1.6 TDI 115ps Match DSG7 5dr

Generally good but some annoyances

Owning this car for more than four years and 50k miles must say there's nothing too much wrong with it but there are some areas where it could be much better.

Firstly, reliability has been good with only one ABS sensor fail during my ownership.

Next, ride, handling and performance have been up to my expectations. I did think of changing it for a similar spec Volvo V40 diesel but found the ride and refinement was not as good as the Golf. Perormance is obviously nothing special but it is good enough for most overtaking and economy has been very good for an automatic.

Another good point is the cabin and load space, I have moved quantitites of Ikea flatpack and a double bed size futon using this car.

Where it falls down for me is in two areas:-

1) In spite of having adaptive cruise, automatic wipers and lights, front and rear parking sensors and other high spec kit it has no climate control, just push on/push off aircon which I am always having to fiddle with to get the right temperature. Also the ventilation system generally seems poor, taking ages to clear mist from the windscreen. My 57 plate BMW 1 series was much better.

2) The seats were designed by Torquemada, having two flat hard surfaces and a headrest that stops you putting your back against the seat without contorting your neck. The Match spec gives you lumbar support adjustment but the range of variation is from none to unnoticeable. In addition raising the seat base to get your hips closer to the level of your knees as recommended by physiotherapists results in the seat moving forward - why? It makes that adjustment useless for a tall driver. As VW and Porsche have been together for years and my 1990s Porsche 968 had comfortable seats with sensible adjustments I fail to understand why a 2010s VW cannot provide a seat that does not get you squirming on any but the shortest journeys. Having injured my back I've recently been looking around for a replacement and a high spec Qashqai or Mitsubishi ASX has seats that are light years ahead of the Golf.

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