VW Golf Style 1.5 eTSI: 'I test drove the new VW Golf - it is still a pure joy and a safe bet'

There is speculation about the Golf’s future. An electric I.D. version is some years away, selling alongside the petrol Golf which, I hear, will be made in Mexico where the last Beetle was made.

Today that future doesn’t concern us. Volkswagen is shuffling its wares cleverly. It is easily the number one seller in the UK, well ahead of Ford - which it supplies with hardware for some of its EVs.

The Golf moved VW into the hatchback generation of the Renault 5. There have been 3-door and 5-door bodies, a 2-door convertible and a 5-door estate.

Sales are marching towards 38 million but slowing as VW, along with its peers, move towards battery-powered electric vehicles.

More than 2.3 million Golfs have been sold in Britain, making it a distinctive presence in the nation’s life. It may look classless but its slowly evolving conservative body, getting larger over the decades, appealed to buyers from the middle and upper classes.

I’d suggest it still does. A Golf is also regarded as a good second-hand buy.

Golf entered its eighth generation in 2019, with revisions last year pending the Mk 9. It shares an adaptable VW Group format with the Audi 3, SEAT Leon and longer Skoda Octavia.

The Leon is visually closest to the Golf. You’d not spot the family lineage in the A3 or Octavia.

The Golf is a small family on its own, all with five-door hatchback estate bodies and petrol, diesel mild hybrid, self-charging and plug-in hybrid engines.

The BEV duties are taken on by Volkswagen’s I.D. models which are solely BEVs. Golf prices range from £28,010 to £46,910.

The Golf is a big seller, despite brighter-looking rivals (Peugeot 308) and the masses of SUVs and Crossovers including a dozen or so from the VW Group. Its own Polo has grown up and is a contender too.

The Golf’s update last year answered a few grumbles.

The infotainment system is improved, the irritating touch/slide system pads have been joined by conventional buttons on the steering wheel and elsewhere and there is a tax-friendly new PHEV model.

There is still perhaps the ultimate anonymous hot car of recent times, the Golf R. Other than significant fattening in the exhaust and wheel departments and the letter R on the back you’d never know it is a 328bhp all-wheel-drive supercar, managing to be one without an accumulation of fins and spoilers and body drama.

The pale blue car you see here is not an R. It is an eTSI. Yer wot? The four letters translate to a mildly electrified turbocharged 1.5 litre petrol engine, a mild hybrid in which a 48 volt lithium-ion battery powers a small electric motor which assists starting off and gives a boost in acceleration.

It also helps reduce emissions, gives better mileage and generally refines the driving experience. The battery regenerates when the car is slowing down braking or through the DSG automatic gearbox which is fitted to hybrid models.

A weaker TSI engine without electric assistance is offered.

The crystal blue metallic eTSI in Style trim is one of the cheaper models, from £31,060 plus £1,350 for a year’s tax, a registration fee, delivery and number plate costs and VAT making £32,410 in total. The subtle paint added £810.

As tested with large wheels and tyres, heated front seats and heated leather steering wheel, a 65 per cent tint on the rear windows and a folding towbar and electrics it would cost you £35,370 or a trickle of monthly rental payments.

The “Catania” 18-inch fancy alloys with 225/40 Bridgestone Turanza tyres looked grand but with disappointing levels of tyre noise and road shocks.

The standard 17-inch wheels carry deeper walled 225/45 tyres which my improve things. Their catalogue name is Nottingham, a weird choice compared with Sicilian Catania.

Otherwise the Style package had all I’d expect other than auto locking and unlocking.

I do not settle in quickly to VW’s touchscreen swipe controls for ventilation and audio settings. Skoda, for example, retains traditional switches. However, voice control can handle this if you don’t have a passenger (mine immediately complained about the tyre roar and bumpy habits).

The fabric seats suited vegan leanings and both front and rear have supportive side bolsters — and this Golf can enjoy fast driving and curves — where the shallow tyres help.

The engine is a smooth pure joy, with punchy torquey acceleration and good economy, so i’ll move to the cabin trim — smart in gloss black and silvery banding.

There are large pockets in all the doors and rear passengers have heater controls, three facing pouches on the front seat backs.

There is a two-tier boot floor covering an empty well for a spare wheel — which I’d fill with one.

In conclusion, the Golf remains a Golf. It is a safe bet. I was surprised at the high level of road noise, that’s all.

Volkswagen Golf Style 1.5 eTSI: From £32,410; Petrol turbo 1.5 mild hybrid engine; 148 bhp; Torque 184 lb/ft; 7-speed DSG automatic transmission; Top speed 139 mph; 0-62mph 8.4 seconds; 53 mpg (45 to 52 in testing); 11 gallons (50 litres) tank; CO 2 emissions 121g/km; Length 168.5 inches (4.3m); Braked towing limit 1500 kg; volkswagen.co.uk