- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.4T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
103kW, 250Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 5.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2013)
2015 Volkswagen Golf 103 TSI Highline Review
The exterior design is dated and bland but internally the car looks and feels quality (although you'll have to buy premium pack if you want leather upholstery and who wants a sunroof other than someone with a comb over?) Reviews often highlight good ergonomics but steering wheel controls are small and fiddly.
- Performance , Drive, Handling, Interior design, Interior quality
- Exterior design, The GPS, "Features" that don't exist eg "Voice", "Traffic", Not being able to turn off the radio except by turning off the whole infotainment system.
Why does no expert review (or VW sales person) mention the lousy GPS (can't pronounce "road" let alone a street name; nor is there a safety camera feature), "voice" control doesn't work in Australia nor does "traffic" (leaving new owners feeling duped). And you can't turn off the radio unless you switch off the whole "infotainment system"!!! (Work around "Media" then "pause".)
Disappointing there is no blind spot monitoring. Great internal space (and I'm 196 cms), as well as a large boot, and the seats are really comfortable. The digital speed display option, in addition to the traditional speedo, sure beats squinting at the speedo to be sure I've not crept 5kms over the limit.
The car's superiority to its competitors (and I test drove a number of them) becomes obvious when it matters most - performance, drive and handling. Lovely smooth gear change, quiet on the roughest surface and you'll feel the bumps least of the lot, pulls like a train without seeming effort and stuck to the road when cornering so well not even my wife complained. ULP 98 is recommended, which rather detracts from those attractive L/100 km figures.
Given the overall quality, why VWA hasn't sorted out the relatively minor flaws (some of which have exasperated owners for years) is a mystery.