More Of The Same
by Richard Dredge (16 Sep 09)

"They must have brought a load of Mark five Golfs for comparison purposes," somebody remarked as we swept into the car park where Volkswagen had set up camp for the launch of its new best-seller. "Er, I don't think so," somebody else chimed in; "isn't that the new car?" Which says it all really; VW may be claiming that the Mk6 Golf is a new car, but the transformation from fifth to sixth generation is hardly what you'd call radical as, visually, it's only the frontal treatment that truly separates Mk5 from Mk6.

As soon as the first official images of the Golf Mk6 were shown a few weeks ago, it was obvious that this was no major departure for VW. However, the new arrival does incorporate a number of useful advances to bring the car up to date – just don't expect to be excited by it. The new Golf is safer, more highly equipped, quieter and more frugal than the outgoing edition, but it's not quite as much fun to drive and you'll also pay slightly higher prices too – on a car that's already relatively pricey.

After 34 years in production, and with 26 million units sold so far, it's no surprise that VW has played safe with every aspect of the new Golf; the company can't afford to upset anyone with its biggest seller. That's why the interior design, dynamics and exterior lines are so conservative, but there are plenty who will find this conservatism very appealing – such as the 60,000 UK buyers who fork out for a Golf each year.

While the new Golf offers advancements in just about every area, VW is focusing on the improvement in quality above all else. When you think that the old car was none too shabby in terms of fit and finish or build quality, it's quite an achievement to have produced a car that's somehow still a jump forward, which this car undoubtedly is.

It's not just the build that's filtered down from more costly VWs though; some of the technology previously reserved the Phaeton and Touareg can now be specified by Golf buyers. Perhaps the most significant of these is the Adaptive Cruise Control, which allows you to set the cruise control without then running the risk of driving into the back of slower moving traffic. Park Assist also makes its Golf debut, so the car can be slotted into a parallel parking space more easily; it's already been seen on the Touran, but it hasn't been offered on the Golf before.

Another technology that's filtered down, this time from the Passat CC, is Adaptive Chassis Control, also seen on the new Scirocco. This allows the suspension settings to be switched between Comfort and Sport, and while the difference isn't especially stark, it does allow a degree of tailoring the dynamics to the occasion. However, it doesn’t matter how you set it, there’s not as much fun to be had as with the outgoing car, although few buyers will notice.

While the Mk6 Golf offers few design or dynamics surprises, move from a Mk5 diesel to the new model and you'll soon spot the difference. The outgoing TDi engine is good, but the new one is a significant jump forward as it's smoother and a lot quieter, and the driving characteristics are also fresh. Gone is the peakiness of before, to be replaced by a more linear torque curve. It's all down to the adoption of common rail fuel delivery, in place of the previous Pumpe Duse system so well loved by the VW Group.

I also tried 1.4 TSi petrol editions in 158bhp and 120bhp forms, and while it's nice to have the extra urge of the former, the latter has power and torque aplenty for everyday use. Even better, with DSG (which is now available on all except theentry-level cars), it's reckoned to be 28% more fuel efficient than the old 150bhp 2.0 FSi, even though it offers more power.

For this first drive, I sampled three different five-door editions of the new Golf, but the most interesting stuff is yet to come. We'll see a new GTi unveiled at the Paris Show next month, while there are also low-CO2 (99g/km) and hybrid editions on the way, plus a new 1.6 TDi engine to replace the 2.0 TDi unit. Throw in a new Golf Plus along with an estate and a three-door hatch, and you can see that this is merely the start of a whole new family of revamped Golfs.

The question is, should you buy one or not? If you're an enthusiast driver, you're better served elsewhere – although the new GTi, available from next summer, should take care of that. Otherwise, the Golf Mk6, available from mid-January 2009, is a step forward. It's not as big a leap forward as VW would have us believe, but with a great mix of safe dynamics, understated styling and the availability of some big car technology, a Mk6 Golf should be able to cope easily with anything you throw at it.

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