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The eighth chapter of the Golf has caused a sensation both nationally and internationally – for a variety of reasons. Whether connectivity and usability, sustainability and safety, comfort and design: the new Golf, that has just been introduced, sets standards on many different levels, making it easy to lose track of things. Where exactly are the most exciting innovations and greatest advances of the new Golf? We provide an overview:

Connectivity & Usability

Digitized, connected and intuitively useable. Never before has a Golf been more progressive than this, and never before has the focus been so consistently on the driver. The new Golf is the first model in its segment with a completely digital high-end cockpit as standard (the “Innovision Cockpit” is an option). Displays and operating elements have been digitized to make them self-explanatory. The new, innovative voice control is child’s play to operate. In short: the digital interior architecture thus enables a completely new dimension of intuitive operation.

All digital systems in the new Golf are not only connected to each other, but also to the world outside via an Online-Connectivity-Unit (OCU). The standard OCU, with integrated eSIM, networks with the online functions and services of “We Connect” and “We Connect Plus”, which bring streaming, web radio and other online features on board. In addition, functions and systems can be unlocked at a later date using “We Upgrade”. The new Golf is “always on”.

In addition, the display landscape can be personalized to suit the taste of each driver. Volkswagen’s networked, digital cockpit will change the way we drive – the new Golf will become a game changer here: for volume production, he starts the digital era.

Sustainability and Safety

Volkswagen is launching a hybrid offensive with the new Golf. With five hybrid versions at once, the new Golf electrifies its customers – and sets a new standard in the compact class. The 48V technology celebrates its debut: a starter belt generator, a 48V lithium-ion battery and the latest generation of efficient TSI engines (81, 96 and 110 kW) form the eTSI, a mild hybrid drive with three output levels – unique in the compact class. Noticeable advantages: consumption savings of around ten percent (based on WLTP) and highly agile and comfortable starting. In addition, the eighth generation of this best-seller will feature two plug-in hybrid drives (150 and 180 kW). Both Golf models with hybrid drive have a new 13 kWh lithium-ion battery on board, which enables long electrical ranges and temporarily turns the Golf into a zero-emission vehicle. The bestseller from Wolfsburg thus makes sustainable mobility accessible to a maximum number of customers.

The drive range of the new Golf also offers new petrol (TSI), diesel (TDI) and natural gas (TGI) drives. Two three-cylinder petrol engines (66 and 81 kW), two four-cylinder diesel engines (85 and 110 kW) and a TGI with 96 kW are new to the range. The new TSI drives feature particularly low fuel consumption and emissions, thanks in part to the innovative “TSI-Miller combustion process”. A novelty with the TDI engines: thanks to “Twin Dosing” (two SCR catalytic converters), fuel consumption is reduced by up to 17 percent, and with this technology Volkswagen reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by up to 80 percent compared with the predecessor.

The new Golf also sets standards in terms of road safety when it comes to assisted driving functions. The “Travel Assist”, used for the first time worldwide in a compact class model, makes it possible for the Volkswagen to be driven with assistance on motorways at up to 210 km/h without actively steering, accelerating or braking. The new Golf is also the first Volkswagen to connect as standard with its surroundings: via Car2X. This function uses the information from other vehicles in an environment of up to 800 meters as well as signals from the traffic infrastructure to warn the driver. The carr also forwards these warnings to other Car2X vehicles. Swarm intelligence thus becomes the present. It is the beginning of a new phase in road safety. The new “IQ.LIGHT – LED matrix headlamps” with their partly interactive lighting functions, which illuminate the roads almost perfectly, offer additional safety.

Comfort & Design

As is customary, the new Golf also meets the highest demands in terms of comfort and design. It starts as soon as you enter the vehicle: Personalization 2.0 saves driver settings and can call them up via the cloud after somebody else has used the car – so drivers always find the vehicle tailored to their preferences. The new windshield head-up display, which projects important information such as speed or navigation instructions into the driver’s field of vision, makes for relaxed travelling. And the new optional premium audio system from US audio specialist Harman Kardon guarantees acoustic perfection.

While digital user interfaces simplify life onboard in interior, perfect proportions and striking lines give a strong presence and dynamism to the exterior. The light signature runs across the entire front, through the new brand logo, giving the car a wider appearance. The new lighting design becomes a strong and characteristical style element. The clearly drawn sideline leads into pronounced shoulders, the C-pillar characteristic of the Golf and the striking rear section. All these design innovations, developed by head of Volkswagen design, Klaus Bischoff and his team, give the eigth Golf a special sporty look and even more character. The eigth generation is a completely new car, yet remains a true Golf.