76% Which? works for you

(1)

Overview

The sixth-generation Golf range comprises three- or five-door hatchbacks, plus an estate model that’s simply a cosmetic rework of the MkV Golf.

Please note that certain diesel-powered versions of this car built between 2009 and 2015 may be affected by the ‘dieselgate’ emissions scandal. This means its engine may be more polluting than official figures suggest and could be recalled sometime in 2016. For more information, refer to our guide on how to check your if your car is affected.

There was very little that needed improving about the Mk5 Golf, but VW has made the sixth installment more refined, more comfortable and finished it with even higher quality. It’s not all new, though, as it still shares many parts with the Mk5 Volkswagen Golf.

The quality and finish of the interior is very good, and there’s a premium feel to the controls and switches that almost rivals models from Audi. The Mk6 showcases a raft of new technology, including adaptive air suspension system - this switches the handing and ride between sport or comfort modes.

There’s a decent range of up-to-date engines, though the punchy 1.4TSI and 2.0 TSI petrols are pricey, while the normally-aspirated (non-turbo) 1.4 and 1.6 are breathless and lacking in the necessary urge to power the heavy Golf. Far better to opt for a diesel, whose outputs range from 90bhp to 170bhp; the latest 1.6 TDI is highly efficient.

VW’s trick DSG sequential-shift gearbox is an option with certain engines, with either six or seven forward ratios; other cars use a five or six-speed manual transmission.

The GTI version is a wonderful blend of genuine driving thrills and top-class refinement, while the GTD diesel version looks almost the same with slightly more focus on keeping cost down.

The medium car market is incredibly competitive, the Golf’s main rivals include the new Ford Focus, the Mazda 3, the Audi A3 and the latest BMW 1-Series.

Recommended models

in the range

Which? caR TOp chOice MOdel 1.4 TSi 160 GT 5dr

New price: £21,750

Used price: £7,195

FaSTeST MOdel

2.0 TSi R 4MOTiON 5dr dSG [leather] New price: £33,465

Used price: £18,850

0-62mph:

5.5 secs

MOST eFFicieNT MOdel 1.6 Tdi 105 BlueMotion 5dr New price: £20,015

Used price: £6,695

combined fuel economy:

74.3 mpg

cheapeST MOdel TO BUy NeW 1.4 Twist 3dr

New price:

£13,610

cheapeST MOdel TO BUy USed 1.4 S 3dr

Used price:

£4,750

cheapeST MOdel TO RUN (NeW) 1.4 Twist 3dr

New price: £13,610

Running costs:

£12,429

(3 yeaRS/36,000 MileS) Solid-feeling and refined, with the usual Volkswagen feel-good factor.

Diesel engines are economical, and a wide choice.

Strong focus on safety, with high equipment levels and excellent Euro NCAP rating. Expensive, and deals aren’t as likely as some rivals.

Rather small, awkward-to-load boot and awkward rearward visibility. Reliability is not assured, especially from diesel versions.

ON Sale:

Jan 2009

claSS:

Medium cars

NeW pRice:

£13,610 - £33,465

USed pRice:

From £4,750

76%

ToTal score:

peRFORMaNce:

BOOT & STORaGe:

Ride cOMFORT:

★★★★

★★★★★

★★★

★★★★★

SaFeTy: haNdliNG: ReliaBiliTy:

OwNER’S ViEw

Nice to drive, refined,

a lot of clever touches,

seems well built, very well

equipped

(2)

We use the sophisticated electronic timing equipment to record standing-start and in-gear acceleration, and repeat each test several times.

Ride comfort is assessed by our labora-tory experts who have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in a myriad of different models.

On the road

Most of the engines we’ve tried are lively and remain pretty subdued even when stretched. The Golf tackles corners safely, calmly and with more grip than most owners will ever need.

performance

★★★★

The 1.4-litre TSI engine with 160bhp is both turbocharged and supercharged; it’s very responsive with a wide spread of power, and very smooth, too.

