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Facelifted Golf gains much-needed interior upgrades and new base four-cylinder engine. Is it better than ever?

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Few cars define their respective classes quite like the Volkswagen Golf.C-segment hatchback’ won’t mean much to most people, but 'you know, like a Golf' will.

In recent years, the Golf has lost some of its prominence. Partly that’s a result of Volkswagen’s focus on its electric ID models, and partly because in its latest, eighth-generation form, the Golf moved away from some of its crowd-pleasing nature.

You can blame two things for that: the frustrating interior tech and the design, which many felt had lost some of its edge.

Now, four years later, it's due for a facelift, which is Volkswagen’s opportunity to fix some of those issues.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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02 Volkswagen Golf Mk85 2024 review estate front driving

The interior tech has indeed benefited from a significant update, as we will get to in a minute, but if you didn’t like the Golf Mk8’s look upon launch, you’re unlikely to be convinced by the updated ‘Mk8.5’.

The headlights (LED as standard, matrix LED as an option) have become slimmer and more angular, and on some versions, there’s now a light bar and an illuminated VW logo. The front bumper has been revised with a cleaner design, and so have the rear LED lights.

The Mk8's assertive, ‘edgy’ looks are typified by the bonnet profile, with three longitudinal ridges between the centre line and wheel arch. Too fussy? It’s debatable

Mechanically, the most significant update to the Mk8.5 is that it receives the Volkswagen Group’s second-generation plug-in hybrid powertrains. This means the 1.4-litre engine and 10.6kWh (usable) battery are out, in favour of a 1.5-litre engine and a 19.7kWh battery.

The result is that the eHybrid now boasts a very impressive electric-only range of 88 miles. The GTE, which is more powerful, can still do 82 miles. Charging speeds have been upgraded too: from 3.6kW to 11kW on AC and 40kW on a DC rapid charger.

As before, the Golf uses the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform and offers a wide range of engines. At 4282mm, it's about 2.5cm longer than the Mk7 Golf. At 2070mm across the mirrors, it’s still a nicely manageable size for European roads.

Unlike most rivals, the Golf still offers independent rear suspension on most versions. The entry-level 114bhp engines make do with a torsion beam, but all others feature a multi-link arrangement.

It’s a very grown-up car when it comes to chassis tech too. Both adaptive dampers and variable-ratio steering are available as an option.

Volkswagen Golf range at a glance

The updated Golf range remains an expansive one. Excluding the sporty Golf R and Golf GTI, there are no fewer than five trim levels and eight engine and gearbox combinations, although not every permutation is possible. And then you still have to choose between a hatchback or an estate.

On the petrol side, the same 1.5-litre four comes in four flavours: with either 114bhp or 148bhp, and either as a mild hybrid with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, or as a standard petrol engine with a six-speed manual.

A 2.0-litre four with 201bhp will join the range in 2025. The 1.0-litre triple that was available at launch was discontinued in 2024 and effectively replaced by the lower-power 1.5.

On the diesel side, you can have a 2.0-litre four with either 114bhp and a manual gearbox or 148bhp and a dual-clutch automatic.

There are two PHEVs: the eHybrid with 201bhp and the GTE with 268bhp. These are only available on the hatchback, not on the estate.

INTERIOR

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12 Volkswagen Golf Mk85 2024 review dashboard

When it launched in 2020, the Mk8 Golf got its fair share of criticism for its control layout, not just from the likes of us but also from customers. Volkswagen says it has listened and updated the Golf’s cabin accordingly.

The Mk8.5 hasn’t gained many more buttons, but the MIB4 multimedia system has been significantly improved. The touchscreen is bigger, at 12.9in and main climate controls and ‘buttons’ for the heated seats are permanently displayed. The screen also works much more quickly. While the touchbar for the interior temperature and media volume remains, it does now light up.

Volkswagen's digital gauge cluster actually makes use of the customisability this brings.

Contrary to what some believe, the Mk8 never lost its physical steering wheel buttons entirely; it was only the range-topping versions that got the capacitive equivalents. Anyway, that's now moot, because all new Golfs get proper buttons on the steering wheel. Phew.

The rest of the interior is largely as before, which means materials and space are fair for the segment – nothing more, nothing less. The standard grey cloth upholstery feels good enough, if a little plain. However, opt for Style trim, and you get the option of a very attractive microsuede and cloth combo.

The seats themselves and the driving position in general are excellent. Whether you get the standard seats or the fancier sports seats on higher trims, the driving position is nice and low, with plenty of adjustability. While there's no tilt function, the seats are set at a comfortable angle anyway, and there's manually adjustable lumbar support as standard.

Interior space is similarly class-competitive, with just enough space in the rear seat for adults and in the boot for largish things. And if the hatchback doesn’t quite offer enough room for you, there’s also the estate. Naturally, it has a bigger boot (611 litres versus 381), but because its wheelbase is slightly longer, there’s more rear leg room as well.

