Volkswagen Golf Estate (2013 - 2020)
1.4 TSI 125ps SE Nav DSG7 5dr Estate
Refined, spacious, comfortable and economical.
I bought this car as a nearly new demonstrator with 1000 miles. It is the face-lifted Mk7.5 version and came with heated seats and steering wheel which were really useful in the cold winter we have just had. So far it has completed 14,000 miles with an average fuel consumption of 54.3 mpg checked when refilling. Worst tank-full was 48 MPG, best was 58.9.
The car has plenty of room for 4 large adults and their luggage plus various compartments in the car and under the boot floor. With the seats down it can carry very large items.
Handling is good, although there is a fair amount of roll and the ride is very comfortable on the standard 16 inch wheels. Tyre noise on the concrete section of the M25 is dreadful, but elsewhere it is fine. This may just be with the Hankook tyres as supplied on my car.
The DSG gearbox is great most of the time, once you get used to it and learn to put it in sport-mode when you need a quick getaway at junctions or roundabouts. This is easy to do as it simply involves pulling back the lever to switch between your selected mode (Normal/Eco) and Sport. The gearbox can be a bit jerky and you don't have the same control as in a manual or torque-converter auto, especially when cold or using Eco in a hilly area, but for the majority of time you hardly notice it changing gear.
The adaptive cruise control (ACC) is also very good most of the time. It will sometimes brake when you don't expect it to e.g. when a car turns off the road in front, you know it is about to disappear, but ACC does not and so activates the brakes. ACC can also be useful in traffic jams as it will effectively keep you moving along in a queue with minimal input.
The infotainment system has many features, including satnav on this version. However, I prefer to use my phone satnav which can also be used to display maps and read instructions via the screen/stereo. One of the oddities with VW is the number of ways you can connect to the infotainment system from your phone:
- there is a USB port which allows use of Apple Carplay and various apps e.g. satnav.
- Bluetooth for using the phone and Siri
- WiFi for various other apps (although this is unreliable and generally has to be done manually if required)
- Bluetooth for VW's Connect software that allows tracking the car's journeys, servicing details etc.
Why can't all of this be done via the USB port or Bluetooth? It does seem to confuse the infotainment system at times which then requires it to be rebooted. Maybe an update at the next service will resolve this.
Another minor issue is having to use the screen for certain changes whilst driving e.g. turning off the heated steering wheel. This is not ideal when driving and would be far better controlled by a proper button as is the case with the heated seats. Otherwise, the infotainment system is pretty good and the screen is excellent.
Overall I have been very pleased with the car. I would have preferred the 1.5 engine and GT specification, but could not justify the considerable extra expense or wait for one to become available.
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About this car
Price | £18,980–£31,810 |
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Road Tax | A–G |
MPG | 42.2–85.6 mpg |
Real MPG | 79.3% |