The new Volkswagen Golf: First Israeli test - Walla! vehicle

2021-04-02T13:11:02.215Z

After seven generations in which it was the standard for a compact family car, does the new Volkswagen Golf have what it takes to maintain its status? We have the answer

vehicle
Vehicle tests

The new Volkswagen Golf: First Israeli test

The eighth generation Volkswagen Golf justifies the reputation it has built for itself by offering an improved recipe over its predecessor.

The question is whether it will succeed in breaking out and reaching new audiences, in the price range at which it is offered?

8th generation golf in Israel: starting at NIS 135,000

To the full article

Two motors arrive in Israel, and both have a 48V-based lightweight hybrid assistance system (MHEV).

This allows for extremely long periods of engine bleeding, to reduce fuel consumption and reduce pollutant emissions.

The Golf is not the first car to offer a lightweight hybrid system, but it is the first to do so well.

Every moment the accelerator was left, towards standstill or cruising speed, the system turned off the gasoline engine of the test vehicle (1.5 liters), and the car "slid" silently in the bubbling traffic around.

Unlike ordinary starting-bleeding systems, in which the ability to influence fuel consumption is very small, here the result was found to be significant.

On a mixed driving route that included urban management, crawling in traffic jams, cruising on highways and strenuous sections, I achieved a fantastic fuel consumption of 16.2 km per liter. A leisurely cruise on a highway brought me closer to the 18 km per liter area.

These numbers are already bringing this compact family car closer to the territory of real hybrid cars.

Volkswagen has maintained the large rear beam - a hallmark of the Golf over the years (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

The same lightweight hybrid system, also helps refine the operation of the gearbox at low speeds, and is responsible for waking up the engine with each stroke of the accelerator or brake pedal.

Here, too, the lightweight hybrid system functions excellently, softly and softly and without the slightest hint of trembling at the fingertips.

Those who do not look at the RPM meter on the dashboard will not notice the transition between the modes, and will only enjoy the wonderful driving range of over 700 km that the car achieves from an average fuel tank of 50 liters.

A 48V-based lightweight hybrid (MHEV) system allows for extremely long periods of engine bleeding, to reduce fuel consumption and reduce pollutant emissions.

She works great (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

The power units marketed in Israel have been inherited from the outgoing generation.

This is the same dual-clutch robotic automatic transmission with 7 gears, and the same turbo-petrol engines: 3-cylinder, 1.0-liter 110 hp, with the test vehicle equipped with a 4-cylinder engine, 1.5-liter 150 hp (the highest in the world model offer, before the letters are added GTI).

The wide herd of horses provides good performance in any situation, and a nimble leap from the place that after 8.5 seconds, crosses the 100 km / h mark. It's fast, but there's no kick in the back or a burst of power. This is not the right golf for it. This is the family, settled golf, The bourgeois, the one that is calibrated to provide comfort and quiet, where everything is linear, polished and round.

The front seats are just great.

Sufficient space in every direction (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

Safe, relaxed, gripping

The 8th generation Golf is based on its predecessor's MQB platform, which it also shares with the sisters of the Seat Leon, Skoda Octavia, Audi A3 and other models.

In relation to the retiring generation, the changes in dimensions are negligible: an addition of 2.5 cm in overall length, an addition of 2 cm in height, a cut of a single cm in width, and the same wheelbase. The trunk added one liter to its volume and stands at 381 liters slightly modest for the category .

In the future, another hallmark will join, which will mainly stand out in the dark - a front light strip that will connect the headlights to the symbol in the center (Photo: Yoel Schwartz)

So the platform and the dimensions are almost identical, but everything in it is different.

The suspension, steering, road manners and refinement.

The 1.5-liter version also has a multi-connection type rear suspension instead of a simpler 1.0-liter tension beam.

As a car that claims to hold a torch in front of the camp, it's good to see that Volkswagen has given up a bit on the fashion of the giant giants and the thin rubber soles, and has implanted golf rims with a sane diameter (17 inches) and enough rubber around to swallow some road hazards (Section 45).

The calibration itself is tight and a bit stiff, with the overall result being welcoming. In the city most disruptions are felt to one degree or another, when the suspensions manage to take the sting out of most of them and provide reasonable ride comfort. The higher the speed, the better the suspensions The insulation is better than that of the outgoing generation, and overcomes the noise of the wind and the engine, when only the noise of the tires is noticeable beyond what is desirable.

Significant improvement in ride comfort (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

Also in the road manners section she shows improvement.

Successful body restraint, precise steering, biting brakes, and high grip.

It is difficult to speak in terms of driving pleasure, because golf has not been there for a long time.

This is less interesting to the target audience, which is also why the 150 horses give the feel of a nimble car, but not light-footed.

As far as Volkswagen is concerned, if you are looking for driving and driving pleasure, treat yourself and lift yourself to the Golf GTI cut, or look elsewhere.

At first glance, everything looks great, technological and advanced.

But the workmanship is a bit striped (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

Visibility and quality at the expense of ease of operation

A cabin is perhaps the most prominent place for the change that has taken place in the new generation of golf.

All digital.

We will start on the left, with a digital panel for operating the outdoor lighting, which continues with a 10.25-inch projected dashboard with an 8.25-inch multimedia screen next to it, and ends with atmospheric lighting that continues along the same line across the cabin to the right door.

And also within the doors, and in the areas of the feet, and also behind.

Along with an electric gearshift switch, hand-held ceiling lighting, a handful of buttons on the center console, and plenty on the steering wheel, a very clean initial look is obtained, and a very technologically advanced feel.

Too many actions buried too many menus, at least the volume button remains accessible (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

Another look reveals a different facet and the advanced feel has a price.

