2009 Volkswagen Golf MkVI Review
February 27, 2009 by Paul Maric
2009 Volkswagen Golf Mark VI – First Steer
- by Paul Maric
Leaner, meaner and greener. That’s the message Volkswagen wants to send with its new Golf. Launched to the Australian motoring press yesterday in Byron Bay, New South Wales, the next generation Volkswagen Golf comes with a set of new engines that increase fuel economy by up to 25 per cent.
90TSI
The base model – and baby of the group – is the 90TSI. Featuring a turbocharged, 1.4-litre, four-cylinder engine, the 90TSI brings with it a smaller capacity engine of 1.4-litres, compared to the naturally aspirated 1.6-litre featured in the Golf V.
On first glance, you’ll be able to spot the 90TSI by the plastic hubcaps, along with the ‘I’ in TSI being red.
Inside the cabin, it’s a pretty restricted affair. The ghastly looking plastic steering wheel and lack of steering wheel controls – and cruise control – are the only things that let this base model down. The seat trim is attractive, as is the well made dashboard and the quality of materials used throughout the cabin.
Due to the lack of steering wheel controls, the trip computer and vehicle options menu is adjusted via the windscreen wiper stalk.
On the road, it’s very hard to spot the turbocharger. When we arrived at the airport, this was the first car I jumped into and without knowing which models were being introduced into Australia, we didn’t know what engines were on offer. After some umming and ahhing, we deduced that it was the carry over 1.6-litre naturally aspirated engine from the Golf V.
It turns out that this model does in fact use a turbocharger – a very small and low pressure one – to help get the base model Golf moving. The assistance of the turbocharger has increased power to 90kW. The most miraculous feat of all is the drop in fuel consumption and engine capacity to reach a higher power figure.
Also different in this model is the introduction of Volkswagen’s seven-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG). Rated to withstand torque of 250Nm, the gearbox is used in the base model 90TSI and the higher powered 118TSI. In addition to the seven-speed DSG, a six-speed manual comes as standard for the 90TSI.
On the road, the 90TSI soaks up bumps tremendously well for a car in this price bracket. Some of the roads surrounding Byron Bay and onward to our lunch stop at Emerald Valley were abysmal. The taught suspension set-up in the 90TSI handled them with absolute ease.
This came at a cost to its cornering capabilities though. There is considerable amount of body roll on sweeping bends, which in addition to the cheap, narrow Hankook tyres makes it a bit of a non-event. Don’t despair though. The 90TSI is the base model in the range and has fleet buyers and people with lower expectations in mind.
In saying that, the car feels much like Golf V. It has the same handling characteristics and steering response, it has just been fine tuned to deliver a slightly more rewarding drive.
The 90TSI is priced from $25,990 for the six-speed manual and $28,490 for the seven-speed DSG. While fuel consumption is rated at 6.4-litres/100km for the six-speed manual and 6.2-litres/100km for the seven-speed DSG.
118TSI
In my opinion, this is the pick of the bunch. A 1.4-litre, twin-charged, four-cylinder engine headlines this act. With considerable torque throughout the rev band, the engine works in unison with the new seven-speed DSG to deliver an extremely pleasing drive.
The 118TSI can be identified with the ‘S’ and the ‘I’ being red in the ‘TSI’ boot logo.
Much like the outgoing Volkswagen Golf GT Sport, which uses a more powerful variant of this motor, the supercharger works to deliver torque at the lower end of the rev range which keeps things moving before the turbocharger has spooled up.
Once the supercharger has done its job, it hands over to the turbocharger to finish the task, which is pre-spooled and ready to go by the time the supercharger switches over.
The end result is an engine that is responsive throughout the rev band. The new seven-speed DSG helps immensely by always selecting the correct gear (even when it’s in the regular drive mode).
It’s not much use in a straight line though, so we attacked a few corners to see how well the 118TSI reacted to power on mid corner and the way it handled being thrown about on what were essentially C-grade roads.
Volkswagen seem to have taken the handling characteristics of the already impressive Golf V GT Sport and honed them even further to deliver an affordable car which can be used both as a cruiser and apex slayer – certainly something others find hard to achieve in this price bracket.
The car remains flat and sharp on turn-in to the corner. The responsive steering has a bit of weight to it as you turn in, while the suspension holds strong and keeps things as flat as possible. Where the 90TSI would start rolling and continue until it understeered, the 118TSI turns in and keeps holding with a commendable amount of grip.
