Volkswagen Golf Mark 6 TSI and TDI in Iceland Review

So it does seem like an odd place for Volkswagen to stage the launch of the new Golf, considering that the Mark 6 was hastened into production because it is now considerably cheaper to build and assemble, compared to the Mark 5.

But as it turned out, Chief designer Walter De Silva chose the land of fire and ice because of an intricate interplay between light and shadow, cast over the sweeping lines of the Golf. Heritage retention from the first Golfs was also an important consideration in designing the new front grille.

But when we first saw it, we were still disappointed that the final product revealed a less-than-desirable car, compared to the drawing of the Mark 6 concept found here. Taking a look at our pictures, one might even think that the Golf looks rather dull compared to the (again) dramatic backdrop of vast, expansive Icelandic scenery.

Well, that's perfectly understandable. Realistically put, the Golf 6 really is an evolution of its predecessor, rather than a revolution. Like most new models from the German carmaker, the Golf's side profile appears to be beefed up; subtly modernised, and with a touch of smoothness along the rough edges. The exterior panel gaps appear closer, while the oversized rear tail lights resemble the Touareg's.

While you might think that the extra money saved goes into the shareholder's pockets, we think that the bulk of its future, potential savings appear to have gone in the way of pushing the Golf 6 into the class of upmarket A-segment cars. And of course, there's marketing, harping over the upmarket (there's that word again) build quality and the painstaking work done in order to reduce weight, and further refinement in every aspect of this VW.

We weren't convinced™

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		The living environment Yet. Dimensionally, the Mark 5 and 6 Golfs are rather similar, with the 2009 one being half a centimetre longer and 2.032 centimetres wider. Height remains the same at 148 cm. But climb into the new Golf, and things start to appear upbeat and encouraging. All materials are noticeably better in quality than in the Mark 5. They've given it special door sills, lots of proper insulation down to the windows and proper rubber sealing. Even the wing mirrors were researched and re-engineered to reduce noise and aerodynamic drag. The dashboard wrappings felt velvety, and there was a distinguishable matt finish uncommonly found on anything else in its price range. Switches, wiper and signal stalks, air-conditioning dials, window switches, and even miniscule details like shifter activation and mirror adjustment knobs are so much more tactile. All of them have been reworked extensively, and utmost attention to detail is very much this Golf's raison d'etre.

The new RNS 510 centre stack that has found its way into our local Tiguans will also be standard equipment on the Golf. It has GPS navigational aids, Bluetooth capabilities and of course, Volkswagen's self-parking function complete with a camera that pops out from under the VW logo on the tailgate. Legroom remains roughly the same, if not a little bit more. Direct comparisons can't be made at this point. What is important though, is that no single proportion in the Golf has shrunk in any way. The large hatch door reveals liberal amounts of evenly-spaced cargo room, whose capacity is put at 351 litres. This shoots up to 1305 litres once you fold down the split-folding rear seats. Overall, Volkswagen has accomplished a single important feat - the Golf's "upmarket" factor and feel re-establishes its reputation for possessing a significantly superior interior compared to its main rivals. We might go as far as suggesting it has similar levels of build quality as compared to an Audi A3.

Mechanics There are two important Euro-5 emissions ready engines that will make their debut in Singapore when the Golf 6 sets sail for Singapore next year. A 122 bhp petrol turbocharged 1.4-litre and a 160 bhp twin-charged unit that replaces the one found in the Golf GT. Both are mated to the new seven-speed DSG, while a third, a 2.0-litre common rail TDI (turbocharged diesel) with all of its 320 Nm of torque sticks to the higher-tolerance 6-speeder. MacPherson strut fronts and multi-linked rears remain the same, while all models tested came with an "ACC" adjustable suspension system. It constantly alters damper settings depending on road conditions and personal driving style in order to balance ride comfort and handling quality. Drivers get to flirt between "sport" and "comfort" modes, with "automatic" being the lazy driver's weapon of choice.

