Volkswagen: All about the Golf number 8 🎥

VW has dispensed with the two-door version and there is little reason to hope for a convertible

The 45-year-old bestseller, which was number one in the Swiss sales charts for many years, is also immediately recognizable as a Golf in its eighth generation. The generally five-door compact has been visually sharpened with striking edges and beading, as well as being aerodynamically refined. With narrower LED lights, a lower hood and a more sloping roofline at the rear, it looks more aggressive than the previous generation. Apart from a few millimeters, hardly anything has changed in terms of dimensions.

Assistant Alexa helps the driver
The real evolution in the new Golf has been in the cockpit, controls and connectivity. Displays and controls are completely digital and sensitive touch surfaces have replaced almost all classic switches, and the innovative voice control responds to natural voice commands.
The new model is always online thanks to eSIM and offers streaming, web radio and other online features as standard. With the help of the voice assistant "Alexa", the settings can be called up from the cloud when changing drivers or vehicles, for example.

Warning with other vehicles
Front Assist with the new Turn Assist and Lane Assist are fitted as standard, while ACC (active up to 210 km/h) with predictive speed detection, Traffic Jam Assist and traffic sign recognition (combined as IQ.Drive or "Travel Assist") as well as the interactive light functions of the LED matrix headlights (IQ.Light) are available for an extra charge. The Golf 8 is the first vehicle in Europe to support Car2X communication via Wi-Fi for hazard warning with other (compatible) vehicles and the traffic infrastructure, i.e. without the need for 5G internet. Various versions are available with all-wheel drive.

Motors as desired and required
Eight drive systems ranging from petrol, diesel, natural gas and mild hybrid to plug-in hybrid cover a power spectrum from 90 hp to 300 hp. New are the TSI (petrol) with 90 PS or 150 PS, which promise particularly low emissions and consumption thanks to the TSI Miller combustion process, as well as the TDI (diesel) with 115 PS or 150 PS, which are designed to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 17 percent and, thanks to twin dosing (double AdBlue injection upstream of two SCR catalytic converters positioned in series), also significantly reduce nitrogen oxides.
Three new eTSI (mild hybrid petrol engines with 48 V technology) deliver 110 hp to 150 hp and are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 10 percent. Next year, the stand-alone Golf GTI, GTD and R models will follow, as well as the TGI (natural gas) with 130 PS and two eHybrids (plug-in hybrid with 13 kWH battery) with 204 PS and the sporty GTE with 245 PS.

Classic Golf or electric ID.3?
The question arises as to whether VW could cannibalize itself with the almost simultaneous delivery of the all-electric ID.3 and the Golf 8, especially since both cars have a very comparable form factor and thus utility value.
Even at the base price, the electric model is unlikely to be orders of magnitude higher than a new Golf with a similarly good engine. The decision between the VW classic and the all-new electric car will probably be largely a matter of taste, if not a matter of faith.
The fact that the Golf 8 with plug-in hybrid drive even becomes a zero-emission vehicle over long distances in urban areas could make the choice even more difficult.

Market launch in March 2020
Sales will start in December and the Swiss market launch will begin in March 2020. Prices and equipment are not yet known.

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