Volkswagen Golf VI

The article was originally produced on September 30, 2008, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Volkswagen Golf VI

The Golf also meets high safety standards and is equipped with seven airbags, including a knee airbag for the driver. Side airbags and seatbelt reminders for the back seat are also new. It is clear that VW wants to appeal to all target groups with the Golf and personally I wouldn't mind a Golf.

It has been 34 years since the launch of the first Volkswagen Golf model, and since then over 26 million Golfs have been produced, of which 330,000 went to Sweden. The Golf is clearly one of the most important models for Volkswagen. However, I believe that this car model class does not belong in the Cars Collection 100 percent, but a Golf is a Golf and stands for so much more than just a model class. The destination is Iceland and it's time for the world premiere of the new Volkswagen Golf VI. A total of 6 models have now been developed and each model has been a success. On arrival at Keflavik airport we are met by a parade of black VW Phaeton that never seems to end. Each Phaeton is equipped with an influential German driver in a black suit. An hour and a half's journey and a commercial about Iceland and the new Golf later, we arrive at a facility up in the mountains outside Reaykavik. VW has saved no money for this press screening, that's for sure! The facility is located at the foot of a mountain overlooking a valley. A white Golf is positioned at the far end of a large empty area. The distance is so far to the car that you can hardly see it. There is no way out to it so obviously a helicopter was needed to place the car like that. In the evening at dinner, the car is brazenly illuminated. The facility has been built solely for the 3-week long presentation to which fifteen hundred journalists have been invited. Since the sun is shining and it's the first time in three weeks here in Iceland, I choose to deviate quickly from the short introduction to instead jump into one of the sixty flu, yes you read that right, sixty flu Golfers lined up outside. My first impression of the outside is that they slimmed down the shapes from the previous model. Personally, I didn't like the last one that much and thought the Golf four was much nicer, especially the R32.

One lap around the car, then I jump into it. The interior is actually really nice. Especially the leather seats that have a sporty cupping and I have to say that VW is generally really good at their leather work. Nowadays, a coarser type of leather is used. The three-spoke steering wheel also has a nice sporty style with easy-to-grip ten-in-three shapes. The model I have chosen to test is equipped with the large radio navigation unit. If you choose it, you can also get a reversing camera as an option. The reversing camera is really fun designed under the VW brand on the tailgate which folds up when you put it in reverse. It also functions as a tailgate opener. As another option, you can also get the car with parking assistance. With a button in front of the gear lever, the car can park itself. Another detail that was also present on the previous model is the cap opener that sits in the compartment between the seats and carves out the space for two bottles.

I turn out of the area with the delicious plant in the rearview mirror. The road is completely newly asphalted and winds over large fields of lava rock. It's an insanely cool landscape in Iceland and you either like it like I do or you have a hard time with it. A journalist who was with exclaimed -Finally home when we got home! He thought Iceland was the worst place he had ever visited. My journey goes along a loop the VW people laid out in advance, which I follow via the navigator. The screen is clear and you don't need a lot of extra pressure to enter what you want. There are a lot of tight curves along the way, but with the adjustable damping in sport mode, you can lay down quite hard without the turns feeling difficult. When I enter a small gravel road, I change the damping to comfort and the suspension becomes much softer. Driving in Iceland feels like being in a commercial, it doesn't matter where you stop, you have a background that is absolutely incredible. Taking pictures of the car almost felt a little silly because it's so easy. Back onto the main road and a while later onto the motorway. Thanks to the very comfortable seats and the adjustable damping and the new noise reduction technology, you travel very comfortably in the new Golf.

When you nowadays choose a Golf with an automatic gearbox, it is a so-called DSG automatic gearbox that is installed. It is a gearbox that simply described has two clutches and the result is very fast and smooth changes and also lower consumption than a standard automatic gearbox. You can of course get the car with a manual gearbox as well. When I drive away, I'm surprised by how quiet the car is despite its size. VW has really succeeded in making a small car that feels big and quiet even though it is quite small. This is thanks to many new solutions for engine suspension, door and window moldings, silent tires and even a plastic film on the windshield to dampen the sound from the road and engine. This model class is growing all the time, but it is still impressive that such a small car can feel so big and solid. Road driving is a joy and you sit very comfortably and have a good view of your surroundings.

The engine that is in our test example is a 2 liter TDI engine with 140 horses and certainly it is not the most lively engine I have driven, but it fulfills its function and overtaking is absolutely no problem to carry out. The engine options coming to Sweden are 2 petrol engines, one with 102 hp which is E85 adapted and environmentally friendly, the other a 122 (TSI). On the diesel side, we find 3 options, 2 of which will come to Sweden in connection with the launch in November. The first is an environmental car rated 110 horsepower with a consumption of only 4.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. The others are a 140 horsepower we tested and later one with 170 horsepower will come. Of course, I can't help but yearn for the GTI version that premiered at the Paris salon and even more R32 that should come after that.