Even the rippled and rutted roads we were driving through didn’t unsettle the car, indicating a brilliant chassis. Power on mid corner, which generally causes boosted front-wheel-drive cars to jitter and understeer didn’t seem to bother the 118TSI.
You would get a tugging at the wheel as the tyres traversed the rutted portions of road, but there would never be the sense that the car was about to push the nose wide on you. The increased tyre width of 205mm, compared to the 90TSI’s 195mm, also helps give the car a more planted feel on the road.
The 118TSI gets bigger brakes in comparison to its base model sibling, giving it a bigger edge when it comes to continuous brake applications. The brakes feel quite strong in all Golf variants tested. Pedal feel is also very consistent, meaning that there is never any doubt over what the brakes are up to.
The 118TSI gets different seat trim and funky new looking steering wheel controls over the base model. You will also find dual-zone climate control, a leather wrapped steering wheel and a few other bits and pieces to justify the additional price.
Fuel consumption sits at 6.2-litres/100km for the six-speed manual and 6.5-litres/100km for the seven-speed DSG. Pricing begins at $30,490 for the six-speed manual and $32,990 for the seven-speed DSG.
103TDI
The Golf wouldn’t be the Golf without a diesel engine. As expected, Volkswagen have launched in Australia with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo diesel unit, producing 103kW at 4200rpm and 320Nm between 1750-2500rpm.
Noise suppression inside the cabin has been increased, reducing road noise and engine noise considerably. A 10 per cent increase of thickness on the side glass and an extra layer of film on the windscreen mean that external noises remain external.
We were also lucky enough to drive a 103TDI with the Adaptive Chassis Control. As the only Golf in Australia with this feature fitted, we were sure to keep this car to ourselves. Three suspension modes – Normal, Comfort and Sport – differentiate suspension comfort for your drive preference.
Adaptive Chassis Control works independently on each wheel to adjust suspension firmness. It’s a contrast to most other systems which only adjust suspension firmness as a whole, opposed to each wheel.
The seven-speed DSG can only support 250Nm, so the six-speed DSG is used in the 103TDI, which is capable of 350Nm.
There’s plenty of torque throughout the rev range, this engine is consistently spooling and ready to roll. It gets a bit noisy inside the cabin when you reach the upper end of the rev range, but it’s not overly bad.
Fuel consumption sits at a miserly 5.3-litres/100km for the six-speed manual and 5.6-litres/100km for the six-speed DSG. Pricing starts at $33,190 for the six-speed manual and $35,690 for the six-speed DSG.
Safety
We all know that Volkswagen is big on safety. The entire Golf range will come with seven airbags, including a knee airbag.
Already tested overseas by EuroNCAP and most recently tested in Australia – just last week in fact – by ANCAP, both tests have rated the Golf at five-stars.
The entire range will also come with Electronic Stability Program, ABS brakes with EBD and BA, along with engine immobiliser and deadlocking.
Volkswagen is setting a benchmark in this segment and wants everyone to know about it.
Features
Although the standard equipment list is what you would expect, the options list includes some pretty nifty things, some of which until now weren’t even considered as availabilities on vehicles in this price bracket.
You can option your new Golf with Volkswagen’s Park Assist feature. Park Assist will automatically park your car for you. Line it up in between two parked vehicles and the system uses front, rear and side parking sensors to direct your vehicle into the open space.
Until this feature became available in the Tiguan, mid last year, it was only available in the $200,000+ Lexus LS600hL.
The Golf can also be fitted with the new RNS510 system, which includes satellite navigation. The system can also be optioned with a reverse camera which pops out from under the Volkswagen logo boot lid.
Conclusion
Although some may argue it looks much the same as the outgoing Golf (which isn’t such a bad thing), I’m of the opinion that Volkswagen is yet again onto a winner.
People complain about the good press we give Volkswagen, it’s hard not to when they keep releasing cars like the Golf VI. It’s hard to fault the package, price and drivetrain offerings.
There is a model in the line-up to please almost all tastes at the moment.
Volkswagen’s CEO, Jutta Dierks has told CarAdvice that unless there is a miracle, the GTI won’t arrive to our shores before early 2010. The car will be unveiled at next week’s Geneva motor show and will be launched to the European public in the middle of the year.
Head of exterior design, Frank Bruse told CarAdvice that the GTI will be an impressive looking machine. He also hinted that VW will follow Audi’s lead with LED portions of the headlight, making the GTI visible from a kilometre away.
Until then, this is what we have on offer and it will undoubtedly sell well for Volkswagen.
