The IT Nerd

Today my wife and I got the chance to drive the new 2015 Volkswagen Golf hatchback at a test drive event in Toronto called The Golf Driving Experience. Attendees got the chance to get info about the cars and then drive two of the three variants on display. Speaking of those variants, they are:

The 2015 Golf which comes with a 1.8 TFSI 4 cylinder engine that puts out 170 HP and 185 pound feet of torque.

The 2015 Golf wagon was on display but I didn’t get a chance to drive it. That’s a shame because this one had one trick up its sleeve:

It has a TDI engine (which in VW speak means it’s a turbo diesel engine). Specs weren’t available. But if previous VW TDI engines are any indication, you’ll likely get up to 1000 KM’s to a tank of diesel fuel and a ton of torque which is nice for those who do a lot of highway driving.

The 2015 Golf GTI was also available. It has a 2.0 L TFSI engine that puts out 210 HP and 258 pound feet of torque. I think that qualifies as “fun to drive.”

There’s also a three door model available, but I did not see one on display. But with a lineup like that, there’s something for everyone.

All of these variants are all new from the ground up. They are longer, wider, and engines have been tweaked to deliver better performance and better fuel economy versus the outgoing model. One key feature is that they somehow managed to shave 200 pounds of weight off the 2015 Golf. That will also help with the performance and fuel economy.

Now I got a chance to look at the interior and some things caught my eye:

This is the interior of the 2015 Golf and it is clearly driver oriented with a flat bottom steering wheel and well bolstered and comfortable seats. The gauges are clear and everything is easy to reach. The build quality is excellent as there are no gaps and everything felt like it was put together with precision. There’s lots of soft touch material all over the place as well. Two things to note though. One is that the touchscreen is 5.8″ and in my opinion is on the small side. The second is that that the front seats on the 2015 Golf GTI are bolstered to such a degree that if you’re on the larger side, you may not fit. Drivers of the 2015 Golf or Golf Wagon will not have to worry about that though.

The back seats have a ton of room from a headroom and legroom perspective. Two will fit fine. Three is a stretch because of the hump in the middle.

If you don’t need the middle seat, you can use this flip down section to hold your cups. One note is that one is bigger than the other. So if you have a pair of Venti Starbucks coffees, only one will fit.

Here’s the back and it has a ton of space, plus you get 60/40 folding seats and a ski pass through. There’s one other trick:

If you look closely at this picture and the one before it, you’ll notice that the floor is lower in the second picture. That way you can get more storage space, or you can hide the privacy cover or your valuables under the floor. That’s a nice touch.

Exterior wise, the 2015 Golf GTI gets some sweet rims and red brake callipers which really stand out.

You also get dual tailpipes in on the 2015 Golf GTI that are understated in nature.

Now we got the chance to drive the 2015 Golf and the Golf GTI on a course that had tight turns, sudden direction changes, and sudden braking. To make sure that you don’t do anything too crazy and to provide some valuable instruction when it comes to performance driving, race car drivers accommodated each participant. Here’s our thoughts:

• The 2015 Golf GTI is wickedly quick. It handles exceptionally well which is highlighted by the steering which in true Germanic fashion is very well weighted and allows you to feel what the car is doing. Body roll is well controlled in all situations, in particular the sudden direction change which is meant to simulate having to suddenly avoid something in your path. Braking is progressive and easy to modulate. One thing that stood out is that there was no turbo lag that I could detect.
• The 2015 Golf is no slouch either. It handles well, though there is more body roll when compared to the Golf GTI. However it isn’t objectionable in any way. The steering is good and it will tighten up at speed and be lighter at slower speeds (such as when you want to park it). Again, there was no perceptible turbo lag.

In both cases, visibility is good and I was able to find a good driving position easily. Not only that, we drove cars that had the 6 speed DSG transmission which is a dual clutch transmission that has lightning fast shifts and better fuel economy than the six speed manual. It can be shifted manually and it can be put into sport mode which delivers far more performance oriented shifts if you’re really having fun on a back road with no police in sight. Trust me, even if you like shifting your own gears, you want to get the DSG transmission.

Downsides? I really don’t have any because we really didn’t have enough time with the 2015 Golf to uncover any. I would need my usual one week test drives to really get a better handle on how this car would perform when you have to live with it on a daily basis. Perhaps VW would be kind enough to hook me up with one?

The 2015 Golf family is hitting dealerships shortly and starts at $18,995 for the Golf three door, $19,995 for the five door, and $27,995 for the Golf GTI. Pricing for the wagon wasn’t available at posting time. If you’re in the market for a hatchback or wagon, you might want to take a visit to your VW dealer and take a look at the 2015 Golf family as VW has really brought a line up to dominate this segment.

This entry was posted on June 28, 2014 at 3:37 pm and is filed under Products with tags Volkswagen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.