We continue with the Volkswagen Golf’s through the years journey with two recent models that are still fresh in the memory – the Mk5 and Mk6 Golfs.
The regular Golf Mk5 was a revolution when it debut in October 2003, being bigger, safer and boasting higher quality. It was visually reinvented, mixing the Golf’s characteristic C-pillar with a sporty front end (the slope on the hood, windshield rake) and muscular silhouette. For the first time, the bonnet follows the contour of the headlight, like a sports car, VW says. The brand’s DSG dual-clutch gearbox surfaced in this generation.
Above all, the Mk5 will be remembered as the Golf generation that brought the GTI hot hatch back to form. That’s true for both Malaysia – where the Mk5 GTI first came in as Wald-tuned cars before VW had an official presence here – and the world, where the fast Golf impressed with its sharp dynamics and performance. Also, the unmistakeable black grille, telephone-dial alloys and tartan seats gave it real character.
The Mk6 Golf brought plenty of technology to the segment when it replaced the Mk5 in 2008. An evolution, the sixth-gen car “took the technology and looks of the Golf V a step further,” Wolfsburg says.
In addition to TSI and DSG, new assistance systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Park Assist auto parking, automatic main beam management Light Assist, Hill Hold function, tyre pressure monitoring and DCC adaptive chassis control combined to make the Mk6 a democracy of technology (the headline I used for Autocar Asean’s first drive report of the Golf Mk6 in Iceland), bringing luxury car tech to the masses.
With nine airbags (driver’s knee airbag included) and improved soundproofing, it was also a safer and more refined machine. The Mk6 later went on to be named World Car of the Year in 2009. “Wherever you looked, you could see that Volkswagen had reached the height of auto engineering,” said Klaus Bischoff, head of Volkswagen Design.
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VW’s journey ends in the workshop, enough said.
Dont play2 with Volkswage DSG dry clutch. Parking at VW SC more than ur car pouch!
new 2016 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI Comfortline RM 113,990. Wat?!!!
it’s stupid not to consider similarly priced merc model, reliable, reputation, dignity.
I considered Mercs before I bought my Mk 7. The C class is fine, but at that price point really empty. The A and B class are lacking in quality and refinement, and pretty much everything else. I’d take a Golf, or Mazda 3 over a Merc any time. Those cars are just a pretty face with nothing much underneath.
Stuck with problematik Mk 7 then.
No serious issues so far ;) The dynamic light assist needs to be calibrated, and there are a few rattles that shouldn’t be there (but to be fair roads are absolutely terrible here). No repairs after 60000 km so far.
The only thing I’d trust about a small Merc is the Renault engines.
I never knew that the mk6 was a re-engineered mk5. Vw pulled the same fast one with the outgoing Passat as well.
Mk5 GTI using timing belt. Mk6 GTI timing chain, with electric water pump.
It’s a fact.
Haters gonna hate. Say what u want, but no car in that price range is well equipped and drive as well as a VW, Golf in this case.
yeap, spot on….the golf is sublime …very good handling, comfortable driving, very quiet NVH at an accord/camry 2.0 price…very good indeed…nothing can corner like the golf while comfy at the same time, can take bump, road imperfection and just roll over it…the problem wt Msia is just that it came wt a single variant..the grenade like reputation of both the twin charge TSI & the dsg dry box…in europe, most ppl bought the TDI in manual or the lower powered 1.4 TSI wt manual box…soo bullet proof reliable, around my place in coventry…mostly ppl driving golf from mk4-7, passat, mondeo, focus, vauxhall, and some mazda…etc..the likes and mostly TDI wt manual box!
Mine is a 140 hp 1.4 with manual box. I’m not too worried. I let the engine warm up properly before demanding power from it, I let it cool down before turning it off. And the manual box is good. Fun to drive, easy to drive, and well, it’s not going to break easily.
The 1.6 TDI is a dreadful machine. It is noisy as hell, when driving around 120 or so you feel like going deaf (in comparison the 1.4 TSI is super quiet at those speeds, the 1.2 TSI is also pretty quiet, and the 2.0 TDI is). The 2.0 TDI is an awesome engine though, but quite rare. Even the 105-ish hp 1.6 TDI is more expensive than the 1.4 TSI with 150 hp, the 2.0 TDI is really expensive. But wonderful. Low fuel consumption, powerful, and doesn’t sound like a truck! A very noisy one.
As for cornering and comfort… the Golf feels posher and higher quality than the BMW 1 series (F20), but that car rides absolutely beautifully. It’s fun to drive, with good steering and good handling, yet it soaks up all the bumps nicely. Relatively speaking, the French can do it even better, but they don’t handle so good.
The Golf does strike a decent compromise.
Yeap ! My italian friend take me round the lake side wt his golf manual gear….fun !
if you want a democracy of technology,you need to gave up some reliability..MK6 GTI Onwer here,yes the car does give some problem that a conventional Japanese car wont face in their life time,but from the driver seat i can tell that it worth every cents for the maintenance cost.
haters gonna hate anyway..
the dry clutch messed up an otherwise perfect car!