If you’ve been holding off until the Golf VI to upgrade or purchase your next Volkswagen, it’s been a well earned wait.
The Volkswagen Golf VI is sure to blow your socks off.
Print it: 
Trust a Korean? Are you serious?
Run along before America or Russia nukes you little man
Well, everybody can have his/ her own opinion, I think. The Golf has been under development for over 30 years, and the current MK6, it’s sixth generation, is, in my opinion, not only a brilliant technological achievement, but is also of a timeless design with a pleasant interior, which others cannot match in this class. To make unqualified statements, like the one made by fong, only shows his/ her ignorance, I am sorry to say.
It’s a great car. I managed to get the old version in 77KW TDi form against the new on in 77Kw TDi form pretty much back to back. The difference was really quite noticable. It was even better than the Passat with the same engine. Certainly improved with age. I’d have one no probs. Better than Audis A3 for comfort and ambience.
Fong, I’d be delighted if you could expand on your point of view. Why do you regard Volkswagens as crappy? Why are they only suited to Germans? In what way is a Kia Rio better than a VW Golf? Have you owned and driven both? If you could qualify your criticisms it may benefit potential VW purchasers.
After 7500klms, my supercharger clutch has stopped squealing completely. It is now as whisper quiet as it was the first 5000klms I had it. maybe i should call VW as it is not making the chactoristic sound that it should!
DSG issue will be fixed with a software upgrade when she gets the 15000klm service early next year.
VW rep said off record, that VW have been working on a fix for the supercharger clutch, that maybe ready for placement next year.
previously myfirstgolf(no more)
Hey Boney,
was wondering what happened to you?
Thats great news, must be a shock though, have to wonder if this un”characteristic” no noise will be permanent or temporary?
So are you still going to look at a beemer or stick with the golf now?
Heard how Mirsad is going in the GTi at all?
Any new problems with your Golf, still feel a bit duped that I didnt get a Golf as I still like this car but minus the problems of course
hey maz6
hell of a shock……I am actually enjoying the drive of my car again, Hoping it turns out to be a permenant outcome. I read on another site that a guy with a Gen V GT TSI had the chirp for 40,000klms, then one day it just stopped…..that was years ago, and no chirp since! crazy cars!
Local BMW guy has been selling the 118d on stats, and wants me to buy one on stats, without a drive. Said that just sounds plain stupid to me – so he said it would be a while then until i can get in one for a steer as it is a new model and in demand. No worries, whilst my car is quiet, I am very happy with the drive for now.
No new issues. DSG software upgrade at the service in Jan, but I have only had the one issue with it which has not been repeated in 3 months. Dash rattles were broken clips behind the glove box which have been replaced………and the windows havent been ticking at all, despite the heat the east coast has been having lately……it is almost like the car has matured through it’s teething period and everything all of a sudden has settled nicely into place, so it is driving like a brand newy again.
I am wary though, and listen for every creak or problem.
The GTI looks like a nice ride………those Denver Wheels look rubbish though in my opinion…..first thing I would do is switch to a similar style to the new Polo…..personal choice though. Havent heard from Mirsad so I dunno how he is travelling. No news is good perhaps.
How’s that luxurious new Mazda going?
http://www.carsguide.com.au/si.....first_look
Hey again Boney,
hope this link works, but if not, check out whats being released next year
in March at the Geneva motor show (via carsguide, search for alfa romeo giulietta).
Looks pretty hot, there is a brief article and couple of pictures of it in last Fridays Herald Sun carsguide.
Comes in two petrol engines 1.4 turbo 90kw and upgraded multi-air version @ 127kw, plus two diesel engines 1.6L @ 78kw & 2L @127kw, no mention of torque
Great that alls going good again, hmm keep thinking as og 14/11 I could have been a golf 118TSi owner myself.
Well the Mazda is going well, no rattles, or characteristic squeaks, pretty much most of the goodies, incl bio-zenons, large sat nav etc,etc BUT does not drive like that zippy Golf! It sucks to have to compromise on reliability over fun, and I should not have had to make this decision, but thanks to VW, the risk felt too great for us.
In all faitness to the Mazda though, without comparing to what my heart had wanted , there have been no problems at all, and just been in for 1,000km service, so fingers crossed.
Wonder how Glens going in his zoom zoom too?
