Unbelievable though it may be,
this May will see the 30th anniversary of the Volkswagen Golf, the car
that saved the German carmaker from a downward spiral into certain oblivion
as it sought to replace the outdated but much-loved Beetle. Again, almost
unbelievably, the Golf Mark 1 is still available today, albeit in much
modified form, as an entry-level model in South Africa. Times move on,
though, and after many iterations, the fifth generation has now arrived,
replacing the earlier version which has been in production since 1997.
Like previous Golf models, much of VW's sucess in the next two years will be shaped by the new fifth-generation Golf |
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Updating successful models is always a headache for all those concerned.
There is the danger that if it is too radically changed, the spark at
the heart of the vehicle will be dulled. At the same time, though, models
need to be refreshed if they are not to become dated. It is always a fine
line to tread.
VW has been treading this line with caution for a long time and have got
it right to date. So what does the fifth generation version offer?
The most obvious thing is its looks. While it is still recognisably a
Golf, changes to the face and the rear are the most apparent while the
car itself has grown quite substantially. At 1.759 metres wide, it is
24 mm wider than its predecessor, 41 mm higher at 1.485 metres and 55
longer at 4,204 metres.
The new Golf incorporates all the latest technology to meet current and
future safety requirements including new additions to US FMVSS301 that
take effect next year. In order to comply, vehicles must withstand certain
specified rear impact tests without any fuel leakage at all. The tank
filler neck and pipes are consequently located in front of the rear wheel
and outside the crumple zone. The load is also distributed as uniformly
as possible by a high-strength bumper to both sides of the car. The rear
side members crumple specifically at the rear end but remain stable in
the passenger cell area.
Passenger safety and comfort
The new Golf is equipped with six airbags – front, head
and side with the latter incorporating innovative new sensors for faster
triggering times. Rear airbags can also be ordered as an optional extra.
Other safety features include pyrotechnical belt tensioners with integrated
belt force limiters and active head restraints. A new type of clamp on
the steering column for longitudinal and vertical adjustment, together
with the steering track rod, prevents the steering wheel from moving upwards
in the event of a crash.
As far as passenger comfort is concerned, the new model features completely
redesigned seats for maximum comfort. Those at the front can now be adjusted
over a wider range, both longitudinally and vertically, while the standard
seat height adjustment is accompanied by automatic inclination adjustment – it is flatter for smaller people and more pronounced for larger
ones. VW is also proud of the fact that its new model is the first in
its segment to offer electric four-way lumbar support, which is integrated
into the electric seat, as an option. This new system has vertical adjustment
compared with the familiar two-way support. Rear seat legroom has been
increased by 52 mm and headroom by 24 mm while the driver and front passenger
benefit from 8 mm of extra headroom. The car is adorned with more storage
space while the luggage area in the back has been increased by 20 litres
to 350 litres.
The manual air conditioning system of the outgoing model is replaced by
Climatic, a semi-automatic system although a fully automatic system –
Climatronic – is available as an option. This features some innovative
ideas including changes to recirculating air mode when reversing and the
fresh-air supply being cut when the windscreen washer system is operated
to prevent unpleasant odours entering the car interior. The air ducts
themselves have been enlarged for improved airflow as have the rear footwell
vents. Located downstream of the powerful system fan is a pollen filter
that operates in both fresh-air and recirculating-air modes.
The powertrain
From launch, the new Golf has been available with two petrol
engines- the 75 ps (55 kW) 1.4 and the 115 ps (85 kW) 1.6 FSI. However,
these are being joined by two FSI engines – the 90 ps (66 kW) 1.4
and the 150 ps (110 kW) 2.0 – and a 1.6 litre engine developing
102 ps (75 kW). There are also three diesel engines available –
the 75 ps (55 kW) 2.0 SDI, the 105 ps (77 kW) 1.9 TDI and the 140 ps (103
kW) 2.0 TDI. This latter engine is the first turbodiesel from VW to have
its innovative unit direct injection supplemented by four-valve technology.
