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By JOHN
CRAWFORD
6 July 2009
Your
correspondent owns a Volkswagen Golf 5 with 2.0L FSI petrol engine
and six-speed automatic transmission. A recent trip to the UK had
me driving one of the new 2009 VW Golf 6 models. So an in-depth
direct comparison made a lot of sense. The Golf 6 we drove there
was a GT TDi with the excellent 2.0 litre turbo-diesel, matched to
VW’s latest DSG transmission.
The most obvious changes in this latest Golf are the rather
sensual surfaces which VW’s chief designer Walter de Silva has
executed on the exterior. The new Version 6 is alternatively
smoother and more sculptured, with some very neat styling tricks
which give the overall body shape a sleek new look, whilst
providing better packaging efficiency inside the car.
Inside, though, the seat and dashboard are identical in principle
to the superseded model. However, various internal elements have
been subtly redesigned or re-shaped – the centre dashboard
components (radio/HVAC/GPS) are completely new, and the driver’s
door armrest has been re-designed and re-shaped to move all the
controls higher up and in easier view of the driver.
It’s on the road where you notice the improvements in the Golf
6, and they are substantial. It was great on the motorways, and
superbly efficient in terms of fuel economy. But I feel my petrol
model is more fun to drive, very zippy without your conscience
bothering you in regard to fuel economy.
A long drive is certain to reveal a car’s good and bad points,
so an 580 km round trip from medieval Warwick Castle in the West
Midlands to stunning Lake Windermere in the Lakes District was a
great test of Volkswagen’s latest Golf iteration.
As we join the M6 north of Solihull the Golf is already humming
along smoothly, quietly and comfortably in the light Sunday
morning traffic
Prior to the motorway, we’ve ducked and dived along a succession
of country lanes in the Midlands which showed the Golf’s
confident ability to go where it’s pointed with the minimum of
fuss. The steering is positive and direct and the car’s accurate
turn-in belies its front-wheel drive design.
Our TDI rides on optional 17-inch wheels with Bridgestone Potenza
tyres, and this combination certainly complements the handling,
but unfortunately not the ride. On this setup the Golf is much too
stiff. We think the damper control settings need more work for
this tyre/wheel combination to match the comfort of the standard
offering.
On undulating roads with tight curves and a variety of surfaces
the flexibility of the TDI engine copes well with speed and
attitude changes and suspension movement during speedy motoring
along these glorious byways of England.
Here is where the DSG transmission proves its worth. In the new
Golf 6 Volkswagen seems to have truly perfected the marriage of an
efficient diesel engine with an efficient twin-clutch
transmission. The big torque produced by this strong 2.0-litre
engine, and the swift-shifting DSG means there is no area of the
VW’s performance where response and flexibility are lacking.
Without trying too hard, or adopting extreme economy-driving
practices, our Golf 6 used fuel at the rate of just 5.2 litres per
hundred kilometres.
The Wolfsburg engineers seemed, for a very long time, to be
denying the existence of iPods and MP3 players, but the new setup
is a great solution to bringing your music with you. Not only can
you plug in an iPod using Apple’s proprietary connector, but
there’s an Aux In socket as well, and a USB connection plus the
option of plugging an SD card into the main radio unit.
Our journey from the Midlands to the Lakes District took us
through some of Britain’s most picturesque countryside, with
rolling hills, pastoral tranquility and bucolic farms and forests
with an abundance of animal life. From the keep at Warwick Castle,
to the placid waters of Lake Windermere, this test drive was
enjoyable as much for the visual splendour, as the comfortable
cruising provided by Golf 6 – I feel it's the best of the breed.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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