Match 1.6 TDI 5dr Hatchback

A big disappointment

Bought this to replace a 2005 Bora 1.9 TDI 130 and I wish I hadn't! 16% less power and torque than the Bora but exactly the same MPG. The Bora combined consumption (according to EU directive 1999/100/EC) was 51.4, which is pretty much what I got. The Golf, tested to the same EU directive, should have returned 62.8 but it isn't even close. On one full tank to full tank measure it returned only 45 MPG.
VW have also got carried away with dumb features that can be implemented in software but don't cost anything in terms of additional hardware. Why, when I turn the temperature control to the coldest position, does the air conditioning turn on? If I want AC (which I don't, because the smell gives me sinus problems), there is a button to switch it on and off. I find that I can't change any of the ventilation settings without having to look down and check if I need to reset the AC/recirculate functions.
I did at least manage to get 'Hill Hold Assist' disabled before it caused an accident. If you tell your dealer that you are a driving instructor, VW will tell them how to turn it off.
A host of other niggles, like the radio screen that doesn't dim using the control that dims the instrument lights, door mirrors that loose alignment if you turn them down far enough to see parking bay lines and windscreen wipers that need a special sequence of ignition switch/wiper control to position them so that you can change the blades all add up to make ownership of this car a real pain.
Sometime after the MK4 Golf, VW seem to have lost their way. One consolation is that it does have a handbrake, unlike the MK7. At slow speed on slippery surfaces, the handbrake is a valuable additional control. Are MK7 owners expected not to drive on snow and slush?

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