Making a return after 9 years, the new Golf has arrived on our shores.

Launched at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, the new car is priced at $139,000 with COE and it will be open to bookings this weekend. Of course, we couldn't wait to hop into it!

The new car looses one distinctive feature of its predecessor, the roll bar. In its place is an active rollover protection system first seen in the Beetle Cabriolet and EOS. It fires two metal beams out from the rear of the passenger cabin within milliseconds of detecting a roll.

The topless Golf differs from the standard hatch with a heavily raked windscreen back, a crease in the bootlid plus rear smoked LED lights like its 3- and 5-door cousins. Equipped with a soft top with an electro-hydraulic drive, the roof comes down in just 9 seconds and goes up in 11 seconds. It can be operated at speed up to 30km/h.

What can’t be seen from the outside are the differences that have been incorporated under the skin. In changing the hatchback to a soft-top, modifications were made to ensure that safety, comfort and refinement were not compromised. These include reinforced window frames and structural modifications to the underbody, side panels, cross-members and doors.

There is only one engine option available in Singapore: The twincharged 160 hp, 240 Nm 1.4 litre TSI heart, connected to a 7-speed DSG gearbox. That is more than enough to rush you, three friends and 250 litres of booty anywhere.

The interior is a nice place to be, even if you have to sit in the back. There is a good serving of legroom but the seating posture is a tad bit upright. Still it should suffice for short to medium trips across town. The rest of the interior appearance is very similar to that of the hatchback and it feels just as well made too.

Standard features include leather seats, 16-inch wheels, multifunction steering wheel and an audio system with USB and iPhone connectivity. Safety features include ABS, ESP, airbags all round and a driver’s knee airbag.