Multimedia and infotainment

The Mk8’s original MIB3 multimedia system was not a success. Important functions were hidden away in menus, but worst of all, it was often slow and unreliable. Over the years, we drove many cars with this system, and some were decidedly worse than others in this respect.

With MIB4, most of that has been fixed. Climate controls are permanently displayed at the bottom, the homescreen is customisable and there is a bar with customisable shortcuts fixed to the top of the screen. The built-in sat-nav works well enough, and there’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

With that said, there does still seem to be a bit of a reliability lottery involved. When we attended the UK launch of the facelifted Mk8.5 Golf, most cars were fine, but one was noticeably slower and suffered from some touchscreen glitching.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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23 Volkswagen Golf Mk85 2024 review performance

With such a wide choice of powertrains that has been tried and tested in numerous other Volkswagen Group models, there isn’t really a bad choice here, but some are better than others. We reckon the sweet spot is a 150PS (148bhp) petrol automatic.

The new 115PS (113bhp) entry-level model, which uses a downtuned version of the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder, replaces the 1.0-litre three-cylinder. It has enough usable torque but feels marginal when you’re merging onto a motorway or going for an overtake, whereas the 150PS just has that bit of extra poke.

I'm normally on team manual gearbox, but the automatic just suits the Golf better. Six-speed devotees should try a Mazda 3.

You can have both of them either as a mild hybrid with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox or as pure petrol with a six-speed manual. The manual is fine, and it's pleasing to have the option, but it feels like the engine was tuned to work with the dual-clutch automatic and mild-hybrid assistance. Without them, it can feel a touch lazy, either when you get going or when you blip the throttle for a rev-matched downshift. The gearchange itself is just a touch long to be truly rewarding.

Volkswagen’s application of mild-hybrid tech is simply very impressive. If DSGs can feel hesitant at low speeds in some applications, that isn't the case in the Golf. It’s simply very smooth and responsive. It also lets the engine shut down when coasting and then re-engages drive seamlessly when you get back onto the throttle. It really does make a difference to the fuel economy (MPG figures in the high 50s are eminently doable) too.

The 2.0 TDI engine feels almost nostalgic to drive, given how few new cars are offered with an old-burner these days. Yet it’s certainly no throwback in the way it performs: the 148bhp version we tested offers huge amounts of low-end torque to make for brisk acceleration, before becoming a quiet and refined companion at motorway speeds. 

It’s a good match for the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which offers crisp and precise shifts and there is no hesitancy or indecision. 

The PHEV, which now has a massive 88 miles of electric range, will arrive later this year, and we will update this review once we’ve driven it.

RIDE & HANDLING

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24 Volkswagen Golf Mk85 2024 review front cornering

Volkswagen hasn’t changed much about the Golf’s chassis for the Mk8.5 facelift, because there wasn’t anything wrong with the way the Mk8 drove.

In short, it continues to strike an excellent balance between refinement and handling. There are comfier cars and there are sportier cars, but no family hatchback balances the two as well as the Golf. The optional DCC adaptive dampers further increase its breadth of ability.

All Golfs have very natural handling, with steering that's crisp and accurate and weights up progressively as you load up the chassis in a corner. There’s plenty of grip, and if you do overcook a corner, a lift of the throttle will neatly tuck in the nose.

On its standard suspension, the Golf can feel a little wooden over corrugations and potholes, even on 17in wheels. However, the ride smooths out at speed, making it very pleasant on A- and B-roads and motorways.

Surprisingly, it doesn’t really matter whether you get the 115PS, which has a torsion beam, or the 150PS, which has a multi-link arrangement. However, the adaptive dampers, which are only available on multi-link cars, do make the ride significantly more comfortable and are absolutely worth the £870.

Assisted driving notes

One of the significant criticisms the Mk8 Golf faced at launch was for its intrusive lane-keeping assistance. It was actually quite easy to disable using the button at the end of the indicator stalk. Now that this is common to all new cars, it’s less of a concern. On the Mk8.5, it’s still too easily confused by country roads and temporary road markings, but is at least easily turned off if you configure one of the shortcut buttons on the infotainment screen to take you to the assisted driving menu.

Here, the overspeed warning can also be turned off. The traffic sign recognition works about as well as can be expected in 2024, which is to say not very.

The facelifted Golf has adaptive cruise control as standard, but depending on the trim level, additional features such as Travel Assist (lane-centring assistance), blindspot monitoring and a 360deg camera can be optional.

The adaptive control itself works reasonably well but is a little short of the best systems for smoothness and reliability.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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01 Volkswagen Golf Mk85 2024 review front driving lead

The Golf remains one of the pricier options in the family hatchback class. It’s possible to get a Mazda 3, Kia Ceed or Citroën C4 for considerably less. Then again, rivals like the Peugeot 308, Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus command about the same and the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic have higher entry prices still, since they're available only as full hybrids.

