The Our Cars fleet sees the arrival of the Volkswagen Golf
After running a Ford Focus and Honda Civic, Dan is looking forward to six months with the ever popular Volkswagen Golf.
Date: 20 January 2014 | Current mileage: 89 | Claimed economy: 60.1mpg | Actual economy: 48.9mpg
This is the first time that we've ever had a Golf on the Honest John Our Cars fleet. We've had many other cars from Volkswagen's sister companies – SEAT, Skoda and Audi – and several of its rivals, including the Ford Focus, but this is the first time that we've put the Golf to our long term test.
And it's an important one. Not only because it's such a big seller in the UK and popular among users of this site, but also because it's a car that can divide opinion. Looking at our Owner Reviews for the last couple of generations of Golf, it's clear that the reviews are mixed for long term ownership.
Some people love its comfort, spaciousness and reliability, while others have reported problems ranging from niggles to real headaches. In fairness, reports for this generation of Golf are pretty positive so far, with just a few grumbles from people who would prefer a real handbrake instead of the electronic one that is now fitted as standard and what have become the usual complaints about matching the official fuel consumption figures. As one owner puts it: “The car is comfortable and good to drive, but uses more petrol than said.”
So, which one have we gone for? We've opted for Volkswagen's 1.4 TSI engine, which is available on a wide range of other models not just in Volkswagen’s range, but in Skoda, SEAT and Audi. In fact, some have already made an appearance in the HJ Our Cars fleet.
Our Golf GT is powered by a 1.4 TSI engine with cylinder deactivation technology
It's an engine that’s designed to maximise efficiency without sacrificing performance. The turbocharging technology means that max torque comes in between 1,500-3,500rpm, which on paper means it should be good off the line and offer plenty of poke around town. The 0-62mph time is 8.4 seconds and it has a top speed of 131mph.
Official consumption is 60.1mpg but from Real MPG figures submitted so far, it looks as though I should expect somewhere in the region of 45mpg, which is about 77 per cent of the official figure. I've done some maths and I reckon that for me personally, this is a much better option than a diesel. With a list price of £23,450 and an average mileage of 15,000 miles per year, it’s unlikely that I’d ever see the benefit from opting for the £23,995 2.0 TDI with 150PS.
My sums - based on average petrol and diesel prices and official fuel consumption figures - suggest it will take almost 68,000 miles before it starts to pay for itself. That’s four and a half years at the rate at which I cover miles, so I will never see the cost savings. It also means that there will be no diesel particulate filter to worry about, so there’ll be no need to worry if I end up doing a large chunk of my miles at low, town centre speeds.
So, what’s the kit like? Well, on the safety side it’s pretty comprehensive with the usual ESP and ASR Traction Control plus it has XDS – an electronic differential lock for improved traction and handling. Elsewhere there is a curtain airbag system for front and rear passengers, driver’s and front passenger’s airbags a driver’s knee airbag and front seat side impact airbags.
Our Golf GT also has ADC Automatic Distance Control including Front Assist which is a radar sensor-controlled distance monitoring system, city emergency braking system and cruise control. Inside there’s Bluetooth, electric heated mirrors, a multifunction computer and satellite navigation. Outside sees 17-inch ‘Singapore’ alloys with 225/45 R17 tyres (a £285 option) and sports suspension lowered by 10mm.
We’ve also taken the opportunity to add a few luxuries, so the air conditoning has been upgraded to 2Zone electronic air conditioning (£410), there’s DCC (Adaptive Chassis Control) with variable suspension settings (£815) and the Winter Pack, as we’ll be running the car in some of the harshest months of the year. That adds headlight washers, heated front seats, heated windscreen, washer jets and low washer fluid warning light for £375.
DAB makes a difference
The latest Golf comes with DAB radio as standard but this tends to be the exception rather than the rule among new cars.
Date: 3 February 2014 | Current mileage: 278 | Claimed economy: 60.1mpg | Actual economy: 48.9mpg
In-car DAB has been a long time coming. A very long time.
I can still remember the razzamataz around the launch of digital radio back in the late 1990s when it was launched alongside digital TV. There were high hopes for the system that promised a “CD quality sound” and an unheard of breadth of new stations. High hopes and then… nothing.
Well, nothing when it came to in-car DAB at least. While there has been a massive push throughout the 2000s to get people to upgrade to a digital radio, car manufacturers have seriously lagged behind getting the sets into cars. And that’s a big deal, as we do a large chunk of our radio listening while we’re behind the wheel.
So why the long wait?
Well, manufacturers have been hesitant to make DAB standard in cars from the off. That could be because the UK uses a completely different - and incompatible - version of DAB to the rest of Europe and this additional complication would have meant that UK cars would need to have entirely different system to those cars sold on the continent. There was also talk - for a while at least - of the UK ditching DAB and opting for the DAB+ system that’s used abroad. The two are entirely incompatible.
