Say hello to…
…the revised Volkswagen Golf in five-door hatchback, 1.5-litre hybrid form. This is about as near to the original ethos of a car-that-does-it-all as it gets in line-up. The only fuel going in is petrol yet the range is well over 500 miles if driven reasonably.
The Golf range has five regular trim levels.
- Life
- Match
- Style
- R-line
- Black Edition
Standard equipment on the Life includes 16-inch alloys, auto LED headlights, cloth trim, auto-dimming rear view mirror, auto wipers, 12.9-inch infotainment system, satnav, keyless start, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and dual-zone climate control.
Match adds 17-inch alloys, tinted rear glass, keyless entry, high beam assist and a rear view camera.
Style adds 17-inch alloys, body coloured bumpers with chrome trim, cornering light, uprated headlights, sports seats, three-zone climate control and rear traffic alert.
R-line adds uprated seat material, R-line body kit, sports suspension, lane keeping assist and drive modes.
Black Edition adds 18-inch alloys, black trim, matrix LED headlights, heated front seats and illuminated logo.
Is The Volkswagen Golf Suitable For My Fleet
For those drivers who can’t or won’t run a plug-in car, or want to take a cash option, the VW Golf eTSi powered by a 150hp 1.5-litre petrol is a strong option. With a 7-speed automatic the CO2 figure sits in the 28% BIK tax band (a group lower than the manual version) and in the real world we saw 46.9mpg. And this included a reasonably high proportion of fast cross-country driving. On a motorway run, 50mpg was easily possible. The mild hybrid also has a bigger boot than the PHEV; 381 litres plays 273 litres.
Leasing A Volkswagen Golf
Gateway2lease is offering the Golf 1.5 hybrid, five-door model in Style trim for £362 a month on a 3+36 contract with 10,000 mile a year. Forecast maintenance costs run to £25 a month according to Gensen Reports, and the Class 1A NIC is £85 a month.
Driving A Volkswagen Golf
We know from our drive of the plug-in hybrid version of the latest Golf that Volkswagen’s latest upgrades to the car mean some proper, physical, buttons have returned to the dashboard and steering wheel which makes operating the majority of controls immeasurably better. The software too has been updated to make the menu system more logical and the ability to assign a few shortcuts has been introduced. This, particularly, makes deactivating the mandatory lane-keeping and speed warning systems super easy.
The software isn’t the fastest out there, but it’s good and rarely causes frustrations.
Cabin materials and build quality feels near-premium which is where a Golf should be.
Drive the Golf and the experience impresses. The balance between ride comfort and handling are very well judged. Long distance comfort is superb thanks to supportive seats and light and accurate steering.
If there’s a negative to the way the Golf drives, particularly on longer motorway trips, it is with road noise levels which are noticeably higher than you’d ideally want. However, our test car was fitted with optionally larger 18-inch wheels and this could have had an impact. In the PHEV version we drove this wasn’t an issue.
At lower speeds this isn’t an issue and the mild hybrid system is very keen to stop the engine not just as you come to a stop, but if you’re going downhill and don’t the need the engine. It’s a little odd at first, but it clearly has efficiency gains.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Volkswagen Golf
In petrol form, the Golf is that near-perfect all-rounder that it should be for those drivers who can’t go electric.
Volkswagen Golf
- Model: Golf Style 1.5 eTSi
- Power: 150hp
- Torque: 250Nm
- Max speed: 137mph
- 0-62mph: 8.4s
- Official mpg: 53.9mpg
- Test mpg: 46.9mpg
- CO2 emissions: 119g/km
- BIK tax band 2024/25: 28%
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