Great to hear from you again, I am addicted to this thread and keep regularly looking for any updates from you guys, so keep us informed including Horst the encyclopedia of info as always
And Merry Christmas to you from here in good ol Melbourne
Hey Maz6
Good to hear that the 6 is working out. You did the best thing in not joining the lottery in buying a golf gen VI. It might work out ok, but I still am very cautious with the car. As it is a car i use for work, I will turn it over within the next 12 months anyway, so no worries eitherway. I would keep it and extend to a 6 year warranty if i knew it wasnt going to have the supercharger issue, but I have lost quite a bit of faith.
Funny you should mention the new Alfa, i also saw it in the weekend paper and cut the article out and it is sitting on the desk at home. It looks fantastic for sure, and I cant wait to see all the stats on torque and economy. it is worth a look, and if it gets released in Aus say late next year, if I have my golf that long it will be on the list to have a look at.
I am in regular contact with Glen and he is really enjoying his 3…….he is so glad he made the change. His golf VI was an absolute abomination, with a hint of lemon
Have a great chrissy, and travel safely. Will keep updating as I know/experience more.
Cheers.
Maz6
Like you I was also ready to buy a TSI 118 based on the professional reviews – till I found this site and others similar. Now I am veering towards the Mazda or the smaller engine Golf. The annual servicing of the Golf is attractive – but not if it is in for repairs 4 times between servicing. I was surprised when I did a test drive that the car was a trade-in after 10,000km, and I did notice that the radio was on (and I turned it off), but didn’t notice any noise – but then I wasn’t looking for it either as I hadn’t read this thread.
Reliability is important to me and the head probably has to win over the heart unfortunately (to avoid any “I told you so” later). I do like the air conditioned glove box and the automatic parking of the Golf (assuming it works and doesn’t go forwards not backwards as some have found)
You said that Mazda gave you the lowest trade-in initially and wouldn’t budge on $$ – did you end up trading in or going to another dealer or selling privately?
Hi,
It is looking first excitement than disappointment with 118TSI is settling down … fortunately it is looking better… Have to say after my dealer cleaned pulley second time I was driving few thousand km and few months without noise… than I traded it for GTI
I was not sure that it is not coming back (I didn’t want to report that… to raise hopes of the affected people) but in the meantime I found that you B M (I am happy that You are enjoying your car) and few forums in Germany are talking about that.
About GTI …. only 2200km (I am still careful with comments … I was to excited with 118TSI)
For me it is looking good inside and outside … handling, power, cornering, everything brilliant … but, I am sure I am going to make some people angry … not big lower of sound generator … especially when driving at low speed with less than 2000 RPM that sound sounds like artificial and why to channel that noise in the cabin… to compete with Music player… This is GOLF GTI not Subaru WRX
I suppose car (in my case it applies to everything else) that are screaming… look at me… look at me, are not my cup of tea… I more prefer quiet power when You pass or overtake somebody they comment… look at that car … question of taste
I am not completely against that noise … if you accelerate hard with 4000 plus RPM that noise is ok.
I am far from car – forums experts but for me 118TSI engine with T & S charger is having great future… economical with good punch, quiet
I would not be surprised that next gen. GTI and R models is coming with twin-charger
UPDATE: After 8 weeks of quiet motoring (read: no supercharger noise), in the last couple of days the supercharger “squeaking” noise has returned – not as consistent as it was before, but this was how it started when i first heard it in my car at 5250klms.
If this chirp is considered normal, and a “charactoristic of the car”, why then did it not have the noise for the first 5000klms, then get chirpey until around 12,000klms where it became quiet again, and now it starts again. This is a fault in design VW – fix this issue across all VW 118tsi engines and only then will you be able to hold up that trophy of “engine of the year”.
Hey Boney,
I was hoping for your sake that the noise would stay away!
It just proves over and over again, that it is a definite fault doesnt it.
If it was a “characteristic” it would be consistent, correct?
We all know its not supposed to be there anyway, we were away for Xmas and have
just come home, but we saw a few new 118TSI’s and wondered if they were chirpers?
Never saw the owners or would have asked.
Bugger VW for stuffing up what would have been a great little car, my heart was set on this car and I am really ticked off about it still.
Like the Mazda, but would have loved the Golf (minus the flaws).
Had a strong feeling the noise would return, has it done the other trick since of moving forward when putting in reverse?
Our garage is a tandem one, so the first car (would have been the golf) has to park very close to front wall of garage to enable second car to fit close behind it, another thing that would have been a MAJOR problem for me, if the car were to inch forward it would have hit the front wall!
