76% Which? works for you

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1 Which? works for you Which? Car review On sale: Jan 2009 Class: New price: 13,610-33,465 Used price: From 4,750 Performance: Boot & Storage: Ride comfort: Safety: handling: Reliability: Total score: 76% Solid-feeling and refined, with the usual Volkswagen feel-good factor. Diesel engines are economical, and a wide choice. Strong focus on safety, with high equipment levels and excellent Euro NCAP rating. Expensive, and deals aren t as likely as some rivals. Rather small, awkward-to-load boot and awkward rearward visibility. Reliability is not assured, especially from diesel versions. Recommended models in the range Which? Car Top Choice Model 1.4 TSI 160 GT 5dr New price: 21,750 Used price: 7,195 Fastest Model 2.0 TSI R 4MOTION 5dr DSG [Leather] New price: 33,465 Used price: 18, mph: 5.5 secs Most Efficient Model 1.6 TDi 105 BlueMotion 5dr New price: 20,015 Used price: 6,695 Combined fuel economy: 74.3 mpg Cheapest Model to buy new 1.4 Twist 3dr New price: 13,610 Overview The sixth-generation Golf range comprises three- or five-door hatchbacks, plus an estate model that s simply a cosmetic rework of the MkV Golf. Please note that certain diesel-powered versions of this car built between 2009 and 2015 may be affected by the dieselgate emissions scandal. This means its engine may be more polluting than official figures suggest and could be recalled sometime in For more information, refer to our guide on how to check your if your car is affected. There was very little that needed improving about the Mk5 Golf, but VW has made the sixth installment more refined, more comfortable and finished it with even higher quality. It s not all new, though, as it still shares many parts with the Mk5 Volkswagen Golf. The quality and finish of the interior is very good, and there s a premium feel to the controls and switches that almost rivals models from Audi. The Mk6 showcases a raft of new technology, including adaptive air suspension system - this switches the handing and ride between sport or comfort modes. There s a decent range of up-to-date engines, though the punchy 1.4TSI and 2.0 TSI petrols are pricey, while the normally-aspirated (non-turbo) 1.4 and 1.6 are breathless and lacking in the necessary urge to power the heavy Golf. Far better to opt for a diesel, whose outputs range from 90bhp to 170bhp; the latest 1.6 TDI is highly efficient. VW s trick DSG sequential-shift gearbox is an option with certain engines, with either six or seven forward ratios; other cars use a five or six-speed manual transmission. The GTI version is a wonderful blend of genuine driving thrills and top-class refinement, while the GTD diesel version looks almost the same with slightly more focus on keeping cost down. The medium car market is incredibly competitive, the Golf s main rivals include the new Ford Focus, the Mazda 3, the Audi A3 and the latest BMW 1-Series. Cheapest Model to buy used 1.4 S 3dr Used price: 4,750 Cheapest Model to Run (new) 1.4 Twist 3dr New price: 13,610 Running costs: 12,429 (3 years/36,000 miles) Owner s View Nice to drive, refined, a lot of clever touches, seems well built, very well equipped

2 On the road Most of the engines we ve tried are lively and remain pretty subdued even when stretched. The Golf tackles corners safely, calmly and with more grip than most owners will ever need. Performance The 1.4-litre TSI engine with 160bhp is both turbocharged and supercharged; it s very responsive with a wide spread of power, and very smooth, too. The 2.0 TDI 110bhp unit (now discontinued in favour of the highly-efficient 1.6 TDI 105) feels much stronger than its headline figure suggests; that s because there s a lot of torque (pulling power) available from very low revs. It develops its maximum torque of 184 lb/ft at just 1,750rpm. It too is remarkably refined. As expected, the 140bhp 2.0 TDI unit is quicker still, with more than enough power for swift overtaking. It is a little vibratory though, particularly at very low revs. The optional DSG gearbox we tried is excellent with smooth, quick gearchanges and sensibly chosen gear ratios. There s nothing wrong with the manual gearbox either it s a slick-shifting unit and most drivers won t find anything to complain about. Acceleration (37-62mph) Rating 7.4 secs diesel 1.6TDI BlueMotion (105) manual 5-door 6.9 secs (2009) 6.5 secs 5.7 secs 5.7 secs 4.9 secs GTD diesel 2.0TDI (168bhp) 6spd manual 3-door 4.3 secs (2011) petrol 1.2TSI Bluemotion (105bhp) manual 6.4 secs 5-door (2010) 4.6 secs Performance We use the sophisticated electronic timing equipment to record standing-start and in-gear acceleration, and repeat each test several times. Ride comfort Ride comfort is assessed by our laboratory experts who have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in a myriad of different models. Ride comfort We ve tried a couple of Golfs equipped with ACC (Adaptive Chassis Control) which has selectable settings for the suspension damping. The Sport setting stiffens the damping, although it doesn t add much in the way of extra cornering ability it s simply too stiff. Comfort softens things to make the ride more agreeable. It s nice to have, but not really a necessary option, as the standard chassis rides well enough in most situations. Rating

