Spoiled in the new Golf

MARK Twain is supposed to have said that

‘Golf is a good walk spoiled.’

I wouldn’t disagree with Mark, who was of course referring to the sport, but last week I was spoiled in the new Golf motor car.

I say spoiled because every time I sit into an automatic car after months of working through the gears of a manual gearbox I feel like I’m being really pampered. And apart from the automatic gearbox this new version of the Golf is smooth and neat.

This is the seventh generation of the Golf, which made its debut in 1974. Since then almost 30 million units have been sold worldwide. In Ireland the figure is around 200,000 and of those 81,000 are still in use here. So you will meet a lot of like-minded drivers around the roads of Ireland.

The changes to this seventh generation are difficult to notice at first glance. The front wheels have been moved forward by 43mm and that means there is a shorter overhang at the front. There are other slight changes to give to the car a tidier and lighter look. You also get stop-start technology and the top of the range model I drove had heated seats.

Inside the screen to view the radio settings really grabbed my attention. With the touch screen I was able to scroll up and down the wavelengths and you will never need to bring a CD into the car as there are so many radio stations at your fingertips.

Thankfully I drove a four-door version, which is always appreciated. And on the dash I could see what the speed limit was on the section of the road I was driving. Once again spoiled is the word that comes to mind.

The seats are very comfortable and the back has plenty of room for three well-built adults. There is decent space in the boot where the divider can be adjusted to give you space underneath if necessary. And underneath all that space is a

‘mini’ spare wheel.

VW say this new model is lighter and greener with C02 emissions of only 119g/km, which equates to

?¬200 road tax. I drove a top of the range model, but I’m sure the 1.2 petrol would probably be powerful enough for most families. The model I had also had toggle controls at the side of the steering wheel where I could change the gears myself if necessary, but that option would probably only appeal to boy racers.

Prices start at

?¬19,995 for the basic 1.2 litre petrol, while the entry level 1.6 litre diesel starts at

?¬22,695. Journalists tend to be spoiled and the Highline version of the 2.0 litre automatic diesel I drove will cost you

?¬31,645. The entry price is reasonable, but the extras really push the price up. However, you can be sure that residual values for VW cars always holds up.

And the verdict? Externally not much has changed and to use the old adage, if it’s not broken why fix it. But it’s a smoother car to drive than the previous model. I was really spoiled in the automatic version of the seventh generation of the Golf and I might find it difficult to revert to a manual gearbox with fiddly radio settings ever again.