New Golf... very nice IMHO

[Johann]

What do you guys think of the new Golf?

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I think it looks MILES better than the new Astra... the Astra looks so first-year-design-student-looking-for-direction, whereas this car... well it can only be a Golf. Park this next to a Golf 2 and you'll know they are related. Park the new Astra next to a 1987 Astra and you'd never know they are brothers...

I like the clean solid look, the absence of creaselines and the fussiness that pervades the Astra's design... It will sell well I guess and going by the A3's chassis (that this car shares) it should be good to drive as well vs the current floaty version (we have a V5 Golf at the moment). Again it looks far more upmarket than the Focus/Astra/Megane in my opinion...

No pictures of the dash yet, but I guess it will look exactly like that of the Touran...

I'd like the same version as the A3 then: 2,0 TDI with the DSG automatic gearbox... but I'd prefer the allroad A3 I think...

(And why do they say the Audi A3 is based on this Golf chassis if (as with the last A3) the Audi was launched first?!)



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[img=left]http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/180225.jpg[/img=left]
2001 A2 TDI SE Crystal Blue with Open Sky, 6CD Symphony II, BOSE upgrade, DIS and HALF a winterpack!

iPAQ 3970 with Sat-Nav sleeve, rear cupholders, luggage net and floppy wiper!

http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/uk23.htm

[msmorley]

It's very smart - all the classic Golf lines maintained, nice nose, headlamp clusters, chunky rear pillar etc. Thankfully they thought better of making the Lupo/Polo noses a new house style: wouldn't have looked nice on a larger car. I find the rear is a bit Ibiza-like for my tastes, though - but I guess the curved lights are merely aping those at the front.

I hope they release a cabrio version on the new floorpan, it couldn't fail to be an improvement on our current Mark IV (ok, it's really a Mark III.5) and its bodyroll and torsional motion are a joy to behold... as long as you have the steering wheel to hold on to.


[img=left]http://www.santorini.dsl.pipex.com/a2_avatar.gif[/img=left]Mark.
2003 Azure Blue 1.6 FSI SE

OpenSky | Climate Control | DIS | Isofix + brat | Space-Floor-Box
ERW | Symphony II | Winter Pack | Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror

[Johann]

With Peugeot 307 and Renault's Megane cabrios both sporting Merc SLK-type hard top folding mechanisms, we can only hope the Golf version sports the same setup and not a canvas one ala the Beetle when it arrives... But also remember that VW has a tradition of only launching cabrio Golfs 2 weeks and a day before the then current shape gets discontinued! So you will have Golf 6 already and a Golf 5 cabrio!!! Lets hope they cure that stupidity as well!

One of the few things I don't like (but it is not serious) is that the front and rear bumpers do not match... the black lower line goes nicely from the front bumper to the side. Front and sides also have separate rubbing strips that are also left black in low line versions (see the blue one on the pictures) Get to the rear bumper and the line jumps up quite a bit for no reason... no rubbing strip either so the rear bumper looks a bit heavy and bland. Even worse on low line non colour coded versions... Why don't you need a rubbing strip at the rear I wonder?

__________________________________________________ __________________________________
[img=left]http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/180225.jpg[/img=left]
2001 A2 TDI SE Crystal Blue with Open Sky, 6CD Symphony II, BOSE upgrade, DIS and HALF a winterpack!

iPAQ 3970 with Sat-Nav sleeve, rear cupholders, luggage net and floppy wiper!

http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/uk23.htm

[msmorley]

quote:Originally posted by Johann
Lets hope they cure that stupidity as well! Well, they did at least make a cosmetic effort (exterior only) with the Mark IV cabrio. A hard folding roof would be fantastic... and about time that VAG had one in their range - IIRC all of their cabrios are soft-tops.

I hadn't noticed the absence of the rubbing strip - and I agree it's a little odd... the continuation of the strip round the A2's bumper does break-up what would otherwise be rather a bland mass. I'm very tempted to go and test drive one of these DsG gearboxes - all I have to do is convince my dealer that I'm serious about buying a £28k TT...

[img=left]http://www.santorini.dsl.pipex.com/a2_avatar.gif[/img=left][b]Mark.
2003 Azure Blue 1.6 FSI SE

OpenSky | Climate Control | DIS | Isofix + brat | Space-Floor-Box
ERW | Symphony II | Winter Pack | Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror

[runboy]

Nice looker. Are those indicater in the door mirrors?-must be as there are no side repeaters on the front wings. Prefer the coloured coded rubbing strips on the front bumper-the blue Golf looks too fussy with the black ones.

Let's hope the quality is good.

Steve - 2002 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior, Then an identical replacement 2003 A2. Now a Toyota Corolla 1.6 T-Spirit

[Johann]

Having the indicators in the mirrors (ala Merc) saves them from having to take wires down to the fender and having to make a hole in the fender for the indicator (and bundles electric mirror wiring and indicator into one loop). They are selling it as something safer, something new, but in my mind it is less visible to the car in your blindspot and is only done to save them money...

Why don't you get a new A3 with the DSG? You get the DSG in either the 2,0 diesel or the 3,2 Quattro... we are putting an order in for a yellow A3 2,0 TDi Sport with DSG in about a month's time when the Golf V5's time is over (and DSG's become available)... can't wait...

__________________________________________________ __________________________________
[img=left]http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/180225.jpg[/img=left]
2001 A2 TDI SE Crystal Blue with Open Sky, 6CD Symphony II, BOSE upgrade, DIS and HALF a winterpack!

iPAQ 3970 with Sat-Nav sleeve, rear cupholders, luggage net and floppy wiper!

http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/uk23.htm

[Johann]

and here it is finally: the interior dash shot:

http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/20811/p/444971_1147247205040366363_vl.jpg

Just looks like an evolution of the current dash... no great shakes in the design dept, but for heaven sake, it is a Golf! It's not going to rock the boat ever... Looks good I think. Not in your face and as the current dash, will age well...


__________________________________________________ __________________________________
[img=left]http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/180225.jpg[/img=left]
2001 A2 TDI SE Crystal Blue with Open Sky, 6CD Symphony II, BOSE upgrade, DIS and HALF a winterpack!

iPAQ 3970 with Sat-Nav sleeve, rear cupholders, luggage net and floppy wiper!

http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/uk23.htm