2013 New York Auto Show: Volkswagen’s all-new, seventh-generation Golf
The U.S. version of the redesigned Volkswagen Golf -- a car already tooling around Europe -- will arrive as a 2015 model with three turbocharged engines, two gas and one diesel, VW announced Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show.
To be built at a new factory in Pueblo, Mexico, the classic square hatchback will come standard with a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. That replaces the current naturally aspirated five-cylinder, which has similar power but has been criticized for being inefficient and unrefined.
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The Golf turbo diesel will return with slightly more horsepower -- 150 compared with 140 in the current TDI. Torque remains unchanged at 236 pound-feet. Expect gas mileage to improve over the current diesel’s already strong EPA ratings of 30 mpg in the city and 42 on the highway.
All Golf models are estimated to improve fuel mileage “by as much as 15%,” according to VW.
The GTI returns as the fastest Golf, with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo producing an estimated 210 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, though VW has not finalized those figures.
The GTI and TDI will be offered with standard six-speed manual transmissions and available quick-shifting DSG dual-clutch automatics. VW offered no specifics on the base model’s transmissions except to say both a manual and automatic will be offered.
VW brags that the next-generation Golf will be larger and lighter than the current car, owing to the extensive use of high-strength steel and a systematic effort to save weight on all components.
Its styling recalls the boxy ethic of previous Golfs and moves away from the more rounded lines of the last two generations.
“The car incorporates the classic C-pillars and other elements that hark back to previous generation Golf models, such as the side windows, the roofline and wheel arches that are redolent of the Golf A4,” Volkswagen said in a statement, referring to the fourth-generation Golf built from 1999 to 2005.
The next-generation Golf veers from the blocky style with a hood that slopes down more to a point, but the rest of the car is a study in straight lines, with a sharpened crease around the midsection stretching back to angular tail lights.
The front wheels have been moved forward, accentuating what Golf designer Klaus Bischoff calls a “cab backward” look, with a long hood and the passenger compartment pushed to the rear.
In a slightly larger interior, soft-touch plastics will be accented with chrome, aluminum and piano black surfaces. A new touch screen will enable drivers to choose functions with the swipe of a hand, much like a smartphone, VW said. The navigation system will have a 3-D display.
The new Golf is expected to go on sale in early 2014. VW has not yet announced pricing.
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