The 2.0 TDI 110bhp unit (now discontinued in favour of the highly-efficient 1.6 TDI 105) feels much stronger than its headline figure suggests; that’s because there’s a lot of torque (pulling power) available from very low revs. It develops its maximum torque of 184 lb/ft at just 1,750rpm. It too is remarkably refined.

As expected, the 140bhp 2.0 TDI unit is quicker still, with more than enough power for swift overtaking. It is a little vibratory though, particularly at very low revs. The optional DSG gearbox we tried is excellent with smooth, quick gearchanges and sensibly chosen gear ratios.

There’s nothing wrong with the manual gearbox either – it’s a slick-shifting unit and most drivers won’t find anything to complain about.

Model tested acceleration (37-62mph) Rating

diesel 1.6TDi (105bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 7.4 secs

★★★

diesel 1.6TDi BlueMotion (105) manual 5-door (2009)

6.9 secs

★★★★

diesel 2.0TDi (140bhp) automatic 5-door (2008) 5.7 secs

★★★★★

★★★★

diesel 2.0TDi (170bhp) automatic 3-door (2009) 4.9 secs

★★★★★

GTD diesel 2.0TDi (168bhp) 6spd manual 3-door (2011)

4.3 secs

★★★★★

petrol 1.2TSi Bluemotion (105bhp) manual 5-door (2010)

6.4 secs

★★★★

petrol 1.4TSi (160bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 4.6 secs

★★★★★

Ride comfort

★★★★★

We’ve tried a couple of Golfs equipped with ACC (Adaptive Chassis Control) which has selectable settings for the suspension damping. The ‘Sport’ setting stiffens the damping, although it doesn’t add much in the way of extra cornering ability – it’s simply too stiff. ‘Comfort’ softens things to make the ride more agreeable. It’s nice to have, but not really a necessary option, as the standard chassis rides well enough in most situations.

Model tested Rating

diesel 1.6TDi (105bhp) manual 5-door (2009)

★★★★★

diesel 1.6TDi BlueMotion (105) manual 5-door (2009)

★★★★

★★★★★

diesel 2.0TDi (140bhp) automatic 5-door (2008)

★★★★★

GTD diesel 2.0TDi (168bhp) 6spd manual 3-door (2011)

★★★★★

petrol 1.2TSi Bluemotion (105bhp) manual 5-door (2010)

★★★★★

petrol 1.4TSi (160bhp) manual 5-door (2009)

★★★★★

how we test

performance

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On the road

continued...

handling

★★★★★

Great steering improves the driver’s confidence in the Golf’s abilities, and this backed up by a good performance in our obstacle avoidance manoeuvre.

★★★★★

Brakes

★★★★

The Golf boasts very strong, fade-free brakes. The average stopping distance from 62mph ranged from 35 to 38m, depending on derivative.

Model tested Braking distance (62-0mph) Rating

diesel 1.6TDi (105bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 36.7m

★★★★

37.5m

★★★★

diesel 2.0TDi (140bhp) automatic 5-door (2008) 35.0m

★★★★★

diesel 2.0TDi (170bhp) automatic 3-door (2009) 36.5m

★★★★★

36.3m

★★★★★

37.5m

★★★★

petrol 1.4TSi (160bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 38.0m

★★★★

Refinement and noise

★★★★

Volkswagen’s efforts to reduce unwanted cabin noise have improved matters still further over the already-impressive Mk5 Golf. There’s very little wind noise although you may notice some tyre noise, depending on which wheel and tyre package you opt for. Only the higher-powered 140bhp 2.0 TDI diesel made a noticeable rattle at idle, and even then it improves markedly once warmed up.

The Golf’s cabin is a barometer of good taste; there’s no excessive glitziness, just lashings of high-quality plastics and a subtle application of chrome highlights.

On-the-limit handling is explored well away from public roads to ensure a fair test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of the harshest tests in the industry..

The Which? Car braking test measures stopping distance from 62-0mph and is repeated ten times in quick succession to highlight any brake fade issues.

The Which? Car experts use a decibel meter to record interior sound levels at common UK motorway speeds, and combine this with subjective assessments to arrive at an overall score.

how we test

handling

Brakes

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On the road

continued...

