- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.4T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
90kW, 200Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 6.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2009)
2012 Volkswagen Golf 90 TSI Trendline Review
I've had this car now for two and a half years and around 50,0000km. It has twice in that time gone into "limp home mode" for no apparent reason. Both times I corrected it bey restarting, and no fault was recorded.
- Classy Euro design, especially the interior, running costs are relatively modest., 90kW engine punches above its weight. , Tyres give lots of grip and seem to last much better than the ones on my Honda Jazz did.
- DSG takes some getting used to. Would get a manual next time, Paint seems to attract minor scuffs. Next time, I'll get a white one I think., SPace saver spare wheel is stupid idea, although I've never had to use it, Factory towbar arrangement is fiddly
I have quite a steep driveway and it sometimes gets the shudders going up. I find that putting it in S1 or manual 1 rather than D prevents this, so it seems to be a software issue. Other than that, and the occasional wheelspins on take off, I have had no trouble with it. It has the latest software upgrades and the recall has been done.
I have a towbar on it for my 6x4 box trailer. It is a vertical square hitch type that is awkward to fit and doesn't store in the tow hitch recess under the boot floor (made for a Euro one). Towing works well, and the car has plenty of power and torque for the job.
I love the engine in this car. It has better pickup than its modest 90kW spec would suggest, even when towing a trailer load of mulch. Perhaps Euro kW are bigger than Japanese ones? It's way better than the Holden Cruze rental I drove.
The DSG Gearbox works well once on the move but can be a pain taking off from rest or low speed, although taking off in S and then slipping into D sometimes helps. The DSG (like all such transmissions) has to be driven it with its friction clutch in mind to get the best out of it, which means non-mechanically minded folks who have no idea what a clutch does should probably buy elsewhere.
The interior is better than just about anything available at this price point and the controls are intuitive and have a quality feel to them. Like all Euro made cars, this indicator is on the wrong side, but this is only a problem for me because I regularly also drive Toyotas from work.
Services are every 15,000km and I've found them to be reasonably priced. Fuel consumption is around 6 l/100km, but that's with minimal slow peak hour driving.