The Golf is Volkswagen's legendary model and the largest selling Volkswagen, with nearly 30 million units sold worldwide over the decades, second only to the Toyota Corolla and Ford F pickups.
The seventh-generation Golf facelift is currently on sale, and it is generally referred to as the seventh-and-a-half-generation. The public is extremely cautious about golf improvements, for fear that any reckless changes will lose the "golf feel". The seven-and-a-half-generation has not changed much from the seventh-generation, but it is easy to distinguish the high-end and low-profile models from the appearance, and the LED light source will only appear above the sub-top configuration, that is, at least the R-Line will have LED lights.
In the invisible place, this generation of the Golf still has a clear evolution, it is more than 100 kilograms lighter than the sixth generation, becoming more agile and more agile, but the body measurements have become larger. The torsion beam rear suspension of many Golf prospective owners was dissuaded by the seventh generation, and the four-link rear suspension was changed back to the 7.5th generation, which made many 7th generation Golf owners psychologically unbalanced. It has to be said that on the Golf, the four-link performance is indeed better than the torsion beam, the suspension tuning is soft, the driving texture is praiseworthy, the handling is flexible and stable, and there is a fairly quiet interior environment.
The 7.5-generation Golf has a number of powertrains, including a 1.6-liter self-aspirated 6-speed automatic transmission, a 1.2-liter seven-speed dry dual-clutch transmission, and a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine paired with a seven-speed dry dual-clutch transmission. Among these sets of power, the 1.6L self-priming itself is not strong in terms of power output, and the gearbox tuning is too heavy on fuel economy, resulting in a very weak power, and the price is even higher than that of the Japanese counterpart, and the cost performance is very low, which is not worth recommending. The 1.2T model is only available in one model, which is very niche.
The 7.5 generation Golf has high and low power in the early 1.4T models, but after the 2019 model year was launched, the low-power version was canceled, leaving only the 150 horsepower, 250 Nm high-power version, and the cost performance has been improved, which is also the reason why the 1.4T model can become the main sales force. The tuning of the DQ200 gearbox on the Golf is more comfortable, the shift is smooth and gentle, there is almost no impact, and the second gear is stepped together, and the speed is slightly faster to go to the third gear, the shift is very smooth, and rarely switch between the first and second gears, avoiding the frustration caused by frequent gear changes in congested roads.
This generation of Golf and Audi A3 still have a certain competitive relationship, but the positioning of the two is not the same, the Golf as a whole is biased towards comfortable home, while the A3 is biased towards sport, which can be seen from the transmission shift logic and suspension tuning. If you put aside the brand value, golf is more suitable for most people's needs, and it is much more cost-effective.
However, the product power of the Golf in the configuration is not enough, and the technology configuration of the flagship version is not particularly outstanding, and the XDS electronic differential lock is not a few highlights. Even the flagship model still does not come standard with the ACC adaptive cruise control system, and the active safety features such as lane keeping system, lane merging assist, and active braking system in the overseas version have disappeared on the domestic version of the Golf.
The Golf's space performance is very average, and the previous generation basically can't find any changes, although the wheelbase has increased significantly by 59mm, but the rear space is still narrow, and only two adults of normal stature can be seated, but the luggage compartment has become larger. The seat padding is stiff, making it difficult to cope with long journeys, and the front seats are still adjusted with inconvenient knobs, reflecting the extremely stubborn side of the Volkswagen Group.
The quality and reliability of the Volkswagen Group has always been criticized, especially the DQ200 7-speed dry dual-clutch transmission, the yield rate is low compared to Japanese manufacturers, and there will be a "winning" situation. In addition, the Golf's air conditioning system and body noise are also the most complained about by new car owners, and the satisfaction of new cars is not high, and the long-term reliability is average.
In terms of safety, Golf has always done well, and its results in the IIHS crash test were acceptable, winning the TSP in 2016 and the TSP in 2017, but in 2018, due to the obvious improvement of its competitors in the same class, the golf only received Acceptable in the co-pilot collision and missed the TSP score.