VW Beetle, Golf, GTI, Jetta, Passat And Tiguan
The Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer with headquarters in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the largest automaker in the country, and the Volkswagen is the company鈥檚 most popular product. The company has undergone several changes, and currently 17% of it is held by Qatar Holding LLC. The company is known for the legendary Beetle, Passat and Golf models, but its origins go back to 1937 where it was designed to provide Germans with an affordable car, hence the name 鈥淭he People鈥檚 Car鈥? Mass production of the Beetle began after the end of World War II, and between the end of the war and the middle of the 1950s, had become increasingly popular. By this time, production had gone past the one million mark. By the 1960s and 70s, the Beetle had become a household name, thanks to its reputation for durability and dependability. Unlike other cars, the Volkswagen needed very little maintenance and could be counted on for the long haul. At the end of 1972, the Volkswagen had overtaken the Ford Model T and sold more than 15 million units. In 1964, the company bought Auto Union and five years later in 1969 bought NSU. The experience and expertise of the two firms allowed Volkswagen to expand operations and implement technological innovations in the car, such as water cooled engines and front wheel drive. By the 2000s, Volkswagen began focusing on product expansion, and 2008 saw the release of the 6th generation VW Golf. The success of the Golf led to the development of other models like the VW Jetta and its cousin, the SEAT Altea. Three years earlier in 2005, the fifth-generation Jetta and the sixth-generation Passat made their debut to critical acclaim, and VW announced that the company was intent on bringing back the Scirocco too.
The MINI鈥檚 driving position is also great, which helps with comfort, but the well-developed damping is a big plus for the MINI as well; it gives enough compliance to keep the car composed without feeling unsettled on rough roads. The Cooper S is slightly more forgiving than the Ford, but isn鈥檛 as smooth as the Polo and ultimately is still quite firm - but we reckon it鈥檚 worth it for the superb handling. The engine is less vocal than both rivals鈥?motors, but the MINI鈥檚 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit is more characterful than the Polo鈥檚, and smoother than the three-cylinder engine in the Ford. It鈥檚 down on power next to its rivals here, but only by a small amount and you won鈥檛 feel left behind in the British car. It doesn鈥檛 feel significantly slower on the road, but at the track the Cooper S did trail its rivals. Despite the sunshine in our pictures, we carried out our track tests in mixed conditions, and the MINI took 7.4 seconds to accelerate from 0-60mph and 6.6 seconds to go through the gears from 30-70mph, the slowest here.
While the Ford was faster in gear, the Cooper S beat the Polo鈥檚 4.2-second 30-50mph time in fourth by one tenth. It was also faster than the Volkswagen from 50-70mph in fifth and sixth. The MINI鈥檚 gearchange isn鈥檛 as positive and enjoyable as the Ford鈥檚. However, it鈥檚 still much more engaging and fun than the DSG auto in the Polo. Testers鈥?notes: 鈥淎daptive suspension is only 拢375 and is therefore worthwhile. There鈥檚 not a huge difference between modes, but Sport is subtly stiffer. The Volkswagen Polo GTI is more expensive than its rivals here, at 拢21,520 in base GTI spec, but it鈥檚 also a five-door only, and there鈥檚 no manual option yet: it鈥檚 DSG automatic only for now. That accounts for the price, but is the Polo able to take class honours in its first group test? With a 197bhp engine and dual-clutch automatic gearbox, the Polo GTI is by far the easiest car here to extract performance from: just squeeze the throttle, the DSG drops down a few gears, and you鈥檙e off.
With launch control the VW recorded an impressive 6.5-second 0-60mph time in our tests on a wet track, beating both rivals, and the automated shifts meant it was fastest through the gears from 30-70mph, too. However, while the DSG box is brilliant at firing up through the gears in a straight line, it feels out of its depth on a twisty road. It鈥檚 not as quick to change gear after pulling one of the steering wheel-mounted paddles as we鈥檇 like, and often you鈥檙e left waiting for the change at a crucial moment pre or post-corner. In a small hot hatchback that鈥檚 very frustrating, because maintaining your flow down the road is a huge part of these cars鈥?appeal. The manual gearboxes in its rivals are so much more fun to use as well. Still, the VW鈥檚 engine has the most torque of the three, with its 320Nm maximum arriving at just 1,500rpm. It鈥檚 flexible enough that you don鈥檛 always need to change down to make progress.
Longer gearing meant that the Polo GTI was the slowest car from 50-70mph in top gear, though, taking 8.2 seconds, which was more than a second down on the MINI and two seconds adrift of the Ford. However punchy it is, the engine is a bit flat and isn鈥檛 as enjoyable to use as the more characterful units in the Fiesta and Cooper S, despite VW engineering in some pops and bangs from the exhaust. The Ford does this, too, but its engine note is more pleasing. It鈥檚 a similar story with the Polo GTI鈥檚 chassis: it鈥檚 effective but leaves us a bit cold. The upgraded suspension means there鈥檚 loads of grip and it鈥檚 agile, but the light steering and more neutral cornering stance ensure it鈥檚 not as lively as its rivals. The ride is the smoothest of all three, though, particularly at low speed, where the Ford in particular can start to feel a bit bouncy over small bumps and potholes.
