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VOLKSWAGEN Golf 7 Review

OUR TEST CAR: VOLKSWAGEN Golf 7 1.2 TSI 105 HP DSG

 
VOLKSWAGEN Golf 7 - Page - 2
Volkswagen's Golf 7 manages to provide a pleasant level of comfort, but it relies mainly on invisible assets in order to do so.

It’s no surprise that the driver is the most spoiled one, but the level of attention he receives is flattering for this class. First of all, VW introduced a new ergonomic sport seat called ergoActive seat. This allowed us to keep on driving for hours without lusting for a break longer than five minutes.

As always with this chapter, the little details matter. In this case, our fingers were enchanted to meet the steering column-mounted controls for the lights and wipers. These greet you with more care than the average design and managed to offer an impressive mix of control density and ergonomics.

And your extremities receive the same care. Your feet operate pedals that are now further apart, while the controls for the gearbox have been brought higher for a better reach.

It doesn’t take long for you to feel the extra space and the numbers back this up. Despite the fact that the front seats now sit 0.8 in. (20 mm) towards the back, the rear legroom was increased by 0.6 in. (15 mm). And when you sit in the back and put your drink in the nicely integrated area of the armrest, everything feels cozy.

And once the wheels start spinning, you notice other elements, such as the soundproofing, which keeps most of the wind and road noise outside the car.

The Volkswagen Golf 7 does its job so well, that it helps you focus on what you have or want to do. However, that’s not to say the Golf is flavorless and if you pay attention to it, you'll notice it has a few driving pleasures to offer you.

For its class, Volkswagen’s Golf offers an excellent level of accommodation. Alas, it is also the segment that sets certain boundaries which keep the car from receiving more points for this chapter. Most of these are psychological rather than functional. The best example are the materials, which are pleasant to touch and look at, but don’t stand out because they’re not supposed to.

Body and Chassis

The Volkswagen Group has strict rules when it comes to platforms and one of them is that all passenger cars that have their engine transversely mounted up front ride on the new MQB architecture. The platform can vary in just about every dimension one can imagine, with the only fixed value being the distance between the firewall and the front axle.

Since the Golf 7 fits the description above, it too uses this Modularer Querbaukasten or Modular Transverse Matrix platform. Yes, we have reached interesting engineering times when the Golf is underpinned by largely the same platform as the tiny Volkswagen Up! city car.

The Golf has grown in size and yet it has also lost up 220 lbs (100 kg). The biggest mass reduction, 40 percent, comes from the downsized engines. Nevertheless, the superstructure accounts to almost just as much. Zooming in on this superstructure, we notice that the main focus is on the body, where the engineers have used high strength steel. Aside from being lighter than the model it replaces, the new Golf is also more rigid. The interior also has a part to play in the scale-tipping game - for example, the seats alone save up to 15 lbs (7 kg).

The introduction of the MQB platform is a brilliant move for the Golf, since last time Volkswagen aimed to reduce costs for the compact model, it compromised the sixth generation, giving it the platform of its predecessor.

Powertrain

The changes introduced under the Volkswagen Golf 7’s hood match those brought to its body. With the exception of the entry-level area of the petrol range, all the units are freshly squeezed (read: new and downsized).

The line-up debuts with an 85 hp version of the 1.2-liter TSI, while the same engine also offers the 105 hp incarnation that motivated our test car. Next up, the new EA211 engine family offers us the 1.4 TSI. This name was also used in the past, but now the unit features dual variable valve timing, upgrades for the exhaust and turbo, changes to the aluminum block, as well as reduced internal friction.

The unit comes in two forms, with the first offering the driver 122 hp and 147 lb-ft (200 Nm) of torque. While the aforementioned 105 hp 1.2 TSI can raise to the standards of normal driving, it is this 122 hp that gets our “balanced pick of the range” title.

Nevertheless, the really interesting unit is the superior version of the 1.4 TSI, which delivers 140 hp and 184 lb ft (250 Nm). This can be fitted with an ACT cylinder deactivation system, which follows the same “no-lift cam” profile as Audi and Bentley’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Two of the cylinders can be shut down between 1,400 and 4,000 rpm when the torque value sits under lb (85 Nm). Despite being the most powerful unit in the range, the cylinder deactivation allows the powerplant to also be the most efficient petrol engine available.

