When the all-new VW Golf went on sale in
the UK back in February, customers could choose between two 1.5-liter gasoline
engines and two 2.0-liter TDI diesels, plus a 1.5 eTSI mild-hybrid drivetrain
later on. Now there’s a new entry-level engine in the form of a three-cylinder
1.0-liter TSI with 110 PS, mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. This
configuration drops the base-spec Golf’s price down to £ 23,300 OTR (US$ 28,750).
As you can imagine, this is not a
particularly quick car. You need 10.2 seconds in order to get from zero to 100 km/h, before maxing out at 202 km/h. However, you do get
pretty good mileage – on paper, rated between 49.6 – 53.3 mpg (41.3 –
44.4 US mpg) on the combined WLTP cycle, but in real life, it could depend on
how much you’ll have to push that tiny engine to deliver.
VW will also sell you a mild-hybrid
version of this engine, mated to a DSG automatic gearbox as standard, but this
setup will only be available at a later date. As for what you get in terms of
standard equipment on the entry-lever Life trim, there are the 16-inch alloys,
automatic LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors,
electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors with memory feature, and
keyless start. You also get VW’s Digital Cockpit Pro with the 10-inch screen,
to go with the 10-inch sat-nav infotainment system.
Last but not least, the likes of Adaptive
Cruise Control, Dynamic Road Sign Display, Lane Assist and Front Assist help
keep you safe at no extra cost.
