Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 170 GT 5dr Review

Overall Rating

Responsive and flexible
Practical for small families
Build quality
Best car I have driven

Expensive
Vehicle service quality for VW is unreliable

Jeremy Clarkson may have slagged the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 170 GT off on Top Gear, but how many of you can afford an Aston Martin? If you thought having a family meant not having a fun car any more, then this will make you think again. The small engine size (1.4 litre) may put off a lot of people, but the surprise is the 140 bhp served up by a combination of a supercharger to boost power at low revs, and a turbo charger to take over and boost power at high revs. Ever thought a 1400cc hatchback could tow a caravan? This one could - achieving and maintaining maximum torque at less than 2000 revs, you can change up to sixth gear by 2000 revs, and the power just keeps coming.

I simply love driving the thing anywhere - from sweeping country roads (the handling is precise, stable and could lose you your licence as you forget how fast you are really going) to the 10 mph crawl of an inner city traffic jam. The seats are comfortable and adjust easily between the 5'00" 8 st. form of my wife to my 6'00" 14 stone frame. We both agree this is the most comfortable car (VW or any of the 17 other cars) that we have driven. The brakes are firm and solid without being sharp, and the 6-speed gearbox is easily navigated (my wife is not the most sophisticated driver - but finds the 6 gears not too confusing to use).

The inside of the car may seem spartan at first. The dashboard is a dull plastic with bright metallic features that would never win a design award. The basic features include central locking, alarm, air conditioning, electric windows and mirrors, CD/radio, 8 speakers, and a beautiful blue/red dash lighting that combined with red LED ambient lighting in the forward cabin make night-time driving a real feel of luxury. A trip computer (working our mpg, time of journey, outside temperature etc.) is useful and easy to navigate. Safety features abound with twin front airbags (passenger bag can be switched off for baby seats), side airbags and curtain air bags. The ISOFIX child seat fittings allow most standard child seats or boosters to be fitted in seconds.

The bodywork comes like that on most standard Golf's, but the Sport includes lowered suspension and beautiful 16" alloy wheels that combined with colour matched trim makes the cost of pearl or metallic paint coats well worth the extra cost. The mechanicals include ABS brakes, with ESP (a stability control system that makes sudden evasive manouvers to avoid an accident so much safer by keeping the car under electronic control) and a few other acronyms that make it much more difficult to crash (although if you must drive into a brick wall...).

Performance means sub 8 second acceleration to 60 mph, and a top speed over 130 mph - performance that enhances safety rather than encouraging "boy racer" behaviour, although make no mistake - this is a very quick car - so safer overtaking too I guess! Our driving has averaged out the fuel economy at 32 mpg (weekday journey's are just the 8 miles to work my wife does, but weekends we travel much further), and found no disadvantage to using the lower grade 95RON unleaded fuel (up to 10p/litre cheaper than the premium 98RON fuel recommended by VW).

Buying this car is (I think) expensive. Ours cost £15995, including the black pearl paint finish and fog lights (a gift from the garage). With a £1500 deposit, we are left on the VW Options payment scheme paying about £250/month, with about £8000 collateral (or a guaranteed trade-in) at the end of the credit term. I don't think that is too bad - cannot remember what interest we were charged though.

In conclusion I love this car, and so does my wife. OK, I am a bit of a petrol head, but my wife is a practical, straightforward person who sees a car purely as a means of transport. The fact this car appeals to us both says a lot for the success of it's design. I think it is true to the original concept of the Golf as a fun, practical hatchback, and I rate it much better than my Ford Focus (our other car), and a world better than the awful Vauxhall's and Peugeot's I get to drive at work! Alright, I know we all have different opinions about cars, and the very latest Vauxhall's are light years better than the old ones, but I still feel the VW is the best of all the mid-sized hatchback/family cars.

Members' Comments onandy8758's Review

• Anonymous101 on 14th Feb 2007

  I haven't owned this model but I have experience of many Golf's, and I would vouch for them in pretty much every department. The only concerns I have with regards to a VW is the gearbox, though I would recommend the Golf no probs, great review!