There’s also an element of chicken and egg from car buyers, too. Consumers haven’t been demanding DAB in cars in sufficient numbers, as they’re probably quite happy with their FM radio at home. We tend to be creatures of habit when it comes to listening to the radio, sticking to a few favourite stations, rather than surfing from channel to channel like we do with TV. If your usual station is fine on FM (which is at least the same quality as DAB), then there’s not much to be gained by going digital.
Which means I should be underwhelmed when it comes to the DAB radio in my Golf. But the truth is I’m not. I’m one of those people who listens to digital radio at home (thanks to a Christmas present from years gone by) and to stations that aren’t available on FM. So being able to listen to it on the move still feels like a treat. I’m also appreciating the greater range of speech stations with news, sport and comedy when it comes to longer journeys. Combine that with excellent compatibility with iPhones, USB and SD cards and there are plenty of built-in entertainment options. And without the cost of a hard drive ‘jukebox’ that some manufacturers fit.
As good as the DAB system in my Golf is, the whole concept of digital radio does feel like ‘old technology’, rather than the spearhead of something new and exciting. The number of stations is greater than you get on FM, but not so much greater that every niche is filled and you have a near unlimited choice of stations. I can’t help but feel that with mobile and on-board car technology converging, it’s likely that DAB will become the car world’s MiniDisk and with online streaming options offering better choice and - potentially quality - will never really take off as originally planned.
What the future holds for digital radio in the UK and in cars in particular remains unclear. Just one in 20 cars in the UK has digital radio, though more than 35 per cent of new car registrations have DAB fitted. That means that the big switch-off date continues to shift. Just a few years ago, 2015 was being touted as the date that FM and AM transmissions would cease, but the earliest that anyone now seems to be talking about the end is 2018. It will - apparently - be seriously considered when 40 per cent of radio listening is done digitally.
February: A washout month
It’s been a baptism of fire for the first few weeks of the Golf as the UK faced some of the worst winter weather in years.
Date: 24 February 2014 | Current mileage: 487 | Claimed economy: 60.1mpg | Actual economy: 49.2mpg
It’s been a baptism of fire for the first few weeks with my new Golf, as the UK faced some of the worst winter weather in years. With a conveyor belt bringing in Atlantic storm after Atlantic storm, the heavy rain and ferocious winds have been relentless and have brought with them waist-deep floods.
Where I live in Cambridgeshire, we’ve seen heavy flooding throughout January and February - as have many parts of the country.Thankfully for us, the water (and lots of it) stayed in the floodplains and wasn’t lapping at our front door. And that’s a relief, as I know that the Golf’s wading depth leaves a lot to be desired.
What this did mean, however, was the main road through our village was cut off and in its place has been a significant detour to the A1 - vital for me as I travel to London regularly.
This has meant that I’ve spent more time in the Golf than I otherwise would have and got to know it that little bit better. It has been great in the foul weather with excellent road holding and a decent all-round view. Ideal for when it has been chucking it down and visibility has been severely restricted. On that score, the ACC radar cruise control has come in very handy.
It’s a system that’s been used on high-end models for a few years now, but the technology is now starting to percolate down to more everyday hatches likes the Golf. Like normal cruise control, you set it to your desired speed, but with this system a radar built into the front bumper measure the distance between you and the car in front and adjusts your speed accordingly.
The adaptive cruise control in the Golf has proved very useful recently
Nine out of ten times it works superbly, anticipating changes in speed as fast - or faster - than you can. But don’t be too tempted to hand over full control, as it’s not clever enough to take into account bad drivers - they remain as random in their actions as ever. If a driver in a neighbouring lane decides to change lanes without looking at what he’s doing, the system can’t process what’s happening quickly enough and it’s down to the driver to apply the brakes (just as it should be).
Now, I’m not normally a big fan of these systems, as I prefer to be fully in control of the car, but in the middle of torrential downpours it has proven very useful. Where forward visibility is restricted and the wipers are on full steam, the radar cruise control keeps an eye on what’s happening further forward. You can even change the distance between you and the car in front for maximum safety.
Another feature that’s proving increasingly handy are the traffic alerts built into the navigation and again, it’s another example of high-end tech now being available at a much more affordable price point. Navigation has come a long way over the past 10 years and that’s pretty evident with the latest generation system on my Golf.
Big screen, clear instructions and a bird’s eye view of the road ahead, which gives a good idea of road conditions ahead. This system does a good job of displaying heavy traffic and - very importantly - closed roads in the distance so that you can take alternative routes. My only criticism is that it’s partially touch-screen and that can be fiddly/slow to react if you want to make changes on the move. All in all, the Golf has coped well with the rotten weather of the past few weeks and highlighted some of its hidden qualities to boot.
WTH is ACT?
This Golf is fitted with a clever new engine system called ACT - but what does it actually mean in practice?
Date: 9 March 2014 | Current mileage: 931 | Claimed economy: 60.1mpg | Actual economy: 49.1mpg
This is the first time that I’ve spent an extended period with Volkswagen’s rather clever 1.4-litre TSI ACT engine and to be honest, it isn't firing on all cylinders. And that’s a good thing.