It has two overhead camshafts; the valve gear features low-friction roller
rocker fingers with hydraulic backlash compensation; the unit injection
elements are actuated via roller-type rocker arms by the exhaust camshaft;
and a turbocharger with variable turbine geometry is also used. The transverse-flow
cylinder head has two tangential intake ports per cylinder and a “rotated
valve star” – a special arrangement of the four valves in
relation to the crankshaft resulting in the most favourable port geometry
possible, complete with an optimum combination of swirl and cylinder fill.
The 2.0 TDI - the first turbodiesel from VW to have its innovative unit direct injection supplemented by four-valve technology |
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Other important features of this engine include the centrally positioned
6-hole nozzle with tapered, flow-optimised injection holes and the central
combustion chamber recess with a new, emission-optimised geometry. A new
generation of unit injection elements – characterised by their very
compact design – have been developed for the four-valve engine which
sees around an 8% improvement in fuel consumption compared to the two-valve
engine of comparable power.
As with the 1.6 FSI and optional on the 1.9 TDI, the 2.0 TDI is mated
to a 6-speed manual gearbox that features a magnesium selector housing,
cable control and very short shifting strokes. The Golf 1.4 and 1.9 TDI
have a 5-speed gearbox as standard. Both the 1.9 TDI and 2.0 TDI can also
be mated to VW’s direct shift gearbox (DSG), and from the start
of this year, VW’s Tiptronic 6-speed automatic gearbox can also
be had as an option on the 1.6 FSI.
Vehicle dynamics
As far as the vehicle dynamics are concerned, VW has paid a great
deal of attention to the suspension and axle set up. There is a newly
developed multilink axle at the rear while the suspension strut-type axle
with lower A-arm at the front has been further refined with a number of
improvements. These include optimisation of oblique springing, a new mounting
concept for the lower wishbone, a separate mounting of the spring and
damper on the suspension strut tower and a new developed twin-sleeve shock
absorber.
While the car is equipped with a newly developed electromechanical power
steering (EPS) system with a more direct steering ration, the improvement
in the steering precision has been attained by higher transversal axle
rigidity under lateral force at the tyre contact point. There is also
a lower tendency to roll due to the highly effective anti-roll bar at
the front. Particular attention has also been given to the “centre
feel” in straight-line driving while the “self-learning” steering also features a straight-line correction function.
The braking system has been uprated on this model with both ABS plus ESP
that has added functionality. These include Adaptive Engagement Model
(AEM), in which the car is continually monitored so that fast corrective
action can de deployed if it senses the car is becoming unstable, and
Low Dynamic ESP (LDE) that can intervene in the event of minor deviations
in the braked driving state. Another feature is HVV – maximum rear
axle deceleration – that actively increases the pressure on the
rear axle into the ABS control operation if the front wheels are already
subject to control when the rear ones are not.
Body building
The body itself has been the subject of much improvement with
a 15% increase in torsion and 35% in flexion. Its static torsional rigidity – 25,000 Mn/° - has been improved by 80%, which VW claims is
the best in class. The high rigidity has been boosted by the use of 70
metres of laser-welded seams – compared to five metres in the predecessor
– while use of tailored blanks on the side members has helped the
car meets its crashworthiness.
A cutaway diagramof the Golf V |
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VW is also proud of the doors on the new Golf that it claims are a worldwide
innovation amongst steel bodies. This is because they have been constructed
as modules so that in the event of accident damage only the outer “metal
skin panel” need to replaced rather than the entire door, thus saving
repair costs and time. The outer skin is bonded to the door inner panel,
which comprises two so-called hybrid bars, that serves as a load-bearing
structure. The inner and outer panels are also bolted together in the
sill and topshoulder areas leaving the outer skin to be easily detached
in order to remove dents.
The new Golf is a marked step forward both in form and function. VW’s
engineers have cleverly brought the car up to date without losing the
essential character of this much-loved car. In western Europe, the fourth-generation
model accounted for 46%of total volume in its sector. There is no reason
why the new version will not only match, but probably increase, this share.
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