2010 Volkswagon Golf (804)

Overview:

This week we’re looking at the 2010 Volkswagen Golf 2-door as seen by friend and colleague Merkel Weiss. I don’t always agree with him but I do agree this is a very nice automobile. For those who know Merkel you know he doesn’t say nice things easily.

For those who read my column you will know I quote Merkel on occasion because he adds balance from a design engineer’s point of view.

He’s a member of the Motor Press Guild. Professionally he is a Mechanical Engineer and was a member of the design group at Chrysler Corp. Equally important is that he was a professor of automotive engineering and design at the famous “Art Center College of Design” in Pasadena, California for many years. Some of Professor Weiss’s students went on to become famous as designers of such cars as the PT Cruiser and Chevrolet HHR to name two.

Merkel and I talk on occasion and try to inspire each other and critique each others work. We’ve met on many fields of battle which often come out a draw but when it comes to engineering I can’t argue with the man.

I am happy to share Merkel’s observations once again on this VW Golf.

The Volkswagen that I Have Come to Love
By Merkel Weiss

I just drove a new VW Golf and I find myself again, in love with the car. There is a lot to love about the Golf /GTI line, especially with a starting price of $17,620. The ingress and egress is every bit as graceful as I have come to expect from VW over the years. The size of the door and the threshold height are nearly perfection. You drop right into a nicely sculpted cloth seat which is nicely bolstered but not confining in the Mk 6 Golf. The center console seems a bit too wide, and I find that the outside of my right thigh tires from leaning on the console incessantly, however. The instruments are near perfection and the back seat is also relatively habitable, all this in a car only13.7 feet long. The ride is quiet, compliant, and highly civilized. Handling is crisp in the finest European style.

There is a difference in the connectedness with which the Golf conducts itself which separates it from the Mk 5 Golf and most others back to the early Mk1 GTI. The slightly damped steering imprecision of earlier Mk3 through Mk5 Golf has been replaced with a more direct, more responsive system which at once filters out the unwanted road irregularities while at the same time provides adequately tactile road surface information. Perhaps this is why the Golf has always been such a big player in Europe.

Go into a VW dealership anywhere here in the US and ask for a Golf, I dare you. Then watch the fireworks while the sales staff does everything humanly possible to have you drive out in a Jetta. It’s almost uncanny how they don’t seem to be able to ever put their hands on a Golf that meets your requirements, while there is a near-perfect match in a Jetta warming up right outside the door. And if you were to throw in the magic word TDI Golf, there is nearly no possibility on this green earth that you could find one with the options you want. These cars are scarce and highly sought after. The patience of a saint really pays off if you want a TDI Golf, but hang in there because it’s worth the wait. Of course if you were to accept any color and any option package, they might be able to find one for you…just don’t ask for the manual transmission or…

The standard 2.5 liter 5-cylinder engine works well, thank you. It revs very nicely and pulls as strongly as any passenger car. It’s complaint free and in the manual transmission model, the shifts are short, accurate, and positive. In short, this is a driver’s car that doubles as a competent family car for not a whole lot of money. The only operational down side to the Golf is the fuel economy. Since the car has porked out to 2968 pounds, the EPA fuel economy is 22/30 mpg, city/highway. This figure does not represent the finest efforts being put forward worldwide in the area of efficiency, but it is at least in line with the weight and performance level of the car. The TDI will do a bit better, namely 30/41 mpg. You may recall that previous generation Golf’s were able to get along quite well with the 4 cylinder powerplant, but at this point even though it’s a bit lighter that last year, the slow middle-aged doughnut about the mid section has taken its toll. You’ll be happy to hear that like most German designs, the car carries its heft very well and at no time is there any indication that the car is anything but alive in your hands.

The ignition key is now a laser cut device like BMW and Lexus that will cost you big if it’s lost or damaged. That’s progress for you. Similarly, the electronic key fob locks and unlocks the entire car. There is a redundant lock switch on the drivers’ door. There is however, no key receptacle in the hatch lid so you have to unlock it using the key fob. Then you pull on the hugely oversized round VW moniker handle to open the hatch. There is no mechanical cable release unless you crawl back into the rear and pull the emergency release. I mention this because, like so many other modern electronically assisted cars, when the battery goes dead you’ll lose more than your radio presets.

The back seat is an adequate space for adults so long as the drive is not too long, and children will do just fine there. It’s a light and airy environment with reasonable comfort and good seatbelts. This is a genuinely useful car whether you choose the 2-door or 4-door model. High quality materials abound and it seems a great deal more solid and rattle free than some past models. I admire this base car for what it has and for what it costs, if not for its efficiency. Should you want it all (and hey, why not?) then gather up all your patience, go down to the VW dealership and offer them the $21,990 for the TDI. You won’t regret it.

Recognized Competition:

Volkswagon Golf $18-23,000, Chevrolet Cobalt $15-25,000, Dodge Caliber $16-25,000, Ford Focus $16-19,000, Honda Civic $15-25,000, Honda Fit $15-19,000, Hyundai Elantra $14-18,000, Hyundai Elantra Touring $16-20,000, Kia Forte $14-17,000, Kia Forte Koup $17-18,000, Mazda 3 $15-22,000, MINI Clubman $20-31,000, Mitsubishi Eclipse $21-33,000, Mitsubishi Lancer $15-27,000, Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback $19-28,000, Nissan Sentra $15-20,000, Saturn Astra $17-20,000, Subaru Impreza $17-27,000, Suzuki SX4 Crossover $16-20,000, Toyota Corola $15-20,000, Toyota Matrix $17-22,000.

Gas Stats:

$2.97/ Gal avg. March 15 ‘10
www.fueleconomy.gov
for more information.

22 City and 30 Highway MPG

Pricing:

MSRP $17,490.