It’s not all good news, however; the door sills are prone to collecting scratches and the body-coloured bumpers will require expensive repair should the worst happen at the supermarket car park. A space-saver spare wheel is standard on most models.

Model tested cruising noise Rating

diesel 1.6TDi (105bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 69dB

★★★★

diesel 1.6TDi BlueMotion (105) manual 5-door (2009) 67dB

★★★★★

★★★★

diesel 2.0TDi (140bhp) automatic 5-door (2008) 69dB

★★★★

diesel 2.0TDi (170bhp) automatic 3-door (2009) 69dB

★★★★

GTD diesel 2.0TDi (168bhp) 6spd manual 3-door (2011) 70dB

★★★★

petrol 1.2TSi Bluemotion (105bhp) manual 5-door (2010) 68dB

★★★★

petrol 1.4TSi (160bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 69dB

★★★★

We penalise cars with difficult controls, and we look for things like backlit light switches and easy-to-use heating and ventilation adjustments.

Visibility is a major issue for motorists today, so each car gets a 360-degree swivel view test to reproduce the driver’s eye view and any obscured areas.

how we test

cabin and controls

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We take measurements all around the driver and passenger’s door apertures and note the height of the seat, door sills and step down onto the car floor. The best cars don’t require too much bending or stretching to get in and out.

We assess seat comfort subjectively, using our road testers’ expert knowledge and experience from thousands of differ-ent cars. And we measure the head-, leg- and elbowroom on offer in every seat, to see how well the car caters for people of all shapes and sizes.

how we test

Getting in and out

Seat space and comfort

comfort and practicality

In essence the Golf is a fairly comfortable family car, although much of the niceties and gadgets are optional extras. Volkswagen has clearly positioned it right in the middle of the market, as its boot space couldn’t be much more average.

Getting in and out

★★★★

The Golf is reasonably easy to get in and out of, though it suffers from the common problem of having a relatively large gap between the edge of the seat and the door sill. The larger front doors afford easier access than that to the rear. Remote central locking is standard.

★★★★

Seat space and comfort

★★★★

The Golf is definitely predisposed towards front-seat passengers. The range of adjustment for the front seats stretches right back far enough to accommodate people up to 1.95m tall; the standard seats are well-contoured with firm but comfortable padding, but you can choose to opt for sports seats for more pronounced bolstering.

★★★

★★★★

★★★

★★★★

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Carmakers give official stats for boot space, but our tests are more realistic. We load the boot up with measuring blocks only as far as the rear window line, so that luggage is well secured and won’t obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test with the rear seats up, and folded down (where possible).

Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm each car up from a frosty -10 degrees in our climate chamber. Starting with a cold engine, we measure how long it takes to warm up the front and rear of the cabin. Diesel cars usually take longer. We also check the effectiveness of air condition-ing, where fitted.

how we test

Boot and storage

heating and ventilation

Boot and storage

★★★★

350 litres is bang-on the class average, and it’s what the Golf will swallow with its rear seats in place. You have to lift luggage over a relatively high lip, which won’t please everyone. Once the rear seats are folded - unfortunately, they don’t fold flat - there’s 660 litres to play with (up to the window line). A small but niggling detail issue: the boot lighting is poor.

Model tested Boot space (seats up/down) Rating

diesel 1.6TDi (105bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 350 litres / 660 litres

★★★★

350 litres / 660 litres

★★★★

diesel 2.0TDi (140bhp) automatic 5-door (2008) 350 litres / 660 litres

★★★★

diesel 2.0TDi (170bhp) automatic 3-door (2009) 350 litres / 660 litres

★★★

★★★★

petrol 1.4TSi (160bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 350 litres / 660 litres

★★★★

heating and ventilation

★★★★

If you’re buying a diesel Golf, be aware that they can take a while to warm up if the outside temperature is really low. Air conditioning is standard but climate control is available on higher-spec models. We’d like a bit more air distribution to rear seat passengers, but on the whole the Golf’s heating and ventilation is adequate.

