At long last, Volkswagen's new 2020 Golf 8 range is on the stage – but it'll be a long wait again before it touches down in Australia. If you plan on buying the Golf 8 with an automatic transmission, you’ll be glad to hear the DSG-equipped models are going to feature a significantly smaller gear knob as a result of adopting a shift-by-wire system.

If Volkswagen's claims are to be believed, it is also significantly more efficient, with improved fuel economy and fewer emissions than ever before no matter what model you choose. That’s an intense stare. 845898), Official rendering: the new Mk8 VW Golf hatchback is nigh, Interior of new VW Golf Mk8: heavy reliance on digital technologies, Sketch of VW Golf interiors from Mk1 to Mk8, Volkswagen Golf: from new Mk8 (left) to original Mk1 (far right), The new VW Golf GTI: everything you need to know, The new VW Golf GTD: the diesel's key info and specs. However, the latest Golf is based around a carryover platform and chassis. The Golf’s engine line-up will include three new 48V mild hybrids and a revamped GTE-badged plug-in hybrid. The eighth-generation Golf features the latest third-generation version of Volkswagen MIB infotainment system.

The flamboyant design of the LED headlamps is particularly out of character for Volkswagen's best-selling model, and the most controversial design element is a distinctly lower front end.

Rather than projecting the image on a small piece of glass behind the steering wheel as you'll find on some other cars, the optional head-up display available for the Golf 8 directly projects the virtual image onto the windscreen directly in the driver’s field of vision.

Dramatization. Does the new Golf succeed? Company Number: LP003328 Registered Office: Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London, NW1 7DT. Volkswagen has also upgraded the Golf’s driver-assistance systems, including optional Travel Assist, which combines adaptive cruise control and lane assist to enable “assisted hand-off driving” at speeds up to 130mph.

It’s called “features on demand” and it’ll allow you to upgrade the car with new functions post-purchase. The advanced Travel Assist system introduced in the latest European Passat has also been installed in the Golf 8. There are very few physical buttons. All models receive passive dampers as standard, though as with its predecessor, the new Golf works best with the optional continuously variable dampers, which come as part of the Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC).

And that interior? When fitted with the optional continuously variable dampers, the ride is brilliantly controlled. That may very well be true, but those who are actually familiar with the model’s lineage know that it has pretty much been at the forefront of technology among mainstream hatchbacks. Not only is it more intuitive to use, but it also sits slightly higher on the dashboard for ease of access. Not exactly a groundbreaking feature, but nevertheless nice to have it in a non-luxury compact car. As before though, lower end Golfs get twist beam rear suspension and the more expensive models a multi-link setup, but as for any bold claims of added dynamism…none to speak of. Volkswagen says this is because the new model adopts two bonnet latches instead of the single latch used by its predecessor. It comes in handy in other scenarios, such as when emergency service vehicle are nearby or when the emergency braking is triggered. We did spot some cost-cutting measures: it eschews gas struts for the bonnet, relying on a simple manual strut instead. Well, it has some nifty air conditioning features like “fresh air” and “warm hands.” It’s available on the high-end Style trim level. The new 2020 Volkswagen Golf (likely a 2021 Volkswagen Golf when it reaches Australia) retains the same front-wheel-drive MQB platform as its predecessor, albeit updated to offer greater structural rigidity. It is clearly meant to mimic the swipe of a smartphone, but proved a bit hit-and-miss on our first acquaintance. VAT no 918 5617 01 The seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox boasts improved step-off qualities, while the latest petrol-electric power plant propels the new Golf from 0–100km/h in a claimed 8.5sec, with a top speed of 224km/h. Should you wait for it? Alongside standard front-wheel drive, selected Golf models will also be available with optional 4Motion four-wheel drive. Yep, clearly tired of the standard ‘squint and it looks the same’ thing that we all say when a new Golf happens, Volkswagen has made the latest version of its hatchback mainstay squint right back at you. Available as an option, the “IQ.LIGHT LED” matrix headlights features 22 individual LEDs per each headlight matrix module that can light up automatically in up to ten different ways, depending on the Golf trim. It’s only available in Life and Style trims for moment, and Wolfsburg believes the Life trim q1.5 TSI with a 6-speed manual box will be the most popular.

The Golf 8 doesn’t stray away too far from the familiar design recipe, but unlike its seven predecessors, the changes on the inside are radical with the generation switch. Engineering-wise, this new eighth-generation model is more of a revision than a replacement.

In a development that helps to bring it into line with some rivals, buyers can option Volkswagen’s IQ light package. Technology. Registered Office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA H Bauer Publishing,

To save even more fuel, the mild hybrid powertrains enable coasting with the engine completely turned off. But, this new model has managed to raise the game and distance itself from the competition. We’ll gloss over the outside bits because, clearly, that’s what Volkswagen has done too: it’s on the same MQB platform as the outgoing Golf and it is, you’ll notice, proportionally and dimensionally almost identical.

What’s more interesting is the range of electrical assistance the engines get.

Continuing the modern look are ambient lighting strips within the dashboard and door trims, as well as a host of other new optional features, including an excellent new head-up display, which is available on the Golf for the first time and is a highly recommended addition.

The added performance and refinement from the electrified drivetrain, and inherent maturity and resolved qualities of its chassis, make it a highly gratifying car to drive on just about any road and in any environment.

As an alternative, Volkswagen offers a voice-control system that is activated with a 'Hello Volkswagen' command.

It genuinely moves things forward: real safety advances, proper interesting tech, classic Golf quality, but in very non-Golf style, much more edgy. Pricing details for the new 2021 VW Golf R won’t be revealed until the hot hatch’s release.
Located to the left of the instrument cluster, it contains all of the controls you’re used to seeing in a product from the VW Group, along with the functions to turn on the heated windscreen as well as the rear window heater. Finance calculator.

► New VW Golf Mk8 revealed► The ICE ID.3► Hatch remains at heart of brand. Other markets make do with an 8.25-incher at the base end of the range.
Within the next 12 months, Volkswagen also plans to launch new GTi, GTD and R variants of the new Golf – the latter of which is expected to run an updated new version of its predecessor’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine developing up to 235kW in combination with an updated 4Motion four-wheel-drive system. As you'd expect, VW is keen to point out just how much you get before ticking boxes on the options list: the lowest Life trim comes with 16-inch alloys, parking sensors and a 10.25-inch cockpit screen, as well as a 10-inch infotainment screen alongside it. Near all of the Golf’s innovation is technological. However, it is remarkably smooth and revs freely to the 6400rpm cut-out, endowing the new Golf with a moderately sporting performance when you dial up the sport mode. Gearboxes include six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch units depending on the engine they are mated to. Audis have had matrix LED headlights for quite a while, but the technology trickled down to the mainstream VW brand only in 2018 with the new Touareg midsize SUV. That’s why VW is proud to say the new Golf and its “Innovision Cockpit” derived from the Touareg is the first car “within its price bracket” to lose the needles and dials of the old-school instrument cluster.