Something in this glossy black around the lighting panel, dashboard and multimedia looks a bit simpler and less inviting.

The high-quality dashboard and multimedia screen per se are bordered by double, thick plastic frames that seem to have been able to shrink and accommodate larger displays.

A point that is further reinforced with oversized scales and RPMs that touch the edges of the display on the dashboard. Nothing is hidden and everything is clear and legible, but it lowers the look of the display, and the result is a less successful last-minute digital transplant.

The wheelbase may not have changed, but there is more space, and even the possibility of temperature control (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

The minority of buttons, says that everything that is missing goes into the multimedia.

The screen is high quality with good resolution, but in a car (any car) it is just less comfortable to operate blindly while driving, especially when some systems have a lot of menus that require digging in until reaching the desired destination.

The location of the multimedia also pushes the air vents down, which may make it difficult to efficiently cool the passenger compartment in the Israeli summer.

The shortcuts to the various menus help to shorten some of the processes, but the buttons themselves are too small and a bit distant.

With 381 liters, the trunk is slightly below the average of the hatchback category.

On the other hand, there are plenty of hooks and anchors, and the bottom of the cell can be set at two heights (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

The test car came in the highest level of finish, 'Life Plus' with a lot of equipment, some of which is not typical of a segment such as climate control split into 3 areas (also available in the basic finish level), a smart key with proximity sensor that opens the car with even before touching the door handle , A massage in the driver's seat, and also memories for the electric adjustment of the seat.

These items join in sustain like roof window, wireless mobile charging and more.

All of these enrich the cabin which is also well finished and offers adequate space.

Up front there is plenty of space, and a great seat.

Of the best ones I placed my buttocks on, with excellent support, the option to extend the seat base, and impressive adjustment ranges for finding the perfect driving position.

Rear entry reveals a relatively small opening, and a slightly short seat, but the seating is high and the space is good in every direction.

Even the fifth passenger has enough room for the head.

The ambient lighting also emanates from behind, enriching the contours of the doors and illuminating the space under the front seats.

magnificent.

Like its sisters, the gear lever is replaced by a small electric selector (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

The offer of golf safety systems includes automatic braking, lane departure correction, "dead zone" vehicle warning and more.

This level of finish, which is the highest, adds adaptive cruise control (up to 210 km / h), the option of crawling in traffic jams and keeping the center of the lane. On the other hand, it lacks reading signs, and adaptive lighting.

The design is not groundbreaking.

With 35 million golf customers in its 45 years, looking for more of the same, it's hard to argue (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

Missing?

The new and 8th generation Volkswagen Golf is better than its predecessor in every aspect, except for the human engineering that has become a bit cumbersome here due to the influx of multifunctional multimedia systems.

There is no doubt that the technology invested in the car, and how it looks from the inside with the abundance of screens, dictates the way the industry.

But Golf was introduced at the end of 2019. It was marketed in Germany and several other major countries starting then, and in the rest of Europe, USA, China and other markets in early 2020. Since then, the Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia sisters have also been introduced, and both have managed to overtake Golf on the way to Israel.

The crossovers on the one hand and the electric cars on the other hand push the queen's feet (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

This delay has meant that at least in Israel golf no longer offers special added value.

The same look of digital screens is no longer unique only to her.

Leon and Octavia, offer more or less the same richness in the cabin, with the same screens, in the same sizes, the same electric switch for shifting gears, the same uplifting mood lighting, and more or less the same instrumentation.

As mentioned, they are based on the same platform, populate the same power units and the same lightweight hybrid system.

And if that's not enough they do it at a low price, and sometimes significantly.

Continues to address the devout fan base (Photo: Joel Schwartz)

The long absence has also allowed new competitors to arrive, with a better value proposition, and more there are the new ones on the way, which also offer the option for plug-in hybrid motors (PHEV) with only electric power capability, as well as pure electric motors.

PHEV versions exist in Golf, but they are not marketed in Israel, and an electric version is not called Golf at all, but ID3 and belongs to the family of Volkswagen ID models.

Volkswagen drops ad after allegations of racism

To the full article

Golf has long since become an icon, a sub-brand within Volkswagen, sweeping a crowd of fans flocking in its wake.

But at a price of NIS 158,000 for the test car - the highest price tag for a compact family car that is not from a luxury brand in Israel - Golf will have a hard time attracting new audiences.

The base version with a 1.0-liter engine is offered with a low level of finish, at a more competitive price, and on the face of it offers a better deal.

But then most competitors offer more armor, more power, or both.

If Golf were launched in Israel near its global launch, it would set a new standard of technology and quality that would be able to attract customers from other brands.

But it is being launched now, and in the Israeli reality today, it will simply be difficult to do so.

Quietly, it also bears the manufacturer's new logo (Photo: manufacturer's website)

The most advanced is the most lucrative

Compulsory insurance starting at NIS 54 per month

By the insurance company WE SURE

Purchase >>

On the technical side: Volkswagen Golf 1.5 liter "Life Plus"

Engine, propulsion:

gasoline, turbo, 4 cylinders, front

volume:

1,498 cc

Power / rpm (hp):

5,000-6,000 / 150

torque / rpm (kg):

1,500-3,500 / 25.5

Gearbox:

automatic, dual-clutch, 7 gears

Dimensions:

Length (cm):

428.4

Width (cm):

178.9

Height (cm):

144.1

Wheelbase (cm):

261.9

Trunk (liters) :

381

Performance:

Acceleration 0-100:

8.5 seconds

Maximum speed:

224 km / h

Competitors:

Seat Leon, Ford Focus hatchback, Toyota Corolla hatchback, Honda Civic hatchback

Price:

158,000 shekels

Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email

0 comments

Source: walla

All tech articles on 2021-04-02