VOLKSWAGEN Golf VI Review

Although we were expecting a lot of R&R from the highly-touted DSG sequential transmission, this wasn't exactly the case, and the overall experience was more of a GTI's distant cousin than that of a diesel grocery getter equipped with only two pedals.

The six-speed gearbox reacts almost like that in a WRC car and the high torque numbers of the engine make it jerk almost every time you brake and then accelerate at low speed. This can be a bit troublesome especially in city traffic, since your unsuspecting passengers or traffic partners might think that you are a beginner driving a manual.

The suspension setup is a pretty good compromise between a softer, more comfortable setting and a firm, though not bouncy ride. This favors both sporty and more relaxed drivers, leaving enough room for high-speed mistakes. The firm and almost shell-shaped front seats are very good for your back on longer trips but they don't exactly do anything good for your kidneys on bumpy roads. During the winter time though, they can be independently heated in three stages, which was a well received feature in an almost Syberian-like weather.

The interior space is OK for four adults who don't pack much clothes whenever traveling by car, but four passengers plus the driver might prove to be somewhat of a stretch and we wouldn't recommend it except on shorter trips. The acoustic comfort is better than average, especially since we're not talking about a premium car here and that a not-exactly-silent diesel engine resides under the hood.

As we mentioned earlier, the new Golf Mark VI has almost all the mechanics based on the previous generation, which makes this more like a Mark 5.5. The most obvious resemblance resides in the lateral view of the two cars, which look basically identical. This is both a good and a bad thing, since the platform isn't very fresh, but at least it has a proven reliability record and it wasn't exactly low-tech when it was first introduced.

City-friendly front-wheel drive, a "smarty pants" sequential transmission, a latest generation Common Rail diesel engine with OK horsepower/mpg numbers, great feedback from the power steering and a very impressive options list.

From this point of view, our "Little Red Riding Golf" wasn't equipped with everything you can possibly order from Volkswagen. Stuff like the dynamic chassis control system from the new Scirocco, the Park Assist system or the rear-view camera option lacked from the standard list of features our test car had, but the level of technology inside wasn't exactly low.

Of course, the most impressive feature was the six-speed DSG transmission, which more than makes up for the lack of other technically juicy bits. The way it handles the amount of torque being sent through it is a bit on the rough side but if you have the money to choose it over the manual, do it in a heart beat. It's worth every extra penny, even with the "puny" 140 hp TDI.

The engine lacks the perceived oomph old 1.9 TDIs used to induce their drivers but it adds a lot of acoustic refinement and is much quicker than the PDs, at least on paper. The suspension is independent on all four wheels, with the rear ones receiving a nice multilink setup.

In the gadgets department, our test car's list of features provided more than the untrained eye might think just by looking at the alloy-less and de-badged exterior. Apart from the wonderful double-clutch transmission, the most interesting part of the useful toy category was most obviously the RNS 510 infotainment system.

It is in fact a head-unit made by VDO that combines 3D-ish navigation, Dolby Digital DVD, a 30 GB hard disk and Bluetooth, all in a stylish design equipped with a touch screen. Extremely easy to utilize since it's all about "point and gently push" with your index finger, the display sits high enough on the center console and you can also use the extra buttons on the steering wheel without taking your hands off.

As we mentioned earlier, both front seats were heated, but no electric adjustment feature was present on them. Enjoying the DSG transmission so much we forgot to also test the cruise control system, but it didn't seem to be very complicated.

Another feature worth mentioning was the rain sensor for the windshield wipers and the automatic headlights control, which is based on a light sensor. Sure, the last option might seem a bit redundant for the old-school driver but it's more than welcome if you're the forgetful type and travel through a lot of tunnels. Our test car didn't have the swiveling headlights since that feature can only be ordered with the Xenon/HID lights, which our red Golf lacked.

The passenger cell's greater sturdiness and the modified crumple zones transformed the Golf V from a five-star getter at the EuroNCAP to a... five-star winner at the very same crash testing organization. So, the Golf VI has the exact same number of stars for adult occupants, child occupants and for the protection of pedestrians as the Golf V.

Still, if we compare the actual ratings and also take a look at the way the crash test dummies handled the impacts, the Mark VI looks way better. Apart from the redesign of the frontal crumple zone, there's a slightly modified passenger cell and the new model's driver also benefits from a standard knee-airbag.

So, we have, pre-tensioned seat-belts with load limiters, two dual-stage frontal airbags, two lateral ones, two curtain airbags and one driver knee-bag to take care of most impeding accidents out there. From the active safety point of view, there the ever-present ABS and the necessary-if-you're-a-douche-bag-driver Electronic Stability Program. If all this isn't enough to keep you out of trouble you might just as well buy another car.

At first, we couldn't make up our mind about the best feature on our Vee-Dub test car. It's either the sporty and ultra-responsive sequential transmission or the high-tech RNS 510 infotainment system with touch screen. After a small brainstorming session, we concluded the fact that the touch screen will most likely have be to kept in tip-top shape with the help of a cleaning rag everytime you visit the local junk-food retailer, since oily fingers are the enemy of any LCD screen. We therefore have to give the top prize to the Direct Shift Gearbox, which, except for a few jolts whenever changing gears at low-speed it handled absolutely perfect.

The major bad feature about the Golf Mark VI might be its Mark V underpinnings, which would probably make you feel like you've just been scammed into buying an old car with a mildly different bodywork and interior. The new Golf looks and feels different though, so this isn't half as bad as you would imagine. At least, not as bad as a VW Passat owner finding out he's actually driving an elongated Golf V.

The ugliest part about our test was literally the overall exterior design. No, it wasn't because of the Da Silva penned lines, nor the non-metallic red color. It was the lack of alloy wheels or at least some cleverly design hubcaps which the car lacked, making it look like a much older car. Well, at least the black/red color combo wasn't a bad one after a visit to the car wash, while the Giugiaro-designed tires might actually contribute to the bragging factor in front of your friends.