BERLIN – Volkswagen unveils a facelifted Golf, revealing subtle styling changes, upgraded interior appointments and newly developed turbocharged 1.5L TSI 4-cyl. gasoline engine.
The tweaked model will hit the European market in 3- and 5-door and wagon configurations in first-quarter 2017, with a U.S. launch following later in the year.
Predictably subtle, the midlife changes are designed to improve the overall competitiveness of the small car against a raft of rivals until the planned debut of a more heavily altered eighth-generation Golf in 2019.
Visually, the ʼ17 Golf departs little from today’s 4-year-old model. Up front are a lightly re-profiled bumper with altered grille and air-duct styling; revised headlamps with altered graphics, LED daytime running lights and a new full LED main beam function in place of the earlier Xenon units; and lightly restyled front fenders.
At the rear are full LED taillamps and a newly designed bumper featuring integral tailpipes on the popular R-line styling package.
Further changes to the appearance include a new range of wheel designs and exterior colors.
Inside are revised accent trims for the doors, dashboard and center console. In line with other new Volkswagens, the Golf also receives an optional Active Info Display that features a 12.3-in. (31-cm) high-definition monitor in place of the standard analog instrument cluster.
The Active Info Display supports five different information profiles: classic; consumption and range; efficiency; performance; and driver assistance; and navigation. Depending on the model, the digital instrument graphics are customized, with the GTi receiving a predominantly red theme and the GTE using a mainly blue hue.
More significant are the updates brought to the various infotainment systems offered on the new Golf. The ʼ17 model gets five optional touch-based systems, all of which now support larger screens ranging from 6.5 ins. to 8.0 ins. (17-20 cm) and altered operating system that, on the top-of-the-line Discover Pro unit, supports gesture control.
There’s also the latest generation of Volkswagen’s online services, including an updated App Connect feature that pairs with the latest versions of Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink.
Volkswagen’s best-selling model also adopts a number of new or updated driver-assist systems. Included is Traffic Jam Assist, which automatically applies the brakes to ease driving in stop/go speeds up to 36 mph (60 km/h); Emergency Assist, which sounds a warning and subsequently initiates an emergency stop when it detects the driver is incapacitated; and Lane Assist plus active cruise control for active lane-keeping.
Also available is an updated City Emergency Braking system with pedestrian detection and Park Assist 3.0 that provides semi-autonomous parking in both parallel and perpendicular spaces.
Volkswagen confirms the introduction of an advanced new turbocharged 1.5L gasoline engine, although it is yet to officially reveal the full lineup of engines planned for the new Golf in either Europe or North America.
Officials contacted by WardsAuto suggest the lineup will start with Volkswagen’s familiar EA211 turbocharged 1.2L and 1.4L TSI gasoline powerplants.
The new 1.5L, which will power a pair of new 1.5 TSI EVO models to launch across Europe next year, is a derivative of the existing EA211 engine. It draws on a number of engineering solutions already brought to Audi’s latest turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl., including a new combustion process based on the Miller-cycle principle, a turbocharger with variable-turbine geometry and Active Cylinder Management that idles the two middle cylinders on light throttle loads for added fuel savings in urban driving environments.
In its most powerful guise as fitted to the Golf 1.5 TSI Evo, the new 1.5L unit delivers 148-hp and 184 lb.-ft. (249 Nm) of torque at 1,500 rpm, giving it the same output as the 1.4L engine it replaces. No performance claims have been revealed as yet, though Volkswagen quotes combined fuel economy on the European test cycle of 48.0 mpg (4.9 L/100 km), bettering its predecessor by 2.8 mpg (1.2 km/L).
A more economical version of the 1.5L will power a new Golf 1.5 TSI Evo BlueMotion model. Tuned to deliver 128 hp and 147 lb.-ft. (199 Nm) at 1,400 rpm, it receives a coasting function that shuts down the engine on extended periods of trailing throttle, providing claimed combined-cycle consumption of 51.1 mpg (4.6 L/100 km) on the European test cycle.
By comparison, the lower-powered version of the earlier 1.4L engine delivered 123 hp and 147 lb.-ft. for combined fuel consumption of 43.6 mpg (5.4 L/100 km) with a 6-speed manual.
Among future developments being pursued by Volkswagen for its latest gasoline engine is a particulate filter, which is claimed to further reduce its emissions.
Farther up the lineup, the Golf GTi’s existing 2.0L turbocharged gasoline 4-cyl. is retuned for an added 10 hp. In the standard GTi, the EA888 unit now delivers 226 hp, while it is rated at 242 hp in the GTi Performance.
The facelifted Golf GTE hybrid retains the same driveline as today’s model, with a 148-hp 1.4L gasoline 4-cyl. and 101-hp electric motor. The two power units provide a combined system output of 201 hp and 258 lb.-ft. (350 Nm) of torque.
The lineup joins the ʼ17 eGolf previewed at the recent Paris auto show. It features a 38.5-kWh lithium-ion battery in place of today’s 24.2-kWh unit, boosting range beyond 186 miles (299 km).
Volkswagen remains tight-lipped on changes brought to the range topping all-wheel-drive Golf R, although officials suggest it will receive an added 20 hp, lifting the reserves of its turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl. to 316 hp.
While Volkswagen has confirmed to WardsAuto a new turbocharged 1.5L common-rail 4-cyl. diesel is in development to replace the existing 1.6L unit, no mention of the engine is made in information released on the facelifted Golf.
Further driveline developments include the introduction of a new 7-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox. To be offered as an option to a standard 6-speed manual, it replaces the existing optional 6-speed unit in more powerful Golf models in a move Volkswagen says contributes to a reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions.
