New styling
Last year, the City Golf and City Jetta got restyled front and rear ends, and in my humble opinion, VW did a better job with the hatchback than with the sedan. The Golf now looks more modern and fits in with the rest of the family.
Inside, the car gets a new sound system that includes a standard-issue USB port, a great feature for those who like to sift through a wide variety of music. The dash and door panels look pretty good for a 15-grand car, and the seats are covered in a sturdy fabric.
Rear-seat space isn't great, and adults who climb aboard would appreciate more legroom. The cargo area, at 330 litres, is small even by subcompact standards, and when the rear seatback is folded down, available space grows to 1,118 litres. We'll still a long way from the 1,622 L in the Fit and 1,427 L in the Versa.
Competition
This test car included a great deal of options, such as A/C, power windows, mirrors and locks, cruise control, alloy wheels, stability control, heated seats and side-curtain airbags, for a grand total of $20,360. We're now in the Rabbit's price range, but a similarly-equipped model costs about $3,000 more than the City Golf.
Just for fun, let's compare this car with some subcompacts and low-priced 5-door compacts with a similar level of equipment and an automatic:
Chevrolet Aveo5 LT with options, 106 hp, $18,825
Dodge Caliber SXT with options, 158 hp, $21,140
Honda Fit LX, 117 hp, $18,580
Kia Rio5 EX Sport, 110 hp, $19,445
Mazda3 Sport GX with options, 148 hp, $19,190
Nissan Versa 1.8 SL, 122 hp, $17,798
Pontiac G3 Wave SE with options, 106 hp, $18,825
Pontiac Vibe with options, 132 hp, $21,070
Suzuki SX4 JX Hatchback, 143 hp, $19,995
Toyota Matrix with options, 132 hp, $20,950
Conclusion
As old as it is, the City Golf can still provide decent transportation for a fairly low price. It cannot compete fair and square with the latest subcompacts, as they are mostly more spacious and more fuel-efficient. And despite being built in Brazil, it's the least-expensive European car on our market.
If you're interested in this car, it might be best to choose your options carefully, as the price of the City Golf will rise to levels that compete with better choices, such as the Mazda3 Sport, Pontiac Vibe, Saturn Astra and Toyota Matrix, not to mention the more-refined and sportier Rabbit.
photo:Philippe Champoux, Matthieu Lambert
Last year, the City Golf and City Jetta got restyled front and rear ends, and in my humble opinion, VW did a better job with the hatchback than with the sedan. The Golf now looks more modern and fits in with the rest of the family.
Inside, the car gets a new sound system that includes a standard-issue USB port, a great feature for those who like to sift through a wide variety of music. The dash and door panels look pretty good for a 15-grand car, and the seats are covered in a sturdy fabric.
Rear-seat space isn't great, and adults who climb aboard would appreciate more legroom. The cargo area, at 330 litres, is small even by subcompact standards, and when the rear seatback is folded down, available space grows to 1,118 litres. We'll still a long way from the 1,622 L in the Fit and 1,427 L in the Versa.
Competition
This test car included a great deal of options, such as A/C, power windows, mirrors and locks, cruise control, alloy wheels, stability control, heated seats and side-curtain airbags, for a grand total of $20,360. We're now in the Rabbit's price range, but a similarly-equipped model costs about $3,000 more than the City Golf.
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| The City Golf has a base price of $15,300. |
Just for fun, let's compare this car with some subcompacts and low-priced 5-door compacts with a similar level of equipment and an automatic:
Chevrolet Aveo5 LT with options, 106 hp, $18,825
Dodge Caliber SXT with options, 158 hp, $21,140
Honda Fit LX, 117 hp, $18,580
Kia Rio5 EX Sport, 110 hp, $19,445
Mazda3 Sport GX with options, 148 hp, $19,190
Nissan Versa 1.8 SL, 122 hp, $17,798
Pontiac G3 Wave SE with options, 106 hp, $18,825
Pontiac Vibe with options, 132 hp, $21,070
Suzuki SX4 JX Hatchback, 143 hp, $19,995
Toyota Matrix with options, 132 hp, $20,950
Conclusion
As old as it is, the City Golf can still provide decent transportation for a fairly low price. It cannot compete fair and square with the latest subcompacts, as they are mostly more spacious and more fuel-efficient. And despite being built in Brazil, it's the least-expensive European car on our market.
If you're interested in this car, it might be best to choose your options carefully, as the price of the City Golf will rise to levels that compete with better choices, such as the Mazda3 Sport, Pontiac Vibe, Saturn Astra and Toyota Matrix, not to mention the more-refined and sportier Rabbit.
photo:Philippe Champoux, Matthieu Lambert
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