New light units, a larger hybrid battery and faster software are not the most exciting gifts. Still, the Volkswagen Golf facelift is the right car at the right time.
What is striking about the new Volkswagen Golf (2024)?
The facelift of the Volkswagen Golf VIII comes at an interesting time. Not only because it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the model, but also because of the current state of the automotive world. The Netherlands is quietly heating up in the field of electric, but our eastern neighbors seem to have had enough of EVs. In the first half of 2024 German car buyers once again fell en masse for the familiar charms of the Volkswagen Golf.
As if they knew in Wolfsburg that the Golf had to spontaneously fill a void in the car market, the developers seem to have been given strict instructions: it has to be done right. As a result, the Golf always has a four-cylinder engine (no more three-cylinder), physical buttons adorn the steering wheel (away with touch buttons) and the software works smoothly. Add to that the fact that the Golf plug-in hybrid now has an EV range of 142 kilometers and you are looking at the new car of many a for-me-not-yet-EV-buyer.
The multimedia menu is also copied from the electric ID models and the five shortcuts at the top left of the screen make it easy to quickly go to your favorite screen. Such as that of the driver assistance systems, where you can quickly switch off the beeps.
What’s good about the Volkswagen Golf 8 facelift?
The battery of the Golf PHEV has been doubled in size and now has a capacity of 19.7 kWh. This gives the 204 hp eHybrid an EV range of 142 kilometers and the GTE with 272 hp should theoretically be able to travel 131 kilometers on a full battery. You can read our concerns about these enormous distances in question 3. With such a large battery pack, the option to fast charge (40 kW, half an hour) is a useful addition. Charging at home or in the neighborhood with a wall box or charging station is also fast (11 kW, 2.5 hours).
The interior feels modern, but familiar. The touchscreen has been enlarged and is now freestanding. At first it was glued to the digital instrument cluster rather clumsily – like two grumpy children forced to hold hands. The temperature sliders are now illuminated and we are very happy that the steering wheel has regular buttons again.
We would have liked to subject the 1.5 eHybrid to an extensive range test, but every test car has the 1.5 eTSI under the hood – the 116 hp mild hybrid with a 7-speed DSG transmission. That is exactly enough gears and horsepower to alternately drive relaxed and energetically through our flat country. The roadholding, the suspension comfort and the steering are once again as familiar as Calvé peanut butter. Incidentally, the civilized sound of the four-cylinder suits the 50-year-old Golf better than that youthful three-cylinder rattle.
Compared to the ‘regular’ 1.5 TSI, the mild hybrid is not faster, but it is more economical. We are talking about a saving of 0.2 to 0.5 litres per 100 kilometres. Volkswagen communicates an average consumption of 5.2 l/100 km for the test car, but during our respectable mix of city and motorway kilometres, the 1.5 eTSI even settles for 4.9 l/100 km.
What could be improved in the new Volkswagen Golf (2024)?
Every time we read that the plug-in hybrid Golf has an EV range of 142 kilometers, our math brain starts to itch. The WLTP test system doesn’t lie, but disappointment lurks when you make such promises. Just think: when we tested the previous eHybrid in 2022, we managed to squeeze 45 to 50 kilometers out of the 10.4 kWh battery. Now the battery is almost twice as big, so the realistic EV range is most likely 90 to 100 kilometers.
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The Golf’s design is very recognizable and solid, so no major changes are necessary. But you almost have to put on your reading glasses to discover the sharper front bumper and newly designed LED headlights and rear light units. The illuminated VW logo on the nose is not a display of good taste, but it is something that clearly identifies the facelift model. You will only find it on cars with the LED Plus package.
What you need to know about the price of the Volkswagen Golf (2024)?
The smartest buy is the Golf Orange Edition. This temporarily available version combines the price of the basic model (34,990 euros) with the extra luxury of the Life Edition (36,990 euros) and 18-inch light metal. In combination with 116 hp (the regular 1.5 TSI) and a manual six-speed gearbox, the car offers everything you need.
If you – like us – can’t resist ticking a few extra options, such as an automatic transmission, the aforementioned LED Plus package, an Ergo-Active driver’s seat and a navigation system, then the price will climb towards 43 grand and you’d be better off going for the eHybrid 50 Edition for 44,490 euros. The 204 hp plug-in hybrid has all these goodies as standard and therefore the promised considerable EV range.
What do I think of the new Volkswagen Golf?
An anniversary inevitably involves looking back. The car I used to get my driving license was a Golf V and the first car I had registered was a bright red Golf II. I am not what you would call a fervent Golf enthusiast, but driving one always feels familiar.
The renewed Golf also has that familiar feeling. The freestanding touchscreen with new software also gives the interior a modern look and the model is now old enough to no longer have to deal with those noisy three-cylinders. The extra EV range for the plug-in hybrids is also a nice addition, but we first want to test how far you can actually get. So this anniversary will get an afterparty.
Source: www.autoreview.nl
