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HERE’S a tip from your friendly consumer advice team at Wheels: if you’re considering a new Volkswagen Golf, don’t buy the current model unless it’s offered at thousands below the current RRP.
Why? Because the updated model, referred to unofficially as Golf 7.5, and arriving at the start of July this year, will usher in new levels of tech, convenience and equipment for what VW Australia says will only be a modest price rise.
The most significant movement comes at the entry point of the range. VW has deleted what was the base model, the 92TSI on its 15-inch steel wheels and fairly basic trim level (which was offered, in manual form, for $22,990 drive-away).
However, this reshuffle exposes a disappointing fact: that Australia will not get the new-generation 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine being rolled out as part of the Golf 7.5 release. This engine, making 110kW, features cylinder deactivation, and ushers in new levels of efficiency for this class. However, VW Australia claims its complexities make it unviable for the price structure of the new range.
Visual changes to Golf 7.5 are fairly predictable: new front and rear bumpers, new grille, LED taillights, and LED headlights replacing Xenons on up-spec variants.
More significant is the safety, connectivity and convenience tech that will be offered in VW’s small-car icon.
Further evidence of this is the optional Driver Assistance package, available on Comfortline and above, that brings semi-autonomous radar cruise capable of taking over in traffic jams at up to 60km/h, as well as the usual blind-spot warning, and so on.
Golf 7.5 also brings Active Info Display on up-spec models, which is VW’s version of what Audi terms Virtual Cockpit, a 12.3-inch customisable instrument display that can be configured into one of five different profiles, including Classic, Performance, Efficiency and Navigation.
Stay tuned for more details on Golf 7.5, including drive impressions from the international launch, and, as soon as we receive it, local pricing.
