2009 Volkswagen Golf MkVI specifications

So far more than 26 million Golfs have been sold worldwide and with the new Golf only months away, sales are only set to increase.

Europeans will see the car first in October; the car will then head to Africa, Asia, Australia and North America. Pricing for the Australian market is yet to be released by the entry price for the German market is around 16,500 Euros ($28,000).

One of the areas which VW has improved on significantly, to not only meet new tougher EU-5 standards but also to win over more buyers, is fuel economy and emissions. The German giant says innovative engines and transmission technologies have lowered fuel consumption by up to 28 percent in the range.

All models in the new Golf range now satisfy limits of the future EU-5 standard.

New technologies added to the car include “automatic distance control” (ACC), “adaptive chassis control” (DCC) and the “park steering assistant”. The most interesting is distance control, a technology most of us would be familiar with in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The new Golf can now keep its distance from the vehicle infront and automatically brake incase of an unavoidable collision.

Volkswagen is also employing a new ESP system, which will provide a more direct response over its control range, while going up to seven airbags (inc. knee airbag) and adding special head restraints that counteract whiplash trauma.

Further safety features include a “seatbelt detection” system for the rear seating as well as daytime running lights, all as standard equipement.

All of us at CarAdvice have already decided that from the outside, the new Golf simply looks brilliant.

Volkswagen says the designers have taken the  “essential DNA” of the previous two generation Golfs and sent them on a "trip to the future". This has led to the new Golf, which is meant to be a timeless shape, and it needs to be for it will be with us for some time to come!

Some of the modern features include the roof section, which now looks similar to the new Scirocco. All body surfaces are generally more relaxed, more athletic, Volkswagen says.

Most noticeably from the front is the new grille while the all new rear-lights are rather wide now, which the company says will stand out beautifull at night. Apparently some inspiration for the taillight design came from the company's proper 4WD, the Touareg.

Moving inside, Volkswagen says a lot of ideas for the interior where taken directly from the new Passat CC, which should mean the sixth-generation Golf will have a much higher grade of interior design than its competitors.

Another improvement is noise reduction. Volkswagen call it the quietest Golf ever. Enormous work hours have gone into ensuring a comfortable and quite ride, so much so that the company has even applied a special damping film in the windshield to reduce driving noises.

There are new seal for the doors and side window guides. Even the side mirrors have been designed to significantly reduces wind noise. Tyres were picked for their quiet rolling properties while the new engine bearings round out the noise reduction package.

Volkswagen will also, for the first time, employ TDI common rail engines in the Golf. An further two balancer shafts also put an end to undesirable vibrations.

Although all engine powerplants are yet to be official confirmed for Australia, Europe is expected to get TDI engines extending from 66 kW / 90 PS to 125 kW / 170 PS. Furthermore, there will be two 2.0 litre TDI engines; 81 kW / 110 PS and 103 kW / 140 PS.

Fuel economy has gone below the 5L/100km range. The 66 kW entry-level diesel is makes do with just 4.5 litres of fuel (119 g/km CO2) per 100 kilometres – a 0.6 litre reduction. However the engine we already know we will be recommending, the 125 kW diesel, still manages to run on just 4.9 litres of diesel (129 g/km CO2)!

Petrol engines will of course be on offer as well. Four engines will be available from launch (all not confirmed for our market), they include:

Although the entry-level variants will still make do with traditional automatic gearboxes, Volkswagen says all other models all petrol and diesel engines can be paired with Volkswagen’s dual clutch transmission (DSG). Depending on the chosen engine, either a 6-speed or 7-speed DSG is employed.

More Australian specific details will be released closer to the car's launch in the next few months.