The sprightliness I experienced isn't reflected in our figure eight results, unfortunately. The 2019 Golf posted a lap time of 27.4 seconds at an average of 0.62 g, which is six-tenths of a second slower than its predecessor. The Civic Sport hatchback cleared the course in 27.1 seconds, and an outgoing Mazda3 hatch did the deed in 27 seconds flat. The Golf was quicker than the Corolla hatchback (27.6 seconds), however, and was slightly quicker than its Jetta sedan counterpart (27.5 seconds). But as usual, the numbers don't tell the whole story. In addition to being a fun-to-drive car, the Golf is a versatile grocery-getter and urban runabout. The hatchback offers 22.8 cubic feet behind the rear 60/40 split folding seats or 53.7 cubic feet with the rear bench folded flat. Associate online editor Stefan Ogbac was able to fit four passengers and their groceries into the Golf, and the added weight didn't noticeably affect performance.
If you have a baby, owning a Golf will be tight but doable. A trip to a big-box store required some careful thought about how much we could buy. Even with the load floor set to its lowest level, our medium-sized stroller wouldn't fit upright without removing the cargo hider. It also took up a good chunk of room that we could otherwise have used to store a 45-pack of toilet paper or five loose boxes of frozen lasagna. And with a car seat installed, you'll only be able to flip one rear seat down. These are hurdles any resourceful parent can overcome, but they are things to think about when deciding between a hatchback and a crossover. For the most part, the Golf's interior has aged gracefully. The TFT display inside the gauge cluster could use a graphical update, but the slick 8.0-inch touchscreen helps make up for that.
The system is easy to navigate and is responsive to swipes and pokes. I love the Golf's seating position but found the steering wheel uncomfortable. The wheel rim tapers toward its face, forming a slight edge that didn't fit my hands well. 22,740 for the base S model with six-speed manual transmission. 26,140, which is more than you'd pay for a comparable hatchback model from VW's competitors. The Golf's high-quality cabin and fantastic driving dynamics help justify the price premium, and Volkswagen's six-year/72,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty doesn't hurt, either. It's very likely that this drivetrain combo will carry over to the next-gen model, but a recent rumor suggests the U.S. Golf鈥攋ust the GTI and Golf R. That wouldn't surprise us, seeing as VW only moved 6,642 standard Golf hatchbacks in 2018, but it would be a shame. The Mk 7 Golf is still a great choice in this class, even if it's not a popular one. If the rumors are true, we'll lament the loss of one of the market's most well-rounded hatchback offerings. But for now, at least, you can still pick up a regular Golf and enjoy its blend of fun and no-frills practicality.
For example, the cross pieces of the radiator grille extend naturally into the headlights to form a single, cohesive element. The headlights themselves are much slimmer than those of the previous model, and have a more threedimensional shape. Powerful wheel arches and horizontal lines form the visual accents at the sides of the vehicle. The window design is noticeably flatter and more stylish than in the previous model, extending once again from the A-pillar all the way back to the D-pillar. The new proportions of this glass surface, the more distinct areas around the A-pillar and D-pillar, and the new glossy Bpillar and narrower C-pillar all add to the sense of exclusivity. An MPV can only be successful if the interior - the journeying space - meets the demands of everyone on board. Since day one, the secret of the Touran鈥檚 success has been its interior, which has now been further refined for the new generation model.
