Here’s your first look at the all-new seventh-generation 2013 VW Golf, which was unveiled today in Berlin.
Here’s your first look at the all-new seventh-generation 2013 VW Golf, which was unveiled today in Berlin. From these initial photos it’s easy to see that the new Golf is not a dramatic departure from the current model. It retains the same basic shape, but is now longer, lower and wider than before. The good news is that the new 2013 Golf is now around 220 pounds lighter.
The most immediate changes are the new sharper headlights, the character line that runs down the side and the new more angular and longer taillights. On the inside the interior changes are mainly evolutionary just like the exterior. The biggest change is to the center console, which is now angled more towards the driver. A key feature of the interior is a new infotainment system, which incorporates a five-inch touchscreen, even on entry-level European models. At the top end, the Golf features a navigation system which has a large, eight-inch touchscreen.
The biggest change to the seventh-generation 2013 Golf is what lies underneath the tweaked exterior. The all-new Golf rides on VW’s new MQB platform, which will be shared with other models like the new Audi A3. The latest Golf is up to 220 pounds lighter than the outgoing car, thanks to careful focus on weight savings in all aspects of the car’s construction, from the electrical architecture through to the engines and the body-in-white. The air conditioning unit is, for example, six pounds lighter than the old car’s; the seats have shed 15 pounds; and the body-in-white is 51 pounds lighter. One major reason for the bodyshell’s weight loss is the extensive use of high- and ultra-high strength steels. The share of the high-strength steels overall has gone from 66 percent in the previous Golf to 80 percent in the new one. Of this, the share of ultra-high-strength steel has gone from six to 28 percent.
We don’t have specs yet for the US version of the Golf, but in Europe buyers will be able to choose from several engines, including a new turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that packs 138 horsepower and has a European Cycle combined fuel consumption figure of 49 mpg, while the base 105-horsepower TDI Clean Diesel engine delivers 62 mpg on the EC combined cycle.
