Updated Volkswagen Golf presented: new headlights, physical buttons, more power

The Volkswagen Golf may not be very popular in Ukraine, but globally, it is a bestseller for Volkswagen: 37 million cars have been sold over the 50 years of the model’s existence. And now we meet the updated Volkswagen Golf, which brings another batch of improvements and aims to attract new customers.

The main updates were already clear from the numerous teasers of the new model – we are talking about new IQ.LIGHT headlights with the ability to illuminate the road at a distance of up to 500 meters. The updated Volkswagen Golf 8.5 also received modified headlights, new wheel options and body paint.

Volkswagen decided not to wait too long and introduced almost all variants of the Volkswagen Golf 8.5 at the same time. Thus, in addition to the hatchback body, a station wagon called the Volkswagen Golf Variant is also offered, which has undergone similar visual changes. As for the engines, the basis of the engine range is a gasoline turbo TSI or eTSI (with a mild 48V hybrid) with a capacity of 116-150 “horses”. Similar power can be offered by TDI diesel versions.

Probably the biggest changes in technology concern PHEV hybrids. The Volkswagen Golf eHybrid version retains the same 204 hp, but has a larger battery – thanks to the 19.7 kWh battery, you can expect a range of about 100 km in exclusively electric mode. But the Volkswagen Golf GTE version has added more horsepower: we have 272 hp (+27 hp more than its predecessor).

You can monitor the hybrid’s performance on the 10.2-inch dashboard display. However, in the cabin, quite different things are more important – for example, the return of the steering wheel with physical buttons, as promised by Volkswagen. In addition, the Volkswagen Golf 8.5 has a larger central display (10.4 or 12.9-inch) and a modified menu with additional “virtual button” bars at the top and bottom: seat heating and ventilation, climate control, driver assistance systems, etc. All this is called MIB4.

Finally, to complete the full story of the Volkswagen Golf update, we should of course mention the Volkswagen Golf GTI: the iconic hot hatchback. And now it has become even hotter – thanks to the 265-horsepower TSI engine, which has added +20 hp compared to its predecessor. Other changes are already known: new headlights and lights, special wheels and interior.

Sales of the new Volkswagen Golf 8.5 in Europe are scheduled to start this spring. After that, the car will soon be available in Ukraine.