Hole-In-One | Volkswagen Golf Sport 1.4 TSI

Volkswagen scores a hole-in-one with the new Golf. We drive it, only to find out that it has just bagged the coveted Car of the Year award. We couldn't agree with the judges more.

Photos: Joel Tam

Having experienced the car earlier in Italy, we were thrilled to find out that Singapore was the first few countries to received the RHD models. Since then Volkswagen has delivered their first batch of cars, and discerning buyers have been running around with this award-winning car.

It's no secret, with the new Golf, Volkswagen has made the best even better. Just looking at it will cause you to start day-dreaming about what colour you'd pick for yourself. The Golf Mk7 is bigger, smarter and better to drive than before, at the same time, it's also lighter, cleaner and more efficient. How do you top that?

Well, by adding a host of 'big-car' features and new gizmos of course! Throw in motion-sensing touch-screen infotainment system, a host of safety features and impeccable refinement for a hatchback, it's no wonder this car is The Car of the Year!

We've covered quite a bit about this car, so aside from the overall review, we hope to focus more on how the car drives in this article. If you'd like to read our earlier stories, simply click on these links:

• Our coverage of the Golf arriving here before any other country outside of Europe

• Our awesome drive of the new Golf in Sardinia, Italy

Ok, so we've driven it on curvy italian sweepers, but how does it fare on our local roads. We grab the keys to a Golf Sport which packs 140 bhp and 250 Nm of torque. The 1.4 TSI turbocharged engine will enable the Golf Sport to hit 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds from standstill, and onto an impressive 212 km/h, where roads allow.

Seated in the well-appointed interior and grabbing the new flat-bottom steering wheel, I'm reminded once again that this is a completely new model. Play around with the new touch-screen infotainment system and like me, you'll be completely impressed with what it can do. Aside from providing audio pleasure and assimilating a slick new navigation system, it also allows you to control the car's driving modes. You can select from a full range of settings that include Comfort, Eco, Sport, and even an Individual mode that allows you to input your preferences. Let's just stick to 'Sport' (what else?). I just wished that the 'buttons' had some graphics to go with it, currently they are just plain white empty boxes.

Based on the same lightweight MBQ structure as the new Audi A3, the new platform promises to help make the Golf bigger, lighter and even more refined than the already well-built model it replaces. It delivers what it promises, and more. The Golf is excellent to drive too.

Granted, the 1.4 TSI is not the most refined engine out there, but it does the job well and performs admirably with the help of a turbocharger. It's also mighty efficient, the new car is overall up to 23% better than the old model. Mated to an improved 7-speed DSG gearbox, it's pretty much all you will ever need. The response is punchy throughout the low and mid rev range and the car feels light on its feet, and no less eager than the 160 bhp model it replaces.

The steering is well weighted and sharp, even small inputs are returned with precise responses from the car. There is a very slight free play at the steering wheel, but it is really nothing to complain about, and I guess they have to distinguish it from the top-end models (like the GTI) afterall.

Grip is superb and the 17" rubbers on our test car lend a hand in this area. Body control is impeccable, especially for a hatchback. Even in Sport mode, the suspension works well on bumps and humps, hardly breaking a sweat as you push it into a series of bends. Golfs have always loved the twisty bits, and the Mk7 is no different, it's just lovely to drive! So much so, there really isn't anything to complain about the way it drives and handles, it fact, it over-delivers as a regular hatchback!

Is it possible that a car has been improved in almost every way possible? It sure seems so. The new Golf is lighter, bigger, better equipped, faster and more efficient. It's not just on paper too, you can see and feel the tangible difference! This is undoubtedly a car with which Volkswagen has scored a hole-in-one! Now we can't wait for the GTI!