The Golf is with no doubt Volkswagen's most popular brand, with more than 35 million units having been produced in the last 45 years. It is the second best selling car model of all time. Other hatchbacks and hot hatches produced are usually in competition with the German brand. Since the birth of the hatch in 1974, the Golf has undergone numerous changes and makeovers in a bid to stay on top of the game. This has resulted in generations of the Golf which are usually glued to be part of the car's name, from the first generation to the current seventh generation (Golf Mk1 to Golf Mk 7). The Golf comes in variants: 3-door and 5-door hatchback, 5-door estate known as the Variant and convertible (Cabriolet and Cabrio). The Golf has also influenced the production of the Volkswagen Jetta. The Golf has won many awards throughout its history. It comes in different trims such as the GTI, TSI, TDI, R etc, classified according to various factors. Enough with the stories. Let's dive into the main agenda here.
Falling under the sixth generation of the Golf is the 2012 VW Golf Mk6 TSI. This review details the 1.2 version of the TSI. Powered by a 1.2 litre four cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, the car produces around 105 hp at 5000 rpm and 175 Nm of torque at 1550-4100 rpm. Not much power as the 1.4 TSI but still enough to push you through since it's turbocharged. It's a front wheel drive car. It comes with the iconic Volkswagen DSG transmission that facilitates smooth gear shifts and is available as a 6-speed manual transmission or 7-speed automatic transmission. The stopping power is facilitated by vented discs at the front and solid discs at the rear.
From the exterior the car has the trademark Golf hatch look, though lacking the detail and more aggressive design of the performance trims like GTI and R. Despite that the Mk6 facelift is noticable: looking at the tail lights, headlights and front design. The headlights have the VW logo embodied on the lamps, and fog lights come as an extra. The blinkers/indicator lights are located on the side mirrors. Opening the trunk encompasses modernity. Unlike the traditional way in the cars of the past, for this Golf you press in and hold the VW logo and voila! The ride height of the car is relatively low, though not as low as the GTI and other performance trims, so you might consider adjusting the height or avoid going off-road especially where the terrain is rocky.
The car might look somehow small from the exterior but the interior is a different narrative. The 5 seater hatchback has a spacious interior with plenty of headroom and legroom, enough for tall people too! The trunk is also large with a luggage capacity of around 380 litres. Four air vents at the front and two at the back ensure good air circulation in the car. There are a number of storage areas at the front and storage bins on the doors (though not large). A touch screen infotainment screen is available. The indicator and wiper controls on this car are different and might confuse my Toyota and Nissan people. The controls are interchanged, the wiper control lever is on the right and the indicator control is on the left. The light switch knob is below the ignition switch. The mirror controls and door lock and unlock controls are all found on the upper front quarter of the driver's door.
Overall, the car is reliable, efficient, economical and durable with fuel consumption that can reach a high of 18km/l. The car's performance and low maintenance cost guarantees value for money.
For a detailed review of the car, a link to the video review of the car will be updated soon. Stay tuned and keep it Daily Motoring.