One significant advantage of the Golf is that you can spec it exactly how you like. While there are trim levels, there are also a lot of separate options. For instance, if you want heated seats on a 308, you’re locked into the most expensive trim level, whereas a Winter Pack is simply a £475 option on the cheapest trim level of the Golf. It might make the buying process more complicated, but it’s great news if you’re picky.

The combination of efficient engines and the sort of favourable aerodynamics that an SUV could only dream of mean that a Golf can be very cheap to run. When we road tested a 150PS eTSI mild hybrid, it returned 60.0mpg on our 70mph touring test. You won’t get much more from a full-hybrid Corolla.

With more local roads and town driving mixed in, this figure will drop, whereas the Corolla’s might just rise. Here, the mild-hybrid Golfs have an advantage, but 50mpg is possible in all versions.

From a week of mixed-roads testing in a 2.0 TDI, including plenty of motorway miles, we covered almost 500 miles at an average of 60.2mpg. That kind of efficiency is unmatched in any other kind of powertrain, and diesel should still be seriously considered by anyone doing lots of motorway miles. 

VERDICT

26 Volkswagen Golf Mk85 2024 review front static

For its laudable refinement, economy, versatility and drivability and, above all else, simply for its ready-for-anything completeness as a compact family car, the Golf remains a standout product.

While this car lacks a little of the lavish material plushness we’ve grown used to from previous generations of Golf, it’s no disappointment for perceived quality.

The 2024 facelift updates have hit the spot and all but erased the weaknesses of the original Mk8. Volkswagen’s latest MIB4 multimedia is now one of the more user-friendly options on the markets.

Some slight concerns remain. It appears that not quite all gremlins have been completely exterminated, and the Golf is one of the pricier family hatchbacks.

Just as with previous Golfs, it’s not necessarily the outstanding operator in any one area that may particularly interest you; not for premium feel, performance, efficiency, on-board technology or driver appeal. But being so strong in so many areas means it's still the class benchmark.

Volkswagen Golf FAQs

Is the Volkswagen Golf available as a plug-in or electric?

Yes it is. In fact, the Volkswagen Golf is available with a choice of two plug-in variants - the eHybrid and the hot hatch-flavoured GTE. Both use 1.5-litre engine and a 19.7kWh battery. The result is that the eHybrid now boasts a very impressive electric range of 88 miles. The GTE, which is more powerful, can still do 82 miles. Charging speeds have been upgraded too: from 3.6kW to 11kW on AC and 40kW on a DC rapid charger.

What are the main rivals to the Volkswagen Golf?

Buyers are becoming increasingly keen on SUVs, but compact family hatchbacks are still big business, meaning the Volkswagen Golf has plenty of competitors. For driving fun the Ford Focus takes some beating, while like the Volkswagen the Peugeot 308 and Vauxhall Astra are available with plug-in hybrid engines. The Kia Ceed and Hyundai i30 are no nonsense options with loads of kit and long warranties, much like the stylish, hybrid-powered Toyota Corolla. Under the skin, the Skoda Octavia and Seat Leon are similar to the Golf, but the former offers more space and the latter more style.

What choices of gearbox are available for the Volkswagen Golf?

Standard on all Volkswagen Golf petrol and diesel models up to the GTI is a six-speed manual gearbox. Like all the brand’s three-pedal transmissions it has a relatively precise action and is easy to use thanks to a light and smooth clutch. Available as an option, and standard on the GTD, GTI Clubsport and R, a seven-speed automatic. A twin-clutch unit, it serves up impressive smooth and swift shifts that both enhance comfort and performance. The plug-in hybrids use the same set-up but only get six speeds.

Where is the Volkswagen Golf built?

Given it’s one of the brand’s most popular models, it’s no surprise to find that the Volkswagen Golf is built at the vast Wolfsburg factory in Germany. Over eight generations more than 26 million examples of the Golf have been assembled at the facility, where from sheet metal to finished article it travels along nearly 43 miles of production line. The Golf is also produced in China at the joint Venture FAW-VW plant in Foshan, as well as the DRB-HICOM factory in Pekan, Malaysia.

How many generations of Volkswagen Golf have there been?

Few family cars can match the Volkswagen Golf for longevity. Having made its debut in 1974, the evergreen German family hatch is now in its eighth generation, the current model having been launched in 2019. The original car was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro and was the firm’s second ever front-wheel drive model with a water cooled engine, following on from the Passat a year earlier. It remains Volkswagen’s most popular car of all time, with more than 35 million built over nearly 50 years.

Illya Verpraet

Illya Verpraet Road Tester Autocar
Title: Road Tester

As part of Autocar’s road test team, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews, comparison tests, as well as the odd feature and news story. 

Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s eight-page road tests, which are the most rigorous in the business thanks to independent performance, fuel consumption and noise figures.

Matt Saunders

Matt Saunders Autocar
Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce PhantomTesla RoadsterAriel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren SennaRenault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.

Volkswagen Golf First drives