Simply sophisticated

The entry-level VW Golf is as polished a family hatchback as ever. But with the increasing popularity of SUVs, has it arrived in SA too late?

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Nearly eight years have passed since we last road tested a nonperformance-oriented Volkswagen Golf. The 1.0TSI not only impressed in our July 2017 test, but as a four-time Top 12 Best Buys winner, the seventh-generation also gave a polished account of the range.

Introduced in 2012, over its eightyear lifespan, the Mk.7 Golf lineup included such models as the 1.0 TSI, 1.4 TSI, 2.0 TSI, 2.0 TDI, GTD, GTI and R. However, owing to South Africa's preference for the latter two (ours is one of the largest markets for performancefocused variants) and increasing popularity of the Wolfsburg automaker's T range of crossovers and SUVs, the standard Golf derivatives were gradually discontinued in SA.

However, shortly after Volkswagen announced the 8.5 generation on the Golf's 50th anniversary in 2024, the firm's local arm confirmed that an entry-level version of its bestselling midsize hatchback would finally return to South Africa during the course of 2025.

The standard Golf has always been a CAR-favourite thanks to its broad breadth of talents; such as practical packaging, impressive levels of perceived quality and effortless road manners. As a product of evolution, rather than revolution, each generation of Golf we have tested proved a more polished package than the previous iteration.