A good strategy?
Shopping at Volkswagen might be a little confusing these days. Last fall, they replaced the Golf with the Rabbit, which was previously scheduled to still be called the Golf, and is still called the Golf in Europe. Then, the City Golf was announced, based on the outgoing model but with a fire-sale price. Finally, the 2006 Golf TDI models were still on sale well through the beginning of 2007.
What exactly is the reason for the City Golf's existence? According to VW, since they don't have a subcompact ready for the North American market, and that particular segment is growing rapidly with the rising price of gasoline, they had to do something.
Send the previous-generation Golf's blueprints to a factory in Brazil, cut down on the standard features, and fix some bugs at the same time. The City Golf, along with its City Jetta counterpart, are compacts at a subcompact price, and are not offered in the United States.
Tried and tested mechanicals
VW dusted off the old 8-valve 2.0-liter engine, which wheezes out only 115 horsepower, and sent it back down the warpath. It may sound pathetic, but in real-world driving, it's not that bad at all; 122 pound-feet of torque are available low in the engine's rev range, which makes up beautifully for the modest power output.
The 5-speed manual's shifter feels a little wobbly, partly because to engage reverse you have to push down on the spring-loaded shifter, and the shift knob isn't capped on tight. That doesn't prevent it from doing its job, and the light clutch makes for easy launches.
I was expecting a noisy driving experience, but it's not the case. The powertrain is actually quite pleasant, and its sound level is decent. It actually sounds better than the Rabbit's inline-5. The only time it starts to get loud is on the highway, because at 120 km/h, the engine is spinning at a high 3,600 rpm. Overall, the car is returning an average of 10.4 L/100 km, which isn't bad, but don't expect subcompact-level fuel economy.
The rest of the car is pure VW: sure-footed handling, a competent chassis, precise steering, and a healthy dose of driving pleasure.
Shopping at Volkswagen might be a little confusing these days. Last fall, they replaced the Golf with the Rabbit, which was previously scheduled to still be called the Golf, and is still called the Golf in Europe. Then, the City Golf was announced, based on the outgoing model but with a fire-sale price. Finally, the 2006 Golf TDI models were still on sale well through the beginning of 2007.
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| Volkswagen pulled a Golf out of its hat. |
What exactly is the reason for the City Golf's existence? According to VW, since they don't have a subcompact ready for the North American market, and that particular segment is growing rapidly with the rising price of gasoline, they had to do something.
Send the previous-generation Golf's blueprints to a factory in Brazil, cut down on the standard features, and fix some bugs at the same time. The City Golf, along with its City Jetta counterpart, are compacts at a subcompact price, and are not offered in the United States.
Tried and tested mechanicals
VW dusted off the old 8-valve 2.0-liter engine, which wheezes out only 115 horsepower, and sent it back down the warpath. It may sound pathetic, but in real-world driving, it's not that bad at all; 122 pound-feet of torque are available low in the engine's rev range, which makes up beautifully for the modest power output.
The 5-speed manual's shifter feels a little wobbly, partly because to engage reverse you have to push down on the spring-loaded shifter, and the shift knob isn't capped on tight. That doesn't prevent it from doing its job, and the light clutch makes for easy launches.
I was expecting a noisy driving experience, but it's not the case. The powertrain is actually quite pleasant, and its sound level is decent. It actually sounds better than the Rabbit's inline-5. The only time it starts to get loud is on the highway, because at 120 km/h, the engine is spinning at a high 3,600 rpm. Overall, the car is returning an average of 10.4 L/100 km, which isn't bad, but don't expect subcompact-level fuel economy.
The rest of the car is pure VW: sure-footed handling, a competent chassis, precise steering, and a healthy dose of driving pleasure.
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| A veteran on the battlefield. |