The question is simple, but the answer not: how to make the newest Volkswagen Golf look like the Golf everyone knows, but still redesign it sufficiently so that consumers believe they are getting behind the wheel of the newest generation of the German hatchback.

Volkswagen Golf exterior designer Andreas Mindt says the Golf is “iconic”.

“It sounds very inflated, but it is a simple truth. The car is recognisable from 200 m away and that has high value. It is how you build up a brand.”

Not many other cars can say the same, says Mindt, with perhaps the Porsche 911 and Land Rover earning the same instant recognition as the Golf.

The exterior design of the new Golf 7 had to be timeless, says Mindt.

“We didn’t want to lose the Golf, but to improve it.”

So what remained of the Golf 6 and the Golfs before that in the seventh iteration of the vehicle?

Every Golf has always had a strong C-pillar, says Mindt. A Golf also has a strong line below the door handles that gives it a “lower, sporty look”.

The Golf Mk 1, which became the CitiGolf, had this line too when it first launched in 1978. The Mk1 also had a strong, horizontal grille, with the lights “looking at the street”, which is still the case with the Golf 7.

However, there are plenty of new thrills in the Golf 7. Under the skin, the hatchback is now built on a new platform, which has enabled Volkswagen designers to move the front wheel forward and make the front overhang shorter. (This platform also allows for 30% less production time at the plant.)

This “stretched bonnet” gives the car a more “premium feel”, says Mindt. This feeling flows from the past, where carriages drawn by more than two horses were seen as a sign of affluence.

Mindt also defends the Golf’s historic, simple design by saying that “some people will regard Volkswagen as lazy” when it comes to design. However, he argues that a “clean, simple design” is “much more difficult” and more “hard work” than its more extravagant opposite.

“We want to do logical design that is self-explanatory.”

More than 29-million Golfs have been sold worldwide, with 323 100 of these in South Africa. Volkswagen of South Africa (VWSA) hopes to sell around 800 new Golfs a month locally.

The GTI is to make its debut in the third quarter of this year. GTI models make up around 45% of all Golf sales in South Africa.

Despite retaining that classical Golf look, the hatchback is new on many levels. For one, the weight of the new Golf has been reduced by up to 100 kg, which has resulted in improved fuel economy, down by almost 23%, aided by a new engine range.

The base 1.2 ℓ model sips petrol at 4.9 ℓ/ 100 km, for example, with carbon dioxide emissions at 114 g/km.

A whole new line-up of petrol and diesel engines has been added to the model range, with smaller, more efficient engines now largely offering the same power as its larger, more thirsty predecessors.

The 1.2 ℓ TSI with 77 kW is the new entry-level engine and it replaces the 1.6 ℓ MPI 75 kW powertrain. (A 2.2 ℓ/100 km fuel saving is achieved on the new base model, compared with the 1.6 ℓ model – or, in rands and cents, around R25 less for every 100 km travelled.)

The 1.2 ℓ TSI reaches its maximum torque of 175 Nm between 1 550 rpm and 4 100 rpm. The 1.2 TSI engine has a top speed of 192 km/h and accelerates to 100 km/h in 10.2 seconds. It is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

The 1.4 ℓ TSI with 103 kW engine and 2 ℓ TDI with 110 kW engine replace the 1.4 ℓ TSI with 118 kW engine and the 2 ℓ TDI with 103 kW engine respectively.

The combined-cycle fuel consumption of the 1.4 ℓ TSI engine is 5.3 ℓ/100 km, while the 2 ℓ TDI has a combined diesel consumption of 4.5 ℓ/100 km.
At 4 255 mm, the new Golf is 56 mm longer than the previous model, while the body height has been lowered by 28 mm.

The rear seats have a 60:40 split and can be folded down. Cargo capacity has grown by 30 ℓ to 380 ℓ.

One noticeable feature inside is that the wide centre console is orientated towards the driver. In the middle of this console, beneath the switch for the hazard warning lights, is a new five- to eight-inch infotainment touchscreen.

The front of the car also holds a storage compartment with a number of multimedia interfaces.

To the left of the driver are the buttons for the new electronic parking brake and its auto-hold function – no more handbrake.

The launch price of the base model of the new Golf (1.2 ℓ TSI 77 kW Trendline) is R233 800. The price, says VWSA, is cheaper than the 75 kW Golf Mk 6 entry-level model (Golf 1.6 MPI) at R240 600.

The range currently tops out with the 2 ℓ TDI Highline model (110 kW) at R334 800.

The new Golf’s standard equipment includes a 5-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a tyre pressure indicator, a stop/start system to save fuel and multicollision braking system. (Studies in accident research have found that around a quarter of all traffic accidents involving personal injury are multiple-collision accidents. This means that there is usually a second impact following the initial collision. VWSA says the multicollision brake system automatically brakes the vehicle when it is involved in an accident, thereby reducing the residual kinetic energy and the possibility of a second collision.)

All seventh-generation Golf derivatives are fitted with seven airbags and electronic stability control. Other standard features include daytime running lights, air conditioning, electrically adjustable wing mirrors, outside temperature indicator, front electric windows, rear window wiper with intermittent setting, electromechanical power steering, leather steering wheel and gear lever knob, multifunction steering wheel, height-adjustable front seats, central locking with remote control and 15-inch alloy wheels.

Optional features available include a pano- ramic tilt/slide sunroof, a manually foldable towbar, Bi-Xenon headlights, high-beam light assist, park distance control, park assist, rear assist with rearview camera, an upgraded infotainment system, the Discovery Pro naviga- tion system and Vienna leather seats.

The new Golf model range comes standard with a five-year/90 000 km service plan, a three-year/120 000 km warranty and a 12-year anticorrosion warranty.

The service interval is 15 000 km.