New VW Golf 8 eTSI 2020 Test Drive & Review.

With the new Golf, Volkswagen has started a hybrid offensive. As the first model of the brand, the eighth Golf will be available in no less than five hybrid drive versions. Its debut also celebrates 48V technology: a belt starter generator, 48V lithium-ion battery and the latest generation of efficient TSI engines form a new mild hybrid drive in the eTSI. Tangible benefits: consumption has been cut by up to 10% (on the basis of WLTP) and the vehicle is extremely agile and comfortable when moving off. Volkswagen will offer the Golf in three eTSI output stages: 81 kW / 110 PS, 96 kW / 130 PS and 110 kW / 150 PS.

The eighth generation of the best-seller will also be available as two plug-in hybrid drive variants. A new efficiency version generates 150 kW / 204 PS while the very sporty GTE delivers 180 kW / 245 PS. Both Golf versions with plug-in hybrid drives will launch with a new 13 kWh lithium-ion battery on board that enables larger electrically powered ranges of approximately 60 kilometres, and temporarily turns the Golf into a zero-emissions vehicle.

The drive options for the new Golf also include a petrol (TSI), diesel (TDI) and natural gas drive (TGI), two three-cylinder petrol engines with 66 kW / 90 PS and 81 kW / 110 PS, two four-cylinder diesel engines with 85 kW / 115 PS and 110 kW / 150 PS, and a TGI with 96 kW / 130 PS. The new TSI variants have particularly low consumption values and emissions thanks to elements including the innovative TSI Miller combustion process. An innovation in the TDI powertrains: Volkswagen uses twin-dosing technology (two SCR catalytic converters) to significantly reduce nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) by up to 80%; in addition, TDI consumption is lowered by up to 17% compared with its predecessor.

The systems have not only been linked to each other, but thanks to an online connectivity unit (OCU), they have also been connected to the world outside the Golf. The standard OCU featuring integrated eSIM links to “We Connect” and “We Connect Plus” online functions and services. The new Golf is also the first Volkswagen to connect with its environment as standard, via Car2X: signals from the traffic infrastructure and information from other vehicles up to 800 metres away are notified to the driver via a display. The Golf also shares these warnings with other Car2X models. Swarm intelligence is becoming a reality, representing the beginning of a new phase of traffic safety.

Never before has a Golf been so progressive. With hybrid versions launched at the same time, it is electrifying the compact class. Its digital interior enables a new dimension of intuitive operation. Speeds of up to 210 km/h are possible with assisted driving. It is the first Volkswagen to use swarm intelligence from traffic via Car2X, meaning it can warn against hazards on an anticipatory basis. Its world premiere takes place in Wolfsburg, where the Golf was invented, and where it has been built and refined for the last 45 years. The new Golf will be available on the market in December.

Your Golf recognizes you - and activates your personal driver profile automatically and depending on the equipment: * from seat adjustment to lighting and comfortable climate. You can conveniently make your preferred settings in the optional Innovision Cockpit: with the 25.4 cm (10-inch) instrument cluster digital cockpit paired with the 25.4 cm (10-inch) navigation system «Discover Pro». In addition to classic content such as a rev counter, speedometer and odometer, you can also display other useful data in the digital cockpit. For example, the entire area can be displayed as a navigation map.

The huge screen area of ​​the “Discover Media” or “Discover Pro” navigation system is used to display many functions in appealing graphics and animations, based entirely on your smartphone. You can assign photos and favorite functions to the home screen yourself

The Golf comes with LED main headlights in series. Visibly dynamically drawn into the deep-drawn front section, laterally into the fenders. Also standard: the integrated fog lights. Also typical: the striking 4-eye look. Everything is also in order at the rear: narrow LED headlights dominate the rear view. Optionally available: the IQ.LIGHT - LED matrix headlights with dynamic high-beam regulation «Dynamic Light Assist», which automatically adjust the light distribution to the traffic.

Particularly striking: the fully digital driver's cockpit with a large display landscape, consisting of the 25.4 cm (10 inch) instrument cluster digital cockpit and the 25.4 cm (10 inch) navigation system «Discover Pro». Thanks to the intuitive touch operation, a number of switches, buttons and controls are no longer required. The ambient light, with optional up to 32 different colors, creates a personalized lighting atmosphere. With all digital innovations, of course, the typical golf feeling remains.

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