Thabiso Malimela
As soon as Volkswagen South Africa announced that the MK 7.5 Golf R (now with 213kW and a new Akropovic exhaust) was the Golf 7’s swansong, it didn’t take long for speculation to arise regarding the details of the new and now 8th generation Golf. For months now, we have been inundated with possible specs, rumours from within and, sometimes, just plain delusional assumptions. Ahead of the Volkswagen Golf 8’s official release on the evening of October 24 2019, we sum up of everything we know about the iconic hatchback’s new form.
The first thing to note is that the new Golf will be built on the second iteration of the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform whose first form was seen in the outgoing MK7 Golf. Even though it will be based on this largely similar platform, the new car will be more complex than its forebear. Be as it may, VW has done a lot of work on putting limitations on this complexity with having already reduced the Golf 8’s manufacturing time by an hour. Being comprised of 2700 individual parts, 962 wiring systems covering 1.34 km in cable length and being built by 8400 employees in factories located in Wolfsburg (Germany) and Zwickau (Mexico), the Golf 8 is fairly…well…simple?
When it comes to the design philosophy of the Golf 8, the designers wanted to execute evolutionary styling on the outside while performing a revolutionary affair in the cabin – note that this is the same approach they took with the Golf 7 and the new Polo. By evolutionary, they mean that the car should contain the quintessential styling details that make it identifiable as a Golf…And they kick it off with changing one of the things that identify it as, first and foremost, a VW – the badge. Being introduced in the new all-electric ID.3, the new VW badge will be featured in the new Golf 8.
To kick things off, we begin at the front. Most notably, the new and narrow headlamps with a new I.Q Light LED lighting design that looks like it was designed and carved onto the Golf 8’s headlight cluster by a ninja with a katana! Between both headlights is a now narrow grille which may or may not be an indication of an improved drag coefficient and perhaps also a hint of a smaller power unit with more efficient cooling…or maybe it’s just that I’m overthinking this.
On the bumper, we find a new design that incorporates body-coloured louvres or an angry looking design with a honeycomb mesh filling that gaping hole in the bumper of the new Golf 8, depending on which one you choose. On the bonnet, we see a crease similar to the one seen in the MK7, however now there are two of them on each side. Standing from the side, we see another crease/line that spans the entire length of the car as you’d get on formal trousers. I’m not going to say much about this, but I’m sure my mom would already have the iron plugged in as soon as I park one of these on her driveway.
Looking at it from the side, you definitely recognise that the new Golf 8 is related to the outgoing MK7 model with the exception of additional sloping towards the rear of the car and the uncharacteristically long nose of the car, which may be provision for future technologies. The rear windscreen is now narrower and the rear LED I.Q Light cluster is an adaptation of the design seen on the Tiguan’s rear. Looking at the Golf 8 squarely from the back, you’ll notice extra lines hexagonally lapping the rear of the car by bridging the two taillights and then turning down to cross the rear bumper. Eagle-eyed readers would have noticed that the Golf lettering now sits in the middle of the tailgate below the new VW badge.
Altogether, the face of the new Golf 8 looks like your neighbour’s evil dog that hasn’t eaten a shoe in 3 days (which actually looks a lot like the Polo R-Line and GTI) while the rear is the typical VW meh and indifferent affair. So, if the normal and humdrum Golf looks this ticked-off in the front, what sort of evil demeanour will the GTI and R variants’ design carry?
Moving on to the interior, we find a minimalistic approach with more functionality being incorporated into the touchscreen infotainment screen and digital instrument cluster. The steering wheel is an evolution of the one used in the outgoing model and now features styling and functional elements likening those found in the steering of the ID.3 – if I’m mistaken, it might even be the same steering wheel. The net effect of the interior is a driver-focused space with every element being designed to minimise distractions for the driver – look at who the screen is facing. What is probably the most eye-catching piece in the interior of the new Golf 8 is the downward sloping and simplified centre console which features an aesthetically pleasing and ergonomic gear selector, inspired by one found in the 992 Porsche 911. To the left of the digital instrument cluster (well, for us South Africans it will be to the right), there is what seems to be a cluster of buttons or switches that resonate with your inner 9-year old who still wants to be the captain of an intergalactic spaceship!
With regards to engines, it’s very likely that South African versions of the Golf 8 will receive the 1.4 litre turbopetrol TSI unit instead of the 1.5 TSI, unlike other international markets. With VW focusing on electrification (see VW ID.3), there is a reason to believe that the TDI diesel engines will be omitted from the engine line-up. However, if it does end up with the Golf 8 receiving a diesel, it will initially be a 2.0 litre TDI before it is phased out in favour a rumoured 1.5 TDI
Volkswagen says that the new Golf 8 will usher Volkswagen into the new digital age, featuring more connectivity than ever before. It will set standards within the brand and, hopefully, the market by offering numerous driver-focused assistant programmes and technologies. While manufacturing and technological complexities have been reduced, the entire range has gone through simplification as well with various models such as the 3-door Golf (and Scirocco) receiving the fateful axe.
The new Golf 8 will go on sale on December 2019 with German and Austrian markets being the first to get a taste of the new take to the iconic hatchback.
Image Credit(s): cars.co.za 
Image Credit(s): cars.co.za Image Credit(s): cars.co.za Image Credit(s): cars.co.za Image Credit(s): cars.co.za Image Credit(s): cars.co.za 
Image Credit(s): cars.co.za 
Image Credit(s): cars.co.za 
Image Credit(s): cars.co.za Image Credit(s): cars.co.za Image Credit(s): cars.co.za Image Credit(s): cars.co.za 
Image Credit(s): cars.co.za
