Jump to content

New Golf


News_Stig
 Share

Recommended Posts

As with Rocky, I've lost count of how many versions there have been, so here I have some more information about the new Golf to be launched in 2013.

No pictures, as they are just a box with wheels, covered in black & white camouflague. And I mean covered! Just the wheels are visible.

Here we go!

Volkswagen has revealed the first official details of its seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, including its classy new interior, in a heavily cloaked media event ahead of the new car's official unveiling set in Berlin on 4 September.

The company's perennial best-seller, the 2013 Volkswagen Golf, spied here yesterday in GTI guise, has raked up worldwide sales of over 29 million units over 38 years of production.

The new model, which is described as being up to 23 per cent more economical than its predecessor, is planned to go on sale in right-hand drive guise in the UK in November.

At 4255 mm in length, 1799 mm in width and 1452 mm in height, the new Golf is 56 mm longer and 13 mm wider yet 28 mm lower than its predecessor.

The first Volkswagen model to use the company's heavily hyped MQB platform, also rides on a chassis that uses a 59 mm longer wheelbase than today's Golf, while track widths have been increased by 8mm up front and 6 mm at the rear for a significantly larger footprint than ever before.

The increase in external dimensions is claimed to bring vastly improved crash protection. They also help in boosting overall accommodations; the 
length of the interior has increased by 14 mm to 1750 mm, providing the basis for a 15 mm improvement in rear legroom. There are also 31 mm and 30 mm improvements in shoulder room for the front and rear seat occupants respectively. Elbow room is also up by 22 mm and 2 0mm.

The larger interior has led to a rethink in ergonomics, with the driver's seat shifted back by 20 mm, the position of the gear lever raised by 20 mm and the distance between the throttle and brake pedals increased by 16 mm. Volkswagen has also increased the range of steering wheel adjustment.

The capacity of the boot has been boosted by 30-litres to 380-litres, including a 228 mm increase in the overall width of the floor at 1272 mm. Loading it made easier by a 17 mm reduction in the loading lip, which now sits at 685 mm. The width of the boot aperture has also increased by 47 mm to 1023 mm.

Meanwhile, the adoption of a new electronic park brake has freed up space on the centre console for a larger stowage compartment for improved 
oddment space.

Despite the increase in size, Volkswagen claims to have shaven up to 100 kg off the weight of the new Golf in comparison to its predecessor. The saving is achieved through a series of refinements, including the adoption of a greater percentage of hot-formed ultra high strength steel and tailored blanks (steel members of differing thickness) within the body structure, which alone saves an impressive 23 kg.

Other weight savings come through lighter engines; the new EA211 designated turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder is up to 22 kg lighter than the earlier EA111, for example. The new Golf's suspension, a combination of front MacPherson struts and a rear multi-link arrangement, also includes more aluminium components for a significant 26 kg reduction over that used by the sixth generation model.

Volkswagen also cites a 12 kg saving in standard equipment levels - some 7 kg of which come in the adoption of a new seat design, along with a 3 kg reduction in the weight of the new car's electrical wiring loom, bringing the base model's kerb weight down to just 1050 kg - a figure the German car maker's officials say has been achieved without the adoption of expensive 
aluminium body panels or other exotic materials.

Volkswagen is already making big noises about the level of safety it has engineered in to its new Golf. Among the systems it will come with when it goes on sale here later this year is a new multi collision brake. Unique to the Volkswagen line-up, it automatically triggers the brake booster upon impact to ensure the car pulls up in the shortest distance possible.

Also included is an electronic differential lock (as previously found on the Golf GTi), adaptive cruise control with a emergency braking function at speed up to 30 km/h, lane assist, fatigue detection, traffic sign detection.

Customers will also be able to order the new Golf with the latest generation of automatic parking systems, including OPS (overhead parking system), which uses a 360 degree graphic. There are also new automated light functions, including light assist and dynamic light assist.

On the chassis front, Volkswagen's head of development, Ulrich Hackenberg, confirms a new progressive steering system offering varying levels of assistance depending on speed as well as up to five different driving profiles - Eco, Sport, Normal, Individual and, in combination with optional adaptive dampers, Comfort.

Volkswagen is yet to announce the full range of engine choices for the new Golf. Confirmed is the new EA211 turboharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder direct injection petrol unit with cylinder deactivation and 138 bhp. In combination with the company's latest seven speed dual clutch gearbox, it is claimed to return 58.9 mpg on the combined European consumption cycle, giving it average CO2 emissions of 112 g/km.

Joining it from the outset of UK sales will be the by the company's EA288 turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder common rail diesel with 105 bhp, average fuel consumption of 74.3 mpg and CO2 emissions of 99 g/km.

At the Paris motor show on 27 September, Volkswagen plans to preview the new Golf GTi. It receives a new 222 bhp version of the Audi developed EA888 turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder direct injection petrol engine.

In a concerted effort to match the hatchback competition, the seven generation Golf model will come with the choice of three different monitors offering a wide selection of navigation, entertainment and information systems. They include a standard 5.0-inch black and white screen, optional 5.8-inch colour screen and a top-spec 8.0-inch 3D screen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...