of such rapid change in the automotive industry that future-proofing it to last a generation without blowing the budget must have been quite the collective headache. You only have to glance at its aerodynamic face, note its mostly electrified engine line-up and see the amount of tech that's crammed into its cabin to tell this is far more than just an MQB refresh. Underpinnings and identical dimensions aside, there's a heck of a lot of new bits on this Mk8 to carry Volkswagen's longstanding top-seller into the new decade.
VW doesn't hold back on the pledges to illustrate this, either, because it promises more power alongside better fuel efficiency and range across the board, plus, it claims that the technological leap of the Golf's all-new cabin hardware is, to quote from the press release, "comparable to the debut of the first ever, touch-based smartphones". Hence the completely transformed layout and minimalist design you see in the interior pictures below, which comes as standard across the line-up.
Before we get onto that stuff, however, the new exterior design. It's almost certainly not going to appeal to everyone, with the old Golf's aggressive face swapped for something that looks, well, a bit vacant. But this is clearly the most aero-focussed Golf yet, with that slanted nose enabling a drag coefficient of just 0.275 for the Mk8, matching the old Bluemotion's slipperiness out of the box and comfortably undercutting the regular Mk7.5's 0.29Cd. That being said, the rest of the car is instantly recognisable as a Golf, which for fans of the VW will be no bad thing and - no doubt equally as high on the agenda - should satisfy those hoping to retain strong residuals in previous-generation Golfs.
PHers will probably be pleased to hear that the GTI, TCR and R performance models are confirmed for launch in 2020, each using an updated version of VW's turbocharged 2.0 TSI engine in varying states of tune. The R is expected to recieve 320hp to keep up its fight with the AMG A35 and BMW M135i, leaving a rumoured 400hp R Plus to rival the A45. At this early stage, there's no official mention of anything Clubsport-related, but the variant's popularity with enthusiasts means we're expecting the moniker to return later on. It needn't be too technically different from the original, either, what with the Mk8 having an identical wheelbase and unchanged footprint thanks to those retained MQB underpinnings. More of the same would be lovely, please.
Until those hottest models arrive, the focus for PHers is likely to be on the GTE, which, thanks to a boost in performance from its plug-in hybrid 1.4-litre powertrain, will have a Mk7.5 GTI-matching 245hp from the get-go. VW wouldn't reveal to PH what part of the powertrain has provided the boost in the Mk8, but it seems likely that at least some of it will have come from enhanced 13kWh electric hardware, which should also help it build on the old GTE's 31-mile pure electric range. Completing the sporting line-up will be a GTD in 2020, the details of which are yet to be revealed.
Of the regular cars, the most potent will be another plug-in hybrid Golf using the same 1.4 hybrid system as the GTE, but it'll come with 204hp (identical to the old GTE) and be more focussed on providing range - so expect something to comfortably trump that aforementioned 31-mile figure. Beneath that, new eTSi mild-hybrids using three- and four-pot engines will provide the entry points to the electrified Golf line-up, offering up to 150hp and all the efficiency benefits of 48v starter generator hardware. The diesels, however, will remain more traditional in their setup - likely as a result of the reducing investment in oil burners - although these turbocharged four-pots will make use of dual AdBlue injection to cut NOx emissions.
By contrast, VW has clearly invested extensively in the new Golf's new cabin architecture, which not only brings lots of additional tech but also encourages a complete redesign of the dash itself. We're used to noticing shared components with other cars in the range, but door and wheel buttons aside, the Mk8 Golf looks to largely benefit from a never-before used suite of controls. And while this exclusivity is to be short-lived, as it'll eventually be passed across to the other MQB models of the VW Group, for now the slab of digital screen and clutter-free centre console, complete with two USB C ports, is a Mk8 Golf speciality. It's certainly smart and more premium-looking than ever - and clears significant ground from the likes of Ford's Focus and Hyundai's i30.
The new architecture brings VW's most advanced voice control system yet, which can now understand more natural requests than the comparably robotic pre-programmed phrases of its predecessor. Adding to that is the inclusion of Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant system, which is likely to provide a substantial boost to the tech's usability and should give the VW a key advantage over the likes of BMW and its internally developed equivalent (because Silicon Valley). There are also many driver assist and safety features that work at speeds of up to 130mph, and the car is permanently connected to the internet to provide early warnings of danger and traffic ahead - although unfortunately you still won't be able to access PH on the go. We're working on it. In short, this is a proper tech-fest Golf.
The new car's market launch is set for this December, meaning it'll arrive just in time for the new decade. Expect to see many Mk8s on roads very quickly in the early months of 2020. Until then, let us know what you think of it below...
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