2019 Volkswagen Golf Might Only Be Available As GTI Or R In America
The humble VW Golf might be a goner round these parts. Volkswagen is considering dropping the base model Golf and selling only the sporting GTI and R trims in the United States with the launch of the model's upcoming eighth generation, the company confirmed to The Drive. News that the non-GTI, non-R 2020 VW Golf had been officially cancelled for the American market prompted a minor frenzy when the report popped up on Motor1 this week, sourced to an anonymous VW employee. But then Roadshow received official word from Volkswagen that no final decision had been made, something a spokesperson reiterated to us today. Slumping sales for the Golf versus its performance variants are speculated to be the sticking point. Across 2018, Golf GTI and Golf R sales combined to make up nearly half the model's US sales volume despite their higher prices. According to the company's just-reported April 2019 sales figures, the two sporting Golfs together outsold the base model more than two to one last month, and the GTI remains the most popular submodel in the entire Golf range. For additional reference, the larger-but-cheaper Jetta outsold the Golf's year-long 2018 US sales total for every single month of the past year. As all automakers do, Volkswagen is continuously adjusting its offerings to try and cut the biggest slice of the auto market that it can for itself. In the U.S., that may not just mean the retirement of the poor-selling Golf but also the introduction of a midsize pickup truck. Candidates could include a rebadged Ford Ranger-based model, as Volkswagen is partially allied with Ford, or the company's global Tanoak, a small, unibody truck.
Yes, the Volkswagen Golf's engine, new for 2019, is less powerful than last year's larger-displacement unit鈥攂ut the news isn't as bad as you might think. Given how the new 1.4-liter engine pairs with new six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions, its effect on the Golf's acceleration could be minimal to nonexistent. Official fuel-economy figures for the 2019 Golf aren't yet available, but we expect an improvement from the 2018 model's 28 mpg combined and 33 mpg highway EPA estimates. Nearly every 2019 Golf variant uses the new 1.4-liter engine, including the Golf hatchbacks and front-wheel-drive versions of the Golf SportWagen. The only Golfs that keep the old 1.8-liter engines are wagons equipped with VW's 4Motion all-wheel drive and the all-wheel-drive-only Golf Alltrack. The Alltrack's top SEL trim level, previously automatic only, is now offered with a six-speed manual, too. Beyond their engine bays, the 2019 Golfs receive more standard active-safety features along with a slight price hike.
The new B-Class is both wider and longer than the previous model, with an extra 30mm between the front and rear axles. It means that it feels very much like an 鈥楢-Class plus鈥? very much in the style of the Volkswagen Golf SV in comparison to the standard Golf hatchback. It鈥檚 not an MPV as such - Mercedes is keen to promote the improved dynamics of this new version - but the B-Class does deliver some of the benefits associated with a people-carrier. There鈥檚 a raised driving position, which makes it feel markedly different from the A-Class, while it鈥檚 also easier to enter and exit the vehicle. The shorter overhangs and the extra space between the front and rear axles have paid dividends on the inside. All five occupants will enjoy ample headroom and legroom, with passengers in the back free to stretch their legs in near-luxury saloon style. At 455 litres, the boot is roughly the same size as the old B-Class, but a sliding rear seat will be added to the range in mid-2019, which will increase the luggage capacity to 705 litres when required. The at-present fixed rear bench splits and folds in three sections to a useful 40:20:40 ratio, and with all three folded flat, the boot extends to 1,540 litres of space. That鈥檚 30 litres more than you鈥檇 find in the 2 Series Active Tourer, but the BMW is also offered as a longer-wheelbase Gran Tourer variant. From mid-2019, a folding backrest will be available for the front passenger seat, making the B-Class even more practical on those trips to Sweden鈥檚 most famous furniture store. The B 220 4Matic petrol is the best choice if you intend to do a little light towing, offering a braked towing capacity of 1,800kg. Other models offer between 1,400kg and 1,600kg depending on the engine size.
Volkswagen鈥檚 most iconic hot hatch has undergone few major changes in its 43 years, the most significant being the introduction of forced induction in its fifth generation. Now, the 2019 Golf GTI has taken another step in its evolution, and one that might upset the purists among us. It gains more goodies, such as the larger brakes from the Golf R, the Audi-style Active Info dashboard, and driver assist pack which includes 鈥榗ity emergency braking鈥?and pedestrian monitoring. While this is all good news, you can鈥檛 get a manual one anymore. Volkswagen says sales mean the manual wasn鈥檛 performing well anyway, but purists might be turned off by the now DSG-only model. Put to the test at the freshly-built Luddenham raceway on a very cold, wet day the 2019 GTI proved it鈥檚 able to out-corner its ancestors. Though traction control was rather eager when puddles or camber changes were involved, nursing the throttle proved the best way to work alongside the LSD to keep power (and full torque from 1600rpm) pulling the 1377kg mass along.
