VW reveals Golf Mk7 details - pointers to the Scirocco?

[Kev]

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 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 4255mm in length, 1799mm in width and 1452mm in height, the new Golf is 56mm longer and 13mm wider yet 28mm 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 59mm longer wheelbase than today's Golf, while track widths have been increased by 8mm up front and 6mm 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 14mm to 1750mm, providing the basis for a 15mm improvement in rear legroom. There are also 31mm and 30mm improvements in shoulder room for the front and rear seat occupants respectively. Elbow room is also up by 22mm and 20mm.

The larger interior has led to a rethink in ergonomics, with the driver's seat shifted back by 20mm, the position of the gear lever raised by 20mm and the distance between the throttle and brake pedals increased by 16mm. 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 228mm increase in the overall width of the floor at 1272mm. Loading it made easier by a 17mm reduction in the loading lip, which now sits at 685mm. The width of the boot aperture has also increased by 47mm to 1023mm.

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 100kg 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 23kg.

Other weight savings come through lighter engines; the new EA211 designated turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder is up to 22kg 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 26kg reduction over that used by the sixth generation model.

Volkswagen also cites a 12kg saving in standard equipment levels - some 7kg of which come in the adoption of a new seat design, along with a 3kg reduction in the weight of the new car's electrical wiring loom, bringing the base model's kerb weight down to just 1050kg - 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 30km/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 138bhp. In combination with the company's latest seven speed dual clutch gearbox, it is claimed to return 58.9mpg on the combined European consumption cycle, giving it average CO2 emissions of 112g/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 105bhp, average fuel consumption of 74.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 99g/km.

At the Paris motor show on 27 September, Volkswagen plans to preview the new Golf GTi. It receives a new 222bhp 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.

[Kev]

[RisingRoc]

Looks pretty good. Reminds me of the A3 a touch too much though.

[Kev]

Some of the spec list.
Not sure what most of these are and no doubt they'll cost a fortune!

Multicollision brake
Speed limiter
Front transverse diff lock
Touch with proximity sensing
Progressive steering
Automatically folding mirror
LED fog lights
PreCrash
Park Assist 2
City emergency braking
Fatigue detection
Traffic sign detection
Park pilot
Dynamic Light Assist
Lane assist
Front assist
Adaptive cruise control
Electric parking brake
Driving profile selection
Cylinder deactivation
Deluxe climate window
Panoramic sunroof
Ergonomic seats
Run-flat tyres
Ambience lighting

[Ryy]

Reminds me of my old Fiesta ST on that first pic.

[Gt12]

Liking the interior there, the centre console has clearly had a big influence from the Jaguar XF (good thing in my book).

[ZephyR]

'fraid it don't tempt me at all.
Too much flashy chrome on the centre console for my liking.
Not even sure about the revamped RNS510 unit.

[Rocco Regie]

I like the button handbrake, but way to much bling for me and bit busy with the center console.

[Paralla]

More powerful, more efficient and lighter engines is the good news as far as the Scirocco is concerned.

The next Scirocco will also benefit from being built on the MQB platform which is stronger and lighter than the existing platform.

[Kev]

Engine info

At launch, the range will kick off with a pair of turbocharged petrol engines: a 1.2-litre unit making 85bhp and a 1.4-litre boasting 138bhp.

The frugal 1.2 promises a claimed 57.7mpg and CO2 emissions of 113g/km, while the 1.4 returns 58.9mpg and 112g/km, helped by a cylinder deactivation system that cuts out the two middle cylinders to reduce fuel consumption between 1400 and 4000rpm.

Diesels will major on 1.6 and 2.0-litre capacities. The 1.6 is a lightly reworked version of today’s unit, while the 2.0 is a heavily revised version of the current engine.

In standard tune, the 1.6 will make 103bhp and boast 74.3mpg and 99g/km. The more frugal BlueMotion variant claims 14mpg better at 88.3mpg, with CO2 emissions improved by 14g/km at just 85g/km.

A significant change with the 2.0-litre diesel is a new installation that switches the engine by 180deg for more efficient cooling. Power is 148bhp, with claimed economy of 68.9mpg and CO2 emissions of 106g/km. Also in the pipeline is a 177bhp version, to be badged GTD.

[Cuprabob]

When the "performance" models are launched i would expect a diesel with just over 200bhp

[v4nisher]

Would be interesting to see the GTI models.....but overall first impressions....."is that it?'

[Cuprabob]

I've never known an incarnation of the Golf, including the now classic Mk2, that people weren't negative about when it was launched. However, most people seem to come around in the end to liking it apart from teh Mk3 which was a dog except in VR6 form.

[Kev]

I've never known an incarnation of the Golf, including the now classic Mk2, that people weren't negative about when it was launched. However, most people seem to come around in the end to liking it apart from teh Mk3 which was a dog except in VR6 form.

I think people often forget that car companies have a 'face' that has to be obviously theirs. They have something that sells so they want to carry on making the same thing people obviously want but just make slight changes to each iteration. It's the same at BMW, Merc, Ford etc etc. Some of the Japanese companies make big changes from model to model but most of the European ones like to stick with what their customers know. It's a solid freshened update of a well known brand. It'll sell like hot cakes as it always does.

Some of the options look a bit exotic and are no doubt pricey but hopefully the basic price will be reasonable and it probably gives some clues to the inevitable update to the Scirocco.

[Kev]

3 door

[scott.taylor]

5dr = Horrible

3dr = ... MUCH BETTER

[wigit]

More interested in R version or GTI, all be it GTI likely to be an update of current GTI/roc GT motor until they do the Ed40 when they will put a mans turbo on it)

Looks good in both 3 and 5 but for me a sporting golf 3 is the correct number, can't see me ditching the ed35 for one

[Kev]

GTi rumoured to have around 225bhp and the R will get 276.

[Kev]

Golf MkVII GTi concept revealed

[Gt12]

Interior looks like something from a Burberry end of line sale..