3 On the road continued... Handling Great steering improves the driver s confidence in the Golf s abilities, and this backed up by a good performance in our obstacle avoidance manoeuvre. Handling Rating On-the-limit handling is explored well away from public roads to ensure a fair test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of the harshest tests in the industry.. Brakes Brakes The Golf boasts very strong, fade-free brakes. The average stopping distance from 62mph ranged from 35 to 38m, depending on derivative. Braking distance (62-0mph) Rating 36.7m diesel 1.6TDI BlueMotion (105) manual 5-door 37.5m (2009) 36.6m 35.0m 35.5m 36.5m GTD diesel 2.0TDI (168bhp) 6spd manual 3-door 36.3m (2011) petrol 1.2TSI Bluemotion (105bhp) manual 37.5m 5-door (2010) 38.0m The Which? Car braking test measures stopping distance from 62-0mph and is repeated ten times in quick succession to highlight any brake fade issues. Refinement and noise The Which? Car experts use a decibel meter to record interior sound levels at common UK motorway speeds, and combine this with subjective assessments to arrive at an overall score. Refinement and noise Volkswagen s efforts to reduce unwanted cabin noise have improved matters still further over the already-impressive Mk5 Golf. There s very little wind noise although you may notice some tyre noise, depending on which wheel and tyre package you opt for. Only the higher-powered 140bhp 2.0 TDI diesel made a noticeable rattle at idle, and even then it improves markedly once warmed up. The Golf s cabin is a barometer of good taste; there s no excessive glitziness, just lashings of high-quality plastics and a subtle application of chrome highlights.

4 On the road continued... It s not all good news, however; the door sills are prone to collecting scratches and the body-coloured bumpers will require expensive repair should the worst happen at the supermarket car park. A space-saver spare wheel is standard on most models. Cruising noise Rating 69dB 67dB 67dB 69dB 68dB 69dB 70dB 68dB 69dB Cabin and controls We penalise cars with difficult controls, and we look for things like backlit light switches and easy-to-use heating and ventilation adjustments. Visibility and parking Visibility is a major issue for motorists today, so each car gets a 360-degree swivel view test to reproduce the driver s eye view and any obscured areas.

5 Comfort and practicality In essence the Golf is a fairly comfortable family car, although much of the niceties and gadgets are optional extras. Volkswagen has clearly positioned it right in the middle of the market, as its boot space couldn t be much more average. Getting in and out The Golf is reasonably easy to get in and out of, though it suffers from the common problem of having a relatively large gap between the edge of the seat and the door sill. The larger front doors afford easier access than that to the rear. Remote central locking is standard. Seat space and comfort Rating The Golf is definitely predisposed towards front-seat passengers. The range of adjustment for the front seats stretches right back far enough to accommodate people up to 1.95m tall; the standard seats are well-contoured with firm but comfortable padding, but you can choose to opt for sports seats for more pronounced bolstering. Getting in and out We take measurements all around the driver and passenger s door apertures and note the height of the seat, door sills and step down onto the car floor. The best cars don t require too much bending or stretching to get in and out. Seat space and comfort We assess seat comfort subjectively, using our road testers expert knowledge and experience from thousands of different cars. And we measure the head-, legand elbowroom on offer in every seat, to see how well the car caters for people of all shapes and sizes. Rating