Unfortunately, Volkswagen has left a power gap between the aforementioned 140 hp unit and the 220 hp 2.0-liter TSI on the Golf GTI.

As for the oil burning side of the range, here’s where we meet the new EA288 engine family. The story starts with a 1.6 TDI unit, which delivers 105 hp, just like the 1.6 TDI it replaces. Next up we have a revised 2.0-liter TDI, which produces 150 hp. As for the Golf GTD, this is powered by a twin-turbo version of the 2.0-liter TDI, which produces 184 hp and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm).

All the units in the range feature the BlueMotion technology as standard and the main features brought by this are a start-stop system as well as an alternator that charges the battery during the engine overrun phase.


Road Connection

We’ve rarely came across a car that offers such as wide extent of suspension variations as Volkswagen’s Golf 7. First and foremost, the vehicle steals a move from its premium competitors, introducing optional adaptive damping. Another feature of this kind that also borrowed from the premium side of the compact class is the vehicle control system. This allows the driver to choose between four modes: Normal, Comfort, Sport and Eco. It works with the throttle map, DSG mapping, steering, as well as with the aforementioned adaptive suspension.

On the other hand, when it comes to the rear suspension, the car borrows the cost-cutting scheme of the Golf 6. Thus, the entry-level models feature a torsion beam, while engine with over 120 hp receive a multi-link setup. As for the front suspension, this uses MacPherson struts.

Stopping Power

According to Volkswagen, around one fourth of crashes that lead to injury involve a second impact after the initial one. In order to fight this, the Golf 7 comes in
standard with a multi-collision braking system, which automatically brakes the car prior to a crash.

The airbag sensors are the eyes and ears of the system and when a crash is detected the vehicle is decelerated up to a rate of 0.6 g. This value still allows the driver to steer the car while automatic braking takes place. The system can also be overridden, either by accelerating or braking past the aforementioned limit. When the vehicle is about to stop, the brakes are disengaged, so that the driver can use the remaining momentum to place the car in a safe location.

From the first moment you see a well-gifted Volkswagen Golf 7, you know that there's something unusual going on here. That sphere reigning in the middle of the lower front fascia shouldn't be there. And yet it is, which means that this is a car that offers adaptive cruise control. Pair this ACC system with a DSG gearbox and it can even handle stop-and-go traffic situations on its on.

And this is just the beginning of the story, as the Golf truly knows how to juggle with features that come from superior segments.

Most of these features are dedicated to safety and we'll continue with the Front Assist. This relies on the aforementioned ACC radar to scan the road ahead. Even when the ACC is "away" the system is monitoring the distance to the traffic ahead. If a threat is detected, the barking system is prepared for action and the driver gets an audible signal. Should the driver hesitate, Front Assist takes over and applies as much deceleration force as it is required to avoid a crash.

What's more, Front Assist has a nonidentical twin that's destined for urban driving. We're referring to the City Emergency Braking function. This operates under 19 mph (30 km/h) and can apply full braking pressure if the driver doesn't react to an imminent collision with a vehicle ahead.

The Golf 7 also borrows the Volkswagen Passat's Fatigue detection system, This is a tricky little feature that notices the driver's behavior at the beginning of the trip focusing on aspects such as steering inputs. After it has read your palm, the system can detect any changes related to your fatigue can invite you to take a break.

Volkswagen’s compact player goes even further, offering the road sign recognition feature that made its debut on the Phaeton. This has its dedicated camera that reads signs and uses the navigation system as an adviser. It can display up to three signs related to speed limit and overtaking. It also takes the weather conditions into account - if, for example, the rain sensor is activated, it will first display the speed limit for wet roads.

The Golf's list of up-the-sleeve aces continues with the Lane Assist, which not only warns you when you're leaving your lane, but also taken on the responsibility of making steering adjustments. No matter how familiar you are with such systems, you will always feel a slight electric shock when you see the steering wheel moving at the car's own command. This feeling alone is enough to remind you that you must keep your eyes on the road so that you don't end up using the feature.

