Keeping true to its roots, the 2015 Volkswagen Golf looks very similar to its predecessors at first glance, but upon further inspection you begin to notice the subtle refinements for the 2015 model. Some of the more noticeable superficial refinements of the exterior include:
- Less use of chrome and a better integration of black highlights
- A more solid and pleasing design of the door handles
- More pleasing curves and accent lines along sides and front
- Squarer headlights and an overall less rounded exterior design
Delving a bit deeper into the 2015 Volkswagen Golf, you may notice a performance improvement coming from the MQB platform from which it was built. Basically, the new platform allows the 2015 VW Golf to be lighter yet stronger, yielding better performance and reduced gas consumption. The MQB platform also simplifies the build, making it cheaper to manufacture in turn reducing the price for the consumer!
DRIVING PERFORMANCE
The 2015 VW Golf TDI comes equipped with the 150 horsepower, 2.0 L four cylinder diesel engine and is paired with a 6 speed manual or automatic transmission allowing for low RPM cruising. The result is incredible fuel economy, rated at 5.5 L/100km on the highway and 7.5 L/100km in the city. Our 350km test drive of combined city and highway driving yielded a 6.4 L/100km mileage which is well within the stated ratings.
For me, the most notable improvement of the 2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI is the way it drives. The 2015 model feels a lot more solid and precise. Steering, acceleration and engine response work amazingly well together to provide a smooth, controlled and defined driving feel. Although the steering felt looser than its predecessors, it works better for the non performance versions of the 2015 Golf. Also of note are the swift and seamless gear changes. Adding to the crisp feel of the drive, the RPM needle drops instantly with the changing of the gears, rather than the slow fall of the needle in most other vehicles.
FEATURES & DESIGN
As with previous models, the 2015 Golf appoints black and chrome accents to the exterior, which see a bit more refinement than previous models. The interior also sees a bit more use of chrome to contour various elements on the dash including the vents, gauges and temperature controls.
Although still similar to previous years, the 2015 Golf had a beautiful two tone white and black interior (white leather on the test drive model) and orange control lighting, very reminiscent of the interior of a BMW. The quality of materials and finishing, the excellent build and features like bucket seating, adjustable armrest and a panoramic sunroof all contribute to an ideal interior design.
Some safety features equipped to the 2015 Volkswagen Golf include the multi collision braking system, which automatically activates the brakes after a collision, preventing any further collisions from rolling. This seems like a feature that should be standard on all vehicles.
The most important part of night driving are the lights, and on top of the super bright bi-xenon headlights, the 2015 VW Golf goes one step further by providing an Adaptive Front-Light System which turns the headlights up to 13 degrees around corners before the driver makes the turn. Also equipped are high beams that automatically dim when oncoming traffic is detected.
I would have liked to see a USB port and AUX input jack rather than the VW input jack since these tend to be the most common input jacks these days. On the other hand, the Bluetooth connection feature comes standard and will resolve most connection issues.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all I was thoroughly impressed with the new 2015 VW Golf TDI. Because I have enjoyed the previous models, I wasn’t sure what to expect with regards to updates and changes to the latest release. The refinement seen on the 2015 model is indeed a huge but subtle step forward, while maintaining the same performance and fuel economy. I highly recommend checking out the new 2015 VW Golf for yourself to see how far it has come!
For a more detailed look at the specification and features of the 2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI, Click Here