Hope you had a nice chrissy and keep us informed Boney
Confused says:
December 21, 2009 at 9:28 am
Maz6
Like you I was also ready to buy a TSI 118 based on the professional reviews – till I found this site and others similar. Now I am veering towards the Mazda or the smaller engine Golf. The annual servicing of the Golf is attractive – but not if it is in for repairs 4 times between servicing. I was surprised when I did a test drive that the car was a trade-in after 10,000km, and I did notice that the radio was on (and I turned it off), but didn’t notice any noise – but then I wasn’t looking for it either as I hadn’t read this thread.
Reliability is important to me and the head probably has to win over the heart unfortunately (to avoid any “I told you so” later). I do like the air conditioned glove box and the automatic parking of the Golf (assuming it works and doesn’t go forwards not backwards as some have found)
You said that Mazda gave you the lowest trade-in initially and wouldn’t budge on $$ – did you end up trading in or going to another dealer or selling privately?
Hi confused,
to answer your questions….we did go to another Mazda dealer, and ended up getting a much better trade in price,(was the same as VW were originally going to give us after some haggling),we also made sure the higher trade in did not reflect the discount on the new car cause we did our homework on how low we knew Mazda could go with some more haggling.
A trade in was always going to be a last resort as we wanted to sell privately anyway but if that didnt happen we wanted the reassurance of a decent price to fall back on. We advertised the car on carsales and it sold on day 7.
Had a few people look and either offer trade in price or lower (they thought it was a good offer and were dissappointed when we turned them down) so we knew the tradein we insisted from Mazda was decent, and they actually wanted to put the car into their stock because it was in such excellent condition and very low kms.
We only had a couple of weeks to sell privately in the end because we pulled out of the deal with VW so ended up selling for $1,000 more than if we traded.
Happy with Mazda deal and sales guy.
As previously mentoned (more than once) yes my heart was set on the golf!
It would have definitely been in our garage now if we had gone ahead with the purchase (was due to arrive 14 Nov) we had leather, sunroof, sports pack, sports kit, park assist as xtras. Had a demo with park assist on the salesman passat, but it was done across someones driveway, and yes it parks the car very close to the curb(well would have been except it was a driveway), did you read another post from someone with park assist that said the alloys got scraped on the kerb because park assist got too close? Wondering if thats why this demo was done over a driveway, no kerb? I soooo know how you feel about this, and as you will see by my reply to Boney, I’m still not over it, never been like this before about cars, guess its because I have always purchased the car that I actually wanted?
Did you consider the diesel version? Doesnt have the chirp because of the twin turbo? Dont think the 90 TSI has had many issues, so may be a better option, but havent done much homework on this one. Guess like me, you have considered your options too and we would have gone with the Mazda 3 sp25 but liked the xtras on the 6 because of the golf, although we have other things on the 6 that the golf didnt have standard, like bio zenons and the rear seats fold flat to give a flat bed in cargo area we prefer this)Hope this helps, if you live in Melbourne also and want dealers name, let me know, Good luck with your decision
Hey Boney,
whats happening with Golf these days, has the noise issue worsened?
Hey Maz6
The chirp is on and off, much more off then on since my last post. I have also recently had my 15,000k service. All has been super smooth lately. Had a 1000klm trip during this week for work and was a great drive, averaging 5.1L/100klm for the whole trip with mostly 100-110k/ph highway driving and a small amount of stop start city travel. Seats were great, so comfy and no back pain……if I did the same trip in my Kluger I would have had an aching back for sure as i have experienced this many times.
I am remaining patient for now as the chiping is nowhere near as bad as it was. My tech guy at my local dealer is keeping me informed of progress with replacement parts, he is pretty sketchy on the details, but apparently Chatswood Classic Cars are telling their effected owners that replacement parts are scheduled to arrive in March………We’ll see!
One thing about the car that never ceases to amaze me is the torque band. Torque is so strong and low down that in cruise control, DSG would sit in 7th gear going up hills on the highway overtaking other cars without losing speed and without changing down from 7th……..mind you it was only myself and wife in the car so not much of a load…….still, it is quite impressive. I can only imagine how the greater torque in the TDI makes for smooth highway driving.
Hows the 6 goin?
Just an update, I test drove a 118TSI manual and a 103TDI manual. I decided to go for the 103TDI manual, United Grey in colour. It has great low-revs pulling power and was a dream to drive. The fuel-economy figures aren’t too shabby, either. All being well, I should be picking it up Wednesday evening 10/02/10 from Wangara VW here in Western Australia.