If one day you see a Golf 7 driver clapping his hands to the beats on the stereo while parking, this means that he had ordered the Park Assist 2.0 system. This allows the Golf to steer itself into a parking spot. The system can handle both parallel parking and reverse parking, but in the real world, you're still better off relying on yourself. It's a fun toy though.

Nevertheless, the Golf is also fluent in convenience language. The vehicle offers features such as a heated windscreen that no longer relies on wires, progressive steering, as well as an electric parking brake and an autohold function.

The last one is particularly useful in the city. After you bring the car to a halt at a traffic light, you simply take your foot off the brake once the designated light comes on. The brakes automatically keep the car in place, while the DSG, which is still in Drive or Sport, disconnects the majority of its components. Once you step on the gas, things swiftly return to normal.

The seventh generation of the Golf is packed with active and passive safety features that would’ve been hard to imagine for a car belonging to this segment a few years ago. However, the vehicle doesn’t rest on these laurels and offers a driving experience that’s safe in itself.

For example, the Golf doesn’t simply rely on its driver fatigue detection system, it prevents the driver from being disconnected in the first place, by offering a decent level of involvement.

Just as important is the road holding - even with the generous tire sidewall and torsion beam rear suspension of our test car, the vehicle gave us confidence throughout the entire drive.

As far as the passive safety is concerned, the Volkswagen Golf 7 left the gloomy buildings of the Euro NCAP test facility with a five-star rating. The numbers show a 94 percent rating for adult occupant protection, 89 percent for child occupant protection, 65 percent for pedestrian protection and 71 percent for the safety assist.

During the frontal impact test, the Volkswagen Golf 7 offered “good” protection for all body areas of both the driver and the passenger. The only exception was the driver’s lower leg, which only received “adequate” protection.

As for the side impact test, the Golf also received a “good” rating for protection of all areas of the occupants’ bodies. Alas, when it came to the more severe pole test, the car only managed to offer “marginal” protection to the chest.

Should a rear-end collision occur, the seats and head restraints of the Golf 7 provide “good” protection against whiplash injuries.

The Golf also passed all child protection test with flying colors, while also making it clear for the driver that the airbag has to be disabled before a rearward-facing child seat is installed.

When it came to pedestrians, we heard a rather familiar story: while the bumper received the maximum number of points for protecting pedestrians’ legs, the front edge of the bonnet showed a marginal protection level. As for the rest of the hood, this comes with good protection in most areas where a child’s head would strike. Unfortunately, its protection level for the areas where an adult’s head would strike it are split between “poor” and “marginal”.

The Golf 7's way of trying to recreate the success of the original is to become some sort of a personal assistant. You may not be aware of this at first, but the car makes it easy for you to grab what you want, whether it's comfortable family driving or more rushed journeys.

And it's prettier than the pictures tell too. You'll definitely see one in person soon if you haven't done so already and you'll notice this if you have a picture of it in your mind.

Volkswagen's Golf 7 doesn't get and A+ on any subject, but it does come with a balance that allows you to accomplish whatever plan you night have with the car. This versatility is the best part of the Golf 7.

Its interior is another strong point, one that brings the Golf closer to the premium side of the compact segment. This is also true for its features, as it
doesn't shy away from introducing segment-firsts.

The Golf may look all serious, but on the inside it's wearing running shoes on certain occasions. The car has kept its traditional hidden ability to please the driver, regardless of the engine it is motivated by.

As for the worst part of the Golf, this has to be the fact that it's personality doesn't allow you to point your finger at a single feature that defines it.

On the negative side, there are also few flashbacks from the Golf 6's cost-reducing war. Fortunately, these are covered by the rest of the car and mainly remain unnoticed.

As for the pricing, the 2013 Volkswagen Golf will land in the US as a... 2015 model, but the launch date hasn't been announced yet. In Europe, the Golf comes with a starting price of about EUR15,500.

The Golf name doesn't seem to encompass the car anymore, it should borrow the designation of a more popular sport.
THE END
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autoevolution Apr 2013
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History
8
Exterior
7
Interior
7
In the city
8
Open road
7
Comfort
7
Tech facts
7
Gadgets
8
Safety
9
Conclusion
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81user rating 141 votes
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