6 Comfort and practicality continued... Boot and storage 350 litres is bang-on the class average, and it s what the Golf will swallow with its rear seats in place. You have to lift luggage over a relatively high lip, which won t please everyone. Once the rear seats are folded - unfortunately, they don t fold flat - there s 660 litres to play with (up to the window line). A small but niggling detail issue: the boot lighting is poor. Boot space (seats up/down) Rating 350 litres / 660 litres diesel 1.6TDI BlueMotion (105) manual 5-door 350 litres / 660 litres (2009) 350 litres / 660 litres 350 litres / 660 litres 350 litres / 660 litres 350 litres / 660 litres GTD diesel 2.0TDI (168bhp) 6spd manual 3-door 350 litres / 660 litres (2011) petrol 1.2TSI Bluemotion (105bhp) manual 350 litres / 660 litres 5-door (2010) 350 litres / 660 litres Heating and ventilation If you re buying a diesel Golf, be aware that they can take a while to warm up if the outside temperature is really low. Air conditioning is standard but climate control is available on higherspec models. We d like a bit more air distribution to rear seat passengers, but on the whole the Golf s heating and ventilation is adequate. Rating Boot and storage Carmakers give official stats for boot space, but our tests are more realistic. We load the boot up with measuring blocks only as far as the rear window line, so that luggage is well secured and won t obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test with the rear seats up, and folded down (where possible). Heating and ventilation Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm each car up from a frosty -10 degrees in our climate chamber. Starting with a cold engine, we measure how long it takes to warm up the front and rear of the cabin. Diesel cars usually take longer. We also check the effectiveness of air conditioning, where fitted.

7 Running costs and depreciation The Golf isn t cheap, particularly once you start looking at variants with interesting engines, or adding in desirable options. Fortunately, secondhand values remain, as ever for the Golf, particularly strong, and servicing is particularly low-cost for most variants. Insurance starts from group 4. Fuel consumption Fuel consumption We ve tested three Golfs. In our economy lab tests, the 1.4 TSI (160bhp) returned 41.5mpg (Volkswagen claims 44.8mpg); the 2.0 TDI (110bhp) returned 58.9mpg - better than Volkswagen s claim of 57.6mpg - and the 140bhp 2.0 TDI returned 47.1mpg (somewhat lower than the official 52.3mpg). Petrol (combined mpg, claimed) Diesel (combined mpg, claimed) 33.2 mpg mpg 51.4 mpg mpg We test fuel economy under strict lab conditions using realistic test cycles to reveal the facts behind the figures. Our figures rarely match manufacturer claims as, unlike the official mpg test, we measure economy with both a hot and cold engine, and on the motorway. Urban (claimed/measured) 49.6 mpg/52.3 mpg 60.1 mpg/64.2 mpg 44.1 mpg/46.3 mpg 39.8 mpg/35.8 mpg 44.1 mpg/45.6 mpg 39.2 mpg/38.7 mpg 43.5 mpg/44.1 mpg -/44.8 mpg 34.9 mpg/32.5 mpg Extra urban (claimed/measured) 72.4 mpg/70.6 mpg 83.1 mpg/80.7 mpg 70.6 mpg/72.4 mpg 62.8 mpg/61.4 mpg 70.6 mpg/70.6 mpg 60.1 mpg/60.1 mpg 65.7 mpg/68.9 mpg -/65.7 mpg 54.3 mpg/54.3 mpg Motorway (measured) 52.3 mpg 58.9 mpg 55.4 mpg 44.8 mpg 53.3 mpg 45.6 mpg 47.1 mpg 44.1 mpg 38.2 mpg Combined (claimed/measured) 62.8 mpg/58.9 mpg 74.3 mpg/68.9 mpg 57.6 mpg/58.9 mpg 52.3 mpg/47.1 mpg 57.6 mpg/57.6 mpg 50.4 mpg/48.7 mpg 55.4 mpg/54.3 mpg -/52.3 mpg 44.8 mpg/41.5 mpg

