{"id":13555,"date":"2009-10-13T11:50:34","date_gmt":"2009-10-13T16:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=13555"},"modified":"2009-10-14T07:36:26","modified_gmt":"2009-10-14T12:36:26","slug":"first-drive-2010-volkswagen-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2009\/10\/first-drive-2010-volkswagen-golf\/","title":{"rendered":"First Drive: 2010 Volkswagen Golf"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"All-new,<\/a>
All-new, sixth-generation versions of the Volkswagen Golf and the VW GTI are just reaching showrooms in the U.S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

American motorists have long had a love\/hate relationship with Volkswagen, but which way will they swing when the 2010 Volkswagen Golf rolls into showrooms?<\/p>\n

The German carmaker was the first offshore brand to make a serious foray into the American market, its little Beetle becoming an icon of the Hippie era.\u00a0 But despite the initial success of the Bug\u2019s successor, the Rabbit, VW sales soon crashed, as Baby Boomers shifted loyalties to a new generation of higher quality Asian imports.<\/p>\n

\"News,<\/a>
News and Reviews!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the late 1990s, Volkswagen staged a significant comeback, but despite the arrival of the completely redesigned \u201cNew\u201d Beetle, that success was relatively short-lived, in large part due to owner frustrations over seemingly endemic quality problems.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"With<\/a>
With a base price of $17,490, the 2010 VW Golf isn't cheap, but it has a lot going for it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recent reports by industry arbiters, notably including J.D. Power & Associates, suggest VW is getting its quality problems under control.\u00a0 And that\u2019s encouraged the German maker to lay out an ambitious goal to become one of the biggest foreign-owned brands in the American market, with sales more than doubling, to 800,000, by 2018.<\/p>\n

To get there, VW is laying out an ambitious agenda that includes the construction of a new assembly plant, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as the addition of a variety of new products.\u00a0 But the foundation of the plan, it could be argued, is the launch of the sixth generation compact hatchback, the 2010 Volkswagen Golf, which is just going on sale in the U.S., this month.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice the Rabbit nameplate is gone.\u00a0 The maker has once again decided to market itsglobal best-seller using the same name shared everywhere else on the planet.\u00a0 While the 2010 VW Golf starts off with the basic platform used in the previous model, it undergoes some dramatic enough changes that VW bills the \u201810 as an all-new product.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This 2.0-liter turbo diesel, in the 2010 VW Golf TDI, is fun to drive but still makes 42 mpg on the Highway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps, but VW aficionados won\u2019t take long to recognize the basic shape, whether in three or five-door configuration.\u00a0 Evolution has been the underlying philosophy, from the original Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed Golf to the 2010 Golf VI.<\/p>\n

If you need to sum up the modest styling changes in a word, the 2010 Volkswagen Golf is \u201ccrisper.\u201d\u00a0 A bit broader-shouldered than the old version, known internally as Golf V, the 2010 model features more pronounced wheel arches and several distinctive character lines, most notably the sharp crease that runs gently downward, across the length of the vehicle, from the top of the taillights to the middle of the headlamps.<\/p>\n

There are softer accent lines on the hood, as well, but VW has chosen not to mimic the latest trend in design, with all too many manufacturers flouting their skills with the stamping presses by adding kinks, creases and bends just about everywhere.\u00a0 \u201cLa Semplicita,\u201d explains Volkswagen Design Chief Walter da Silver, which loosely translates as \u201cKeep it simple.\u201d Expect this theme to spread throughout the entire VW line-up, suggests da Silva.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The 2010 Volkswagen Golf's interior is simple but well-appointed, with far less hard plastic than in the prior model.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Golf VI cabin echoes this philosophy, again using creases and curves where they make ergonomic sense, but not simply for a design statement.\u00a0 Instead, VW designers have focused on maximizing functionality while delivering a more sophisticated, upscale feel.\u00a0 There are pleasantly fewer hard plastic surfaces than in the old Golf.<\/p>\n

For its class, the 2010 Volkswagen Golf is a reasonably well-equipped package, with all the usual safety features, such as ABS, Stability Control and front, side and head airbags.\u00a0 There\u2019s the sort of well-tuned audio system \u2013 which offers not just satellite radio but the ability to plug in your iPod and other portable digital devices \u2013 that the typical, younger customer is likely to expect.<\/p>\n

