Newest Golf is less powerful but still popular
Detuned for our COE system’s vagaries, a new version of VW’s venerable Golf is still worth taking a swing at
MONEY and power go hand-in-hand, but if you consider the former more important than the latter, Volkswagen’s newest Golf is aimed squarely at you. It has a detuned engine that makes it the only one of five different Golf versions to sneak into the Certificate Of Entitlement (COE) system’s Category A, where premiums are lower.
That’s one way to battle COE inflation. As prices have developed a habit of either touching record highs or flirting with them this year, car dealers have responded by offering models endowed with less horsepower. That lets them slip into Category A, which can save buyers thousands over the prices for more powerful Category B models.
Premium players Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have used this playbook to tempt drivers from mass-market brands for years. There’s even a Category A special for Singapore from Hyundai, which is manufacturing a less powerful version of the electric Ioniq 5 at its Bulim Avenue plant.
So it is with the new Golf Life. It lists for S$175,900 with COE, which makes it S$12,500 cheaper than the next model up, the Golf Life Plus, whose 150 horsepower engine puts it in Category B.
The Golf Life has the same engine, but here it’s tuned for 129 horsepower, which is still plenty for a hatchback this size. It’s an appealingly lively machine, picking up speed in that zippy way that makes you remember why small cars are often fun to drive.
It helps that the engine has a mild hybrid electric system. It’s ostensibly there to save fuel, because its motor lets the engine shut down and restart smoothly so you can coast for long stretches without burning petrol. But it also adds a nice boost of power that you can feel in everyday traffic.
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In any case, much of the VW’s general appeal lies in how lovely its chassis is. Small cars tend to be agile to begin with, but you can chuck a Golf into bends and have it respond with both satisfying fluidity and reassuring stability.
The Golf Life does have a more basic rear suspension setup than the other versions, and the ride is slightly more fidgety over a rough road as a result. It also feels pretty bare-bones in various ways, from the cloth upholstery to the manually adjusted front seats, to the way you open the tailgate with muscle power instead of pressing a button.
But it does have its modcons. The 8.25-inch touchscreen works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (although you’ll need a USB-C cable to make the magic happen). You can have the cabin lighting and instruments in your favourite colour. And if you’re in love with all things digital, you’ll adore the stripped-down look of the dashboard and driver displays.
You get a wireless charging pad for your phone, plus useful safety features, among them six airbags and a blind spot monitor.
It’s possible to get a larger, more generously equipped car for similar money (Kia’s excellent Niro comes to mind), but if the Golf Life’s job is to make it that much easier for people to get behind the wheel of a sturdy German hatchback, it seems to have succeeded.
Word on the street is that Volkswagen Group Singapore picked up 40 orders for the car over the weekend of its launch. This, after registering 94 cars in total over the first three months of the year. Everyone wants power and money, but if people have to choose, it’s clear which one they prefer.
Volkswagen Golf Life 1.5 eTSI
Engine 1,498cc, inline four, turbocharged
Power 129 hp at 5,000 to 6,000 rpm
Torque 200 Nm at 1,400 to 4,000 rpm
Gearbox 7-speed dual-clutch
0-100km/h 9.4 seconds
Top Speed 213 km/h
Fuel Efficiency 4.8 L/100 km
Agent Volkswagen Group Singapore
Price S$175,900 with COE
Available Now
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