VW introduces new hybrid Golf generation
While the Passat presented at the end of August and the Tiguan unveiled in September are new editions of the respective models, the Golf is only due for a model update in the middle of the product cycle: VW presented the Golf 8 in October 2019 and launched the two PHEV drives in August 2020.
With the facelift, the Golf will also receive the latest drive generation of the Wolfsburg-based Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB). One of the most important changes: The battery has a usable net energy content of 19.7 kWh, previously only 13 kWh were available. This should enable a purely electric range of over 100 kilometres – at least in the WLTP. The charging system is also new: the battery can be charged at AC charging points with 11 kW instead of the previous 3.6 kW. At DC charging points, the revised Golf charges with up to 50 kW.
The new PHEV also uses a different combustion engine: the 1.4-liter petrol engine from the EA211 series is replaced by the 1.5 TSI evo2 – known internally at VW as the EA211evo. In the Golf, the plug-in hybrid is available in two performance levels: The Golf eHybrid has a system output of 150 kW, and the Golf GTE 200 kW. The GTE is positioned as a sporty model and offers some design borrowings from the iconic Golf GTI, such as the checkered seat upholstery – only in the GTE with blue instead of red accents.
In terms of design, the changes to the facelift are moderate. According to VW, the front end has been “sharpened”, there is a new light graphic in the headlights and, for the first time, an illuminated VW emblem in the front. The rear lights have also been given a new 3D light graphic. Inside, there is the new infotainment generation with revised menu navigation and a larger touchscreen (up to 32.8 centimetres). The much-criticized touch sliders at the bottom of the screen are now illuminated, while the touch surfaces on the steering wheel have disappeared completely and been replaced by conventional buttons. As presented at CES in early January, the AI chatbot ChatGPT is integrated into the VW voice assistant IDA. This allows the system to access the “constantly growing database of artificial intelligence”.
“The Golf has been at the heart of the Volkswagen brand for half a century now, offering affordable mobility for all at the highest technical level. This is precisely what we are now building on with the new evolutionary stage – with even higher efficiency, comfort and quality and a new operating concept. The Golf does not get any better than this,” says VW brand boss Thomas Schäfer.
VW has not yet announced when the revised Golf 8 will be launched on the market and at what price.
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