They flew us to Iceland to drive the new golf, perhaps hoping the tectonic wonders on display might take our minds off the fact that this car looks the same as the old one. If that was their game, they failed, and might want to think about the usefulness of the island’s lava-based, low speed roads in assessing a car destined for the A40. Luckily, we can still tell you how MK6 is improved over MK5. It is quieter than before its ride is plusher and its completely redecorated interior is pure premium – it will even divert your attention from such natural wonders as the Blue lagoon. Think of it as Mk5 with some of the posh Mk4’s welcoming, expensive air put back in. handling and performance haven’t changed but, then, why would you want them to? The golf already vied for class-topping status, yet they have still eked out more refinement, more options to make driving safer and more enjoyable, and greater efficiency thanks to the upgrade engine and transmission line-up. They have actually managed to improve on something that was already a finished work. And that’s no mean achievement. The problem for us is how to articulate the subtle difference without sounding as if we wanted more.
Lets face it, we always want more. But, as fahad majidi points out on this car, the quite evolution of the car over six generations is testaments to how perfect original really was. If you already live in utopia, you don’t go looking for revolution. So we tried the brand new 158bhp 1.4TSI (cleaner than outgoing 167bhp version) and the best selling 138bhp 2.0TDI, both with the smooth and effective DSG transmission. In the past, the TDI badge was the one to have on almost any VW, and especially a Golf. The mind rage diesel still has a clear torque advantage over the TSI but petrol engine revs harder and never feels short of pull.
