In just four years, a further 2.85 million Golf cars had been produced by the end of July 2012, based on the sixth generation of the car launched in 2008. And once again safety made great advances too: the car body, again laser-welded, was so rugged that it passed the EuroNCAP crash test with flying colours, gaining the maximum five stars. There was now also a further airbag fitted as standard: the knee airbag for the driver.
In terms of its quality, the Golf VI's interior in particular ranked as ahead of its time. Meanwhile, more TSI engines and a transition among the turbodiesel engines (TDI) from unit injection to the common rail system produced greater dynamic performance and lower fuel consumption. A top performer was the second Golf BlueMotion with a combined fuel consumption of just 3.8 l/100 km, equivalent to 99 g/km CO₂. New assistance systems - such as Light Assist automatic main beam management, Park Assist, hill start assistant and technologies such as DCC dynamic chassis control - made the ‘World Car of the Year 2009' the most advanced Golf to date. Also available were features such as the Stop/Start system and battery regeneration mode, dynamic cornering lights and LED rear light clusters. Including all derivatives, a total of 2.85 million sixth generation units was produced - that is, 0.71 million Golf cars annually.
The Golf VI design
"The Golf does radiate into the other Volkswagen products, but always just when it comes to the details, for example, its precision, its high valence. And the same applies for the sixth Golf that came out in 2008. It set the bar for precision and attention to detail even higher. As Walter de Silva, Chief Designer of Volkswagen Group, described the Golf VI during its 2008 international presentation: "It's more accentuated, more three-dimensional than its predecessor, with precisely defined lines and edges, and with finely proportioned flared surfaces and recesses." Klaus Bischoff, Chief Designer Volkswagen Brand, remarked at the time: "Every detail is uncompromisingly aimed at higher valence"
The side-by-side comparison of generations 5 and 6 clearly demonstrates how much the Golf had changed in 2008. Visually, the Golf VI had become flatter than its predecessor. Generally, this Golf constituted a further refinement of the Volkswagen design DNA with its consistent horizontal alignment of the front and rear elements. The design team selectively emphasised the original stylistic traits of the series, dispatching them on a journey into the future. The roof section was now resting on a prominently contoured shoulder section. This was due to a prominent, curving line that runs from the headlights to the tail lights, much like a muscle, well-trained down to the last fibre. This line is referred to as the "character line" by Volkswagen design, and it gave the Golf VI a heavier, lower stance on the road in the side view.
All surfaces were tenser and more athletic. In the front, the Golf VI adopted the horizontally aligned band of the radiator grill between the headlights as was the case in the first Golf generation; the grill itself was finished in a high-gloss black. The line styling of the bumper corresponded to that of the radiator grill. Another air intake, all in black, opened up in the area below. The chrome light housings of the dynamically styled headlamps were now also mounted against a black background. The rear was equally characterised by a predominance of horizontal lines. Among other features, the very wide tail lights made for an unmistakably unique night design; split tail lights of this style and size are a design element normally used in higher vehicle segments.