★★★

★★★★

★★★

★★★★

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We test fuel economy under strict lab conditions – using realistic test cycles – to reveal the facts behind the figures. Our figures rarely match manufacturer claims as, unlike the official mpg test, we mea-sure economy with both a hot and cold engine, and on the motorway.

how we test

Fuel consumption

Running costs and depreciation

The Golf isn’t cheap, particularly once you start looking at variants with interesting engines, or adding in desirable options. Fortunately, secondhand values remain, as ever for the Golf, particularly strong, and servicing is particularly low-cost for most variants. Insurance starts from group 4.

Fuel consumption

We’ve tested three Golfs. In our economy lab tests, the 1.4 TSI (160bhp) returned 41.5mpg (Volkswagen claims 44.8mpg); the 2.0 TDI (110bhp) returned 58.9mpg - better than

Volkswagen’s claim of 57.6mpg - and the 140bhp 2.0 TDI returned 47.1mpg (somewhat lower than the official 52.3mpg).

petrol (combined mpg, claimed)

33.2 mpg - 51.4 mpg

diesel (combined mpg, claimed)

51.4 mpg - 74.3 mpg

Model tested Urban (claimed/measured)

diesel 1.6TDi (105bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 49.6 mpg/52.3 mpg

diesel 1.6TDi BlueMotion (105) manual 5-door (2009) 60.1 mpg/64.2 mpg

diesel 2.0TDi (140bhp) automatic 5-door (2008) 39.8 mpg/35.8 mpg

GTD diesel 2.0TDi (168bhp) 6spd manual 3-door (2011) 43.5 mpg/44.1 mpg

petrol 1.2TSi Bluemotion (105bhp) manual 5-door (2010) -/44.8 mpg

petrol 1.4TSi (160bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 34.9 mpg/32.5 mpg

Model tested extra urban (claimed/measured)

petrol 1.4TSi (160bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 54.3 mpg/54.3 mpg

Model tested Motorway (measured)

diesel 1.6TDi (105bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 52.3 mpg

diesel 1.6TDi BlueMotion (105) manual 5-door (2009) 58.9 mpg

diesel 2.0TDi (140bhp) automatic 5-door (2008) 44.8 mpg

diesel 2.0TDi (170bhp) automatic 3-door (2009) 45.6 mpg

GTD diesel 2.0TDi (168bhp) 6spd manual 3-door (2011) 47.1 mpg

petrol 1.2TSi Bluemotion (105bhp) manual 5-door (2010) 44.1 mpg

petrol 1.4TSi (160bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 38.2 mpg

Model tested combined (claimed/measured)

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While testing fuel economy, we also collect exhaust gases to enable us to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. We also check whether particulate filters are effective at removing sooty emissions from diesel engines.

We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP crash test scores (where available), alongside our own comprehensive safety checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results from our accident avoidance test – after all, it’s far better to steer around a crash than rely on the airbags...

Security scores come from the security experts at Thatcham, who break into hundreds of cars each year. Most modern cars are very difficult to drive away, but are still too easy to steal from.

how we test

emissions

Safety

Security

emissions

Carbon dioxide emissions can be as low as 99g/km from the 1.6 TDI Bluemotion versions equipped with a Start-Stop engine cut-out system; even the non-Bluemotion 1.6 TDIs emit less than 120g/km, so have a very low tax liability. The highest-carbon model in the range so far is the 270bhp 2.0 TSI R, which puts out 199g/km, a substantial improvement over the emissions of the high-performance models in the previous Golf range.

petrol (CO2, claimed)

129g per km - 199g per km

diesel (CO2, claimed)

99g per km - 144g per km

Model tested emissions (claimed/measured)

diesel 1.6TDi (105bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 119g per km/125g per km

diesel 1.6TDi BlueMotion (105) manual 5-door (2009) 99g per km/108g per km

diesel 2.0TDi (140bhp) automatic 5-door (2008) 142g per km/156g per km

diesel 2.0TDi (170bhp) automatic 3-door (2009) 147g per km/154g per km

GTD diesel 2.0TDi (168bhp) 6spd manual 3-door (2011) 134g per km/138g per km

petrol 1.2TSi Bluemotion (105bhp) manual 5-door (2010) 121g per km/124g per km

petrol 1.4TSi (160bhp) manual 5-door (2009) 145g per km/160g per km

Safety and security

Volkswagen’s Golf acquits itself well in the Euro NCAP crash test: it achieved a full five-star result both for adult and child protection. Pedestrian protection is also impressive, compared to that of some of its competitors. The standard electronic stability control system works well.

