Test Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Golf 1.8 TSI Comfortline

By Kevin Harrison

I am willing to admit there are some things in life that bother me and they probably shouldn’t. For instance, when the Montreal Canadians lose.

But sometimes it’s more complex than just a lost hockey game gets to me. Little things can irritate me to the point of having to go and ‘fix’ whatever it is that’s bothering me, so much so, that it’s likely borderline OCD at this point.

For instance, I really can’t stand it when I pass someone walking their dog, willfully ignorant that the one of the dog’s floppy ears has flopped inside out and is stuck like that. I am 100% confident the dog is unaffected by floppy-ear-inside-out-syndrome, yet it still bothers me to the core. I often have to stop myself from telling the owner to flip their dog’s ear back.

This sort of odd display of OCD-like behaviour isn’t limited to animals either. It very much becomes present when I review new cars.

Recently, I had the chance to try the new Golf and before even driving it, it had won me over with some simple, yet crucial features for someone like me.

You see, I also can’t stand when it’s raining and people park their cars with their windshield wipers resting vertically against the windshield. Hang on, no need to speed dial the Betty Ford clinic yet, but come on. How are people just okay to turn their vehicles off mid-windshield wipe and just get out knowing full well the wipers’ resting place is not where it should be? Because people aren’t as insane as I am, you say? Perhaps.

But Volkswagen clearly thinks something like that is an issue worth solving. So, to my delight, I discovered that the windshield wipers cannot be left resting upright against the windshield. Even if you deliberately attempt make it happen, the windshield wipers will consistently turn off in the horizontal position they should be at when not in use.

It’s that sort of forethought into something so meaningless. It’s those little things that an automaker does every now and then that make all the difference.

So, the Golf comforted my little OCD heart with its ingenious windshield wiper solution before I even set off in it after picking it up. And that’s not the only thing the Golf does brilliantly.

Read on to find out what I mean. However, before we get into the details of the Golf, lets examine its exterior styling.

The Golf is recently redesigned for 2015 and you’d be forgiven if you didn’t immediately notice. The Golf takes an evolutionary approach incorporating more of the corporate styling cues such as the L-shaped tail light design and revised front fascia. But the overall shape remains quite Golf-like. Going conservative with styling is something quite typical of the Germans, but usually they somehow still manage to make a new design look fresh and appealing. This is not the case for the Golf. In fact, I’d wager the only real way to tell the new Golf apart from the old one (if you aren’t a Volkswagen fanatic, that is) is from the new L-shaped tail lights. The new lights incorporate the same feature that all new Volkswagens are going these days which is to double the use of the brake light as the turn signal indicator as well. This is another one of my OCD-like pet peeves. Those turn indicators should be amber in colour as they are in Europe, but that’s a rant I promise I will deliver in editorial form in the coming weeks. Watch for it! Also, here’s your fun fact of the day: those rather boring looking 16 inch alloy wheels are called “Toronto” alloys. Don’t understand why? Me neither. Perhaps it’s Drake’s doing, but regardless and more interesting wheel design would help the Golf’s appearance pop a bit more.

Luckily the interior has been more noticeably updated. The new steering wheel design is much more appealing with nice piano black inserts. The wheel is even a mild version of the flat-bottomed steering wheel found in the GTI. The centre stack is completely redesigned as well and my tester’s brushed aluminum helped to complete the elegant look. Being a Volkswagen, materials throughout are of high quality. The centre touch screen is now a bit bigger and reacts as if it actually wants to complete your command. That was an issue on previous Golfs.

But I am happy to report that two more little things about previous generation Golfs that bugged me have been addressed. Firstly, the optional sunroof now has a proper button for operation. Before, Volkswagen used an odd combination of two buttons and a dial, making the sunroof unnecessarily complicated to operate. This meant taking an unnecessary amount of concentration to get it right, while taking an unneeded amount of your attention off the road. Secondly, the cruise control is now located on the steering wheel and again uses conventional buttons. Before, the cruise control was awkwardly placed on top of the turn signal stalk with the acceleration/deceleration feature controlled by a tiny switch. Now when you wish to speed up while in cruise control mode, you can do so without accidentally turning your indicator on. Although I’m told this update isn’t sitting well with Volkswagen purists for some reason.

Another example of Volkswagen thinking of the little things is its back up camera. It is housed behind the large Volkswagen badge on the lift-gate. When you shift into reverse, the badge opens to expose the camera. This sort of forward thinking addresses the camera becoming obscured by the elements such as rain or road salt. The camera tucks itself away once you shift out of reverse keeping the lens relatively clean. My only gripe is the picture of the camera isn’t the greatest colour quality. I would also imagine replacing the motor which moves the Volkswagen badge out of the way for the camera would be expensive to replace.

Perhaps the most brilliant part of this car is its engine. Volkswagen has finally dumped the dinosaur-like, catastrophically slow 2.0 engine (affectionately known as the 2 point slow) and has replaced it with a new 1.8 litre turbocharged 4 cylinder engine making a healthy 170 horsepower and 185 pound foot torque. This engine is miles ahead of its predecessor, which, admittedly, would not have been hard to accomplish, but it is smooth, completely refined and, crucially, a lot more powerful all while retaining a luxury-like quietness in the cabin. There is a small amount of lag while the turbo spools up, but the new engine will slingshot the Golf into action at relatively low RPMs. It is an absolute delight to experience this engine through the still competent six-speed manual transmission. As much of an avid #savethemanuals promoter that I am, I must admit, the DSG automatic transmission is likely just as good, if not better.

This sort of driving pleasure is continued on the highway where, in typical German fashion, the Golf feels right at home. It’s almost as if the Golf breathes a sigh of relief saying, “ahhh, finally! An autobahn!” and then settles into its natural habitat quite nicely. The only downside is that the Golf may be too good of a highway cruiser. Despite feeling solid and planted, it is desperately easy to find yourself cruising at speeds well above the speed limit without even noticing. This is a trait typical of most German cars and as such, you really do need to keep on eye on your speed. I suggest putting the info display between the two gauges to the digital speedometer which makes your speed much more noticeable. But the fact that the little Golf can competently take on the highway and fast speeds with little effort is a testament to the engineering that goes into the Golf. And it truthfully really is what makes a Golf a Golf.

As is handling. The Golf will not disappoint in this department either. This partly has to do with the Golf resting on a new global platform called Modular Transverse Matrix which, besides sounding awesome, is found in Volkswagen’s compact Up! offering in other markets. The end result is the effortless ability to get the Golf around a corner. It also helps that steering feedback to the driver is quite good. That combination exudes confidence to the driver to push the Golf a bit harder, but just beware that the Golf does indeed have limits despite its excellent handing abilities. If you’re looking for more of a track star, the GTI is the way to go.

I ended up averaging 8.7 L/100 kms for fuel consumption which admittedly isn’t that good, however it should be noted that the majority was city driving and it was hard not to take advantage of that awesome engine. If you are a tamer driver then you will see better fuel consumption figures.

In the end, the new Golf has kept many of the things than made it a leader in the segment and has even improved upon minor faults making it a true force to be reckoned with. Those little things add up and in the end, the result is a brilliant little car hands down. Sure the Golf may be a bit uninteresting to look at and it may not have the latest tech of some of its competitors, but one thing is for sure, you can’t go wrong with it, especially with its new engine. I’d even wager to say that the Golf should be considered as one of the best cars of the year.