But you\u2019re going to pay a premium for the VW logo on the hatchback\u2019s hood, acknowledged Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen of America.\u00a0 He conceded, in an interview with TheDetroitBureau.com, that the typical Volkswagen model is running about $3,000 to $4,000 more than comparably-equipped competitive offerings \u2013 largely reflecting today\u2019s dollar\/Euro exchange rate. (That\u2019s a key reason why you\u2019ll be seeing that new Tennessee assembly plant open in 2011.)<\/p>\n

With the base 3-door starting at $17,490, and the 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI going for $23,290, the new car may push to the upper limits of the segment, but it shouldn\u2019t scare away those who crave the sort of fun-to-drive qualities that have kept so many VW fans loyal, through thick and thin.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The 200-horsepower turbo I-4 in the 2010 Volkswagen GTI will make 0 to 60 in 6.7 seconds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That goes for the base car, with its 2.5-liter inline-four, which makes 170 horsepower and gets 22 mpg City and 30 on the Highway, as well as the peppier GTI.\u00a0 The sportiest version of the Golf line turns 200 horsepower out of its 2.0-liter turbo I-4, and can be mated to either a 6-speed manual or DSG with paddle shifter.\u00a0 Expect to read a lot about the gen-6 GTI, with its 17-inch standard wheels (18s are optional), and sportier front end.\u00a0 It\u2019ll hit 60 in a brisk 6.7 seconds and still deliver 24 mpg in the City and 32 on the Highway with the DSG gearbox \u2013 which can be operated in either auto or full manual mode.<\/p>\n

But during a couple days of driving, during which we clocked about 500 miles in all the various Golf permutations coming the U.S., our surprise favorite was the new 2010 Golf TDI, which starts at $21,990.<\/p>\n

Powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine, the TDI meets emission standards for all 50 states, and it delivers an impressive 30 mpg on the EPA City cycle, with a Highway rating at 42 mpg.\u00a0 Better than a number of hybrids now on the market, that\u2019s earned it a position as one of the five finalists in the Green Car of the Year program.<\/p>\n

\"Americans<\/a>
Americans may not be used to the hatchback style, but the roomy rear of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf demands a closer look.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For some potential customers, that might be the kiss of death.\u00a0 How often do mileage champs also deliver a fun drive?\u00a0 Here, for one.\u00a0 Okay, it\u2019s not quite as quick off the line as the GTI, but spend some time behind the wheel of this common rail fuel injected turbocharged diesel and you\u2019re likely to come away impressed.\u00a0 It\u2019s got a great launch feel and the engine keeps on pulling, all the way to 140 mph during one of runs down the Autobahn, heading from Wolfsburg to Dresden.<\/p>\n

And for those used to the diesels of old, the TDI is not only quick but relatively quiet.\u00a0 You might not even notice any of that traditional diesel diesel clattering unless you\u2019re idling at a light with the radio off.<\/p>\n

For the extra money, the diesel gets some extra equipment in the package, including a new touch-screen audio system with Sirius satellite radio \u2013 and a lowered sport suspension.<\/p>\n

Across the board, all variations of the Golf showed themselves more than capable of handling both the demands of the Autobahn and the back roads we occasionally switched over to.\u00a0 Unlike many entries in this segment, the hatchback has a solid road feel with surprisingly little body roll in even tight corners.\u00a0 Steering is crisp, precise and you get the sort of road feel that VW has always been known for, even though the Golf engineering team has done a credible job of isolating the normal road jouncing.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The 2010 Volkswagen GTI is the sportiest member of the sixth-generation VW Golf family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Volkswagen officials are so confident about their new hatchback that they\u2019re making a concerted pitch to the 50 members of the North American Car of the Year jury \u2013 of which I am one.\u00a0 So far, the 2010 VW Golf has made it through the first round of voting and I would personally be surprised if it didn\u2019t make the jump from semi-finalist to finalist.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the only thing working against the car is that it maintains that VW philosophy of continuous evolution, rather than surprising us with some truly revolutionary changes.\u00a0 But, then again, the 2010 Volkswagen Golf is simply so good it doesn\u2019t need to.\u00a0 Yes, the price tag may get you to swallow hard, but if you\u2019re in the market for a compact offering that\u2019s roomy, fun-to-drive and delivers great fuel economy, you\u2019ll have to look hard to find something quite as competitive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Volkswagen has some big plans for the future, in the U.S. market, but that all depends on the success of the 2010 VW Golf. TheDetroitBureau.com Publisher Paul A. Eisenstein headed to Germany to check out the new hatchback.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13555"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13555"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=13555"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=13555"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=13555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}