8 Running costs and depreciation continued... Emissions Carbon dioxide emissions can be as low as 99g/km from the 1.6 TDI Bluemotion versions equipped with a Start-Stop engine cut-out system; even the non-bluemotion 1.6 TDIs emit less than 120g/km, so have a very low tax liability. The highest-carbon model in the range so far is the 270bhp 2.0 TSI R, which puts out 199g/km, a substantial improvement over the emissions of the high-performance models in the previous Golf range. Petrol (CO2, claimed) Diesel (CO2, claimed) Safety and security 129g per km - 199g per km 99g per km - 144g per km Emissions (claimed/measured) 119g per km/125g per km 99g per km/108g per km 128g per km/128g per km 142g per km/156g per km 129g per km/132g per km 147g per km/154g per km 134g per km/138g per km 121g per km/124g per km 145g per km/160g per km Volkswagen s Golf acquits itself well in the Euro NCAP crash test: it achieved a full five-star result both for adult and child protection. Pedestrian protection is also impressive, compared to that of some of its competitors. The standard electronic stability control system works well. Options include a tyre pressure monitoring system and rear side airbags. We d like to see both fitted as standard. This is our video of the obstacle avoidance test carried out on the 2009 Volkswagen Golf hatchback. Please enable JavaScript to access this content. Euro NCAP score Here is the video of the 2009 Volkswagen Golf hatchback Euro NCAP frontal crash test. Emissions While testing fuel economy, we also collect exhaust gases to enable us to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. We also check whether particulate filters are effective at removing sooty emissions from diesel engines. Safety We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP crash test scores (where available), alongside our own comprehensive safety checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results from our accident avoidance test after all, it s far better to steer around a crash than rely on the airbags... Security Security scores come from the security experts at Thatcham, who break into hundreds of cars each year. Most modern cars are very difficult to drive away, but are still too easy to steal from. (Year tested: 2009) Adult occupant 97% Child protection 84% Pedestrian protection 61% Safety assist 71% Which? safety rating Active (crash avoidance) 68% Passive (crash safety) 85% Child 78% Pedestrian 62% Security

9 Which? Car Survey results The Which? Car Survey is the UK s most robust reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In 2015, drivers told us about 58,000 cars, covering more than 484 million miles in the previous 12 months (that s equivalent to driving to the moon and back a hundred times). This unique feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars. Note: Star ratings below are from 1-5 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown under Most common faults indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the past 12 months. Brand Volkswagen ratings Sample size: 4,743 people Overall owner satisfaction for this brand 82% Brand reliability - Dealer Sales Service Dealer Servicing & repair Model: Ownership ratings Sample size: 696 people Overall owner satisfaction for this range 85% Driving enjoyment Ease of driving Comfort Dash layout and controls Practicality Value for money Running costs In-car technology - - About our survey Brand ratings Everyone who takes part in the Which? Car survey tells us about their car and the dealers who sell and service it. We analyse this feedback across all cars to give top-level satisfaction ratings for each brand, including the brand s reliability record over the last eight years. All star ratings are out of five. Model ownership ratings These show how owners score this car in 12 different areas, from performance to heating. Owners ratings are subjective so may differ from Which? Car test scores but they give a good idea of what the car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars are scored against other cars in the same class (e.g. for space). Owner s View I have had BMWs and Audis before and thought i would be disappointed changing to a Golf, but i was really surprised with it - I really do like it, and to an extent that i have ordered myself a new one Owner s View Quiet, good ride, good seats, excellent radio, good performance coupled with very good economy, adequate boot

10 Which? Car Survey results continued... Reliability ratings Overall Reliability Up to 3 years old 4-8 years old Petrol cars Reliability Breakdowns 1% 5% average annual repair cost Diesel cars Reliability Breakdowns 4% 6% average annual repair cost All cars Reliability - - Breakdowns - - average annual repair cost - - Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12 months About our survey Reliability ratings We split reliability into breakdowns (including failure to start), faults (where parts need replacing) and problems (minor issues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where the car has been on sale for some time, and we have numerous survey responses from owners, we also split scores by the age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are out of five the more stars, the more reliable the car. Most common faults Most common faults Up to 3 years old Battery (D) 4% ECU (D) 4% Cooling System (D) 3% Ventilation - Other 3% Other Minor 2% 4-8 years old Exhaust System (D) 10% Air Con 5% Cooling System (D) 5% ECU (D) 3% Fuel System (D) 3% Want to know what s most likely to go wrong as the car gets older? These are the five most common faults reported by owners, grouped by age into new, recent and older cars. A score of 40% means four out of 10 owners reported problems with that part of the car over the previous 12 months. Engine electrics and non-engine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause more headaches than mechanical parts in most modern cars. Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year