Ride and handling impressions

Start the engine. It nudges to life without so much as a distant jerk. That's about as uncomfortable as it gets. Adjustability is a marked improvement over the Golf 5. It was easier to get seated the way we wanted, and in a shorter time too. The steering wheel snapped into position and from the moment we moved off, and it felt more at home in our hands and had noticeably more feedback from the road surface.

Lots of information about the surface was available at slow speeds, especially over variable, demanding road conditions in Iceland, which by the way were one of the noisiest in Europe. Factor in fog and rain, and things started to get pretty interesting. The adjustable suspension worked pretty well, although we were hard pressed to tell the different modes apart on smooth stretches. There was significantly less bump-steer occurring in the rough when set to "comfort". Naturally, we felt less in control especially over road gaps at high speed, and that's where "sport" mode came in to save our bacon. There was precious little body-roll either way, and the Golf handled heroically through all sorts of corners with the attitude of a poker-faced, square-mannered sportsman.

Observations

		We'll start with the 1.4-litre turbocharged TSI. Like the current Golf Mark 5 1.4-litre, single turbocharged TSI, the engine generates similar power and torque figures. The differences are of course, how it meters its power out. In the current Mark 5, we mentioned that the 7-speed DSG tends to shift up into the highest possible ratio as soon as possible in an effort to economise on petrol. This happens even when the throttle is deliberately pressed further into the carpet, in effect catching the engine off-guard and out of the power band when overtaking. This does not happen on the Golf 6. Yes, it still shifts early when not in sport mode, but it didn't force the gears up. Instead, it paid more attention to the driver's throttle inputs before deciding when to swap cogs when left in fully automatic mode.
		The next one up would be the 1.4-litre turbocharged and supercharged Golf, with 160 bhp being available at 5,800 rpm and 240 Nm of torque from 1,500-4,500 rpm. This model effectively replaces the current Golf GT. Don't be fooled by the 10-horse deficit, because the 7-speeder more than makes up for it. While we can't do a head-to-head comparison with the current Golf GT, our notoriously accurate butt dynos felt no noticeable loss in acceleration at all speeds. In fact, we dare say that the twin-charged TSI accelerated faster with better-spaced gear ratios. Seventh gear cruises at 80 km/h yielding around 1800 rpm, suggesting good fuel economy figures too.
		Perhaps the most interesting variant we got our hands on was the 2.0-litre TDI turbodiesel. It generates 140 bhp at 4,200rpm and an astounding 320 Nm of torque from 1,750-2,500rpm. That's plenty, considering a diesel engine doesn't need to rev much, and has a 5,000rpm limit. It's impressive. There's enough push to shove you into your seat when you give it the beans from first through third. Even above 100 km/h, it accelerates beyond motorway speed limits with utter ease. And while the Golf is in that heady, three-figured region, it settles into an easy, nonchalant and refined cruise.

It was then that we realised how well the sound-deadening efforts have worked. None of us would have known we were piloting a diesel if we didn't step outside the car to listen carefully. As with the other two Golfs, heavy rain pounding on the roof at high motorway speeds was reduced to a mild buzz. Their engines were without a doubt, an uncannily distant travel escort. So there we have it The new Volkswagen Golf doesn't look dramatically different from the car it replaces. My girlfriend would probably have a hard time playing spot-the-difference between the two when placed side-by-side. And if sketches are anything to come by, the Golf could have looked as good as when it was conceptualised on paper. However, if VW had gone in the way of what Honda did to the Civic nearly a decade ago, all of its loyal followers would have deserted the brand for something like a Ford Focus, or even the Audi A3. You see, the people's carmaker have given them a Golf that they have come to know and love. They've opened up unprecedented levels of sophistication which, unlike its launch venue, simply do not match its bread and butter price. After all, buyers of the Golf are the same people who swear by vanilla ice cream, a good bottle of German beer, watching the BBC and their homebrewed espresso piping hot. All of which we had no trouble looking for in Iceland.