Options include a tyre pressure monitoring system and rear side airbags. We’d like to see both fitted as standard.

This is our video of the obstacle avoidance test carried out on the 2009 Volkswagen Golf hatchback. Please enable JavaScript to access this content.

euro Ncap score

★★★★★

Here is the video of the 2009 Volkswagen Golf hatchback Euro NCAP frontal crash test.

(Year tested: 2009)

Adult occupant 97%

Child protection 84%

Pedestrian protection 61%

Safety assist 71%

Which? safety rating

★★★★★

Active (crash avoidance) 68%

Passive (crash safety) 85%

Child 78%

Pedestrian 62%

Security

(9)

Everyone who takes part in the Which? Car survey tells us about their car and the dealers who sell and service it. We analyse this feedback across all cars to give top-level satisfaction ratings for each brand, including the brand’s reliability record over the last eight years. All star ratings are out of five.

These show how owners score this car in 12 different areas, from performance to heating. Owners’ ratings are subjective – so may differ from Which? Car test scores – but they give a good idea of what the car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars are scored against other cars in the same class (e.g. for space).

about our survey

Brand ratings

Model ownership ratings

OwNER’S ViEw

I have had BMWs and Audis

before and thought i would

be disappointed changing

to a Golf, but i was really

surprised with it - I really do

like it, and to an extent that

i have ordered myself a new

one

OwNER’S ViEw

Quiet, good ride, good

seats, excellent radio,

good performance coupled

with very good economy,

adequate boot

Which? car Survey results

The Which? Car Survey is the UK’s most robust reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In 2015, drivers told us about 58,000 cars, covering more than 484 million miles in the previous 12 months (that’s equivalent to driving to the moon and back a hundred times). This unique feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars.

Note: Star ratings below are from 1-5 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown under ‘Most common faults’ indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the past 12 months.

Brand

Sample size: 4,743 people

Volkswagen ratings

Overall owner satisfaction for this brand

82%

Brand reliability

-Dealer Sales Service

★★★

Dealer Servicing & repair

★★★

Model:

Volkswagen Golf (2009-2012) Samp

l

e size: 696 people

Ownership ratings

Overall owner satisfaction for this range

85%

Driving enjoyment

★★★★

Ease of driving

★★★★

Comfort

★★★★

Dash layout and controls

★★★

Practicality

★★★

Value for money

★★

Running costs

★★★

in-car technology

★★★★

(10)

-We split reliability into breakdowns (in-cluding failure to start), faults (where parts need replacing) and problems (minor is-sues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where the car has been on sale for some time, and we have numerous survey responses from owners, we also split scores by the age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are out of five – the more stars, the more reli-able the car.

Want to know what’s most likely to go wrong as the car gets older? These are the five most common faults reported by owners, grouped by age into new, recent and older cars. A score of 40% means four out of 10 owners reported problems with that part of the car over the previous 12 months. Engine electrics and non-en-gine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause more headaches than mechanical parts in most modern cars.

about our survey

Reliability ratings

Most common faults

Which? car Survey results

continued...

Reliability ratings

Overall Reliability

★★★

Up to 3 years old 4-8 years old

petrol cars Reliability

★★★★★

★★★★

Breakdowns

1%

5%

average annual repair cost

£81

£155

diesel cars Reliability

★★★

Breakdowns

4%

6%

average annual repair cost

£110

£219

all cars Reliability

-

-Breakdowns

-

-average annual repair cost

-

-Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months

average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12 months

Most common faults

Up to 3 years old Battery (D)

4%

ECU (D)

4%

Cooling System (D)

3%

Ventilation - Other

3%

Other Minor

2%

4-8 years old Exhaust System (D)

10%

Air Con

5%

Cooling System (D)

5%

ECU (D)

3%

Fuel System (D)

3%