Let me explain. The 1.4-litre TSI engine in our Golf uses Active Cylinder Technology - or ACT - to shut down certain cylinders when cruising to help aid fuel consumption. When in operation, it alerts the driver through the LCD screen between the instruments. It works at low throttle loads, so when cruising on the motorway and typically between 1250rpm and 4000 rpm, it will kick-in and it switches off a couple of cylinders.
Aside from the alert on the display, the driver notices very little. No loss of power, no jerking motion and no unexplained noises. But beneath the bonnet, the combustion chambers are filled with air and this trapped air leads to minimal cylinder pressure and therefore uses less energy. Following this, the system shuts down the intake and exhaust valves for cylinders two and three, with ignition only occurring once per crankshaft revolution.
That’s the ACT part of the name, which is new, but the TSI part has been around in several forms since the mid 2000s. It uses turbocharging and supercharging technology to give small petrol engines the kind of power that you’d expect from much larger powerplants.
It’s now well established and used in a wide range of Volkswagen Group cars and in 1.4-litre 122PS form was the engine that kick-started the trend for small turbocharged petrol engines and made petrol a cost-efficient option again after many years of losing out to diesel, even if that was at least part of this was in perception only.
In comparison to older - larger displacement - petrol engines it’s more eager at lower revs and smooth too, right up to 6000rpm. Had this car been around ten years ago, it would have been a 1.8-litre engine producing 130 to 140PS. What’s also impressive is the lack of turbo lag. Put your foot down on the throttle and you get a response, you’re not left waiting for the power to kick-in, which was so often the case with older turbocharged engines.
Got all that? Don’t worry if not, all you need to know is that the system is designed to maximise economy on motorway runs and, for a petrol, it is returning some decent figures. A figure of 47.3mpg may be some way off the claimed 60.1mpg, but that’s still a pretty decent return and, being a petrol, you don’t have the worry of a diesel particulate filter clogging and causing expensive repair bills.
My figures appear to be slap-bang in the middle of what Real MPG users are currently getting. The range of figures submitted ranges from 38.4mpg to 50.3mpg, with it averaging out at 44.1mpg. And, of course, these are still early days. With just over a thousand miles on the clock, this engine is still bedding in and I expect that fuel consumption figure to improve significantly over time.
And if you are into the details of bearing diameters and rod bearing pins, then there are more technical details on the system here.
Spare change
Why are so many cars doing away with a spare wheel - and how well would the Golf cope when it comes to a puncture?
Date: 24 March 2014 | Current mileage: 1167 | Claimed economy: 60.1mpg | Actual economy: 49.3mpg
One of the issues that really gets HonestJohn.co.uk readers hot under the collar is spare wheels - or the lack of them.
Manufacturers have been on a mission to cut weight out of cars for the past five or six years or so. After decades of cars getting bigger and heavier (due in part to better safety systems and stronger structures), the trend is now to cut weight wherever possible.
Why? Well weight has a direct influence on fuel economy and CO2 emissions, so the lighter the car, the better its fuel economy. With a spare weighing around 20kg, it’s easy pickings when it comes to trimming the weight. Nowhere has this been more obvious than on off-roaders. When was the last time you saw a tailgate-mounted spare wheel on a newish 4x4? Once a ubiquitous sign of the car’s go-anywhere prowess, they have nearly all been dropped for a smooth tailgate and space saver.
It is said that cutting 100kg of weight out of a car brings its CO2 emissions down by 9g/km. That’s a hefty saving which could have serious tax implications for its owner. Get that figure down and the car suddenly looks more attractive for a wider number of buyers and that’s bound to have a positive impact on sales.
So you can see why many manufacturers have done away with spare wheel over the years and why, when they end up stuck at the side of the road, owners have been so annoyed that the spare wheel has become a space saver, which has in turn become a can of tyre-sealant ‘gloop’ - useless if the tyre has more than a nail-prick puncture.
Many owners don’t actually know what kind of back-up they have if they get a puncture - whether it’s a full-size spare, space saver or repair kit - until it’s too late. This blissful ignorance means many end up up the side of the road fumbling with a puncture repair kit in the dark.
I’ve checked my Golf and it’s fitted with a space saver, which is about 7kg lighter than the full-size option, demonstrating that Volkswagen has opted for trade-off between saving weight and offering a drive-it-away option in case of more serious punctures.
The tyre itself is a 125/70 R16 and good for 50mph. As with all spacesavers, the advice is to use it to get to your nearest garage before getting a new full-size tyre fitted and not to use it as a replacement (sounds daft, but many people do…).
For those who want the peace of mind of a full-size spare, the well in which the spare sits is large enough to house one, which isn’t always the case these days. As punctures have a habit of happening at the most inconvenient time possible, in the rain and on a road that’s dirty, I just hope I never have to use it.
