VW has released prices for the new Mk6 Golf, but while the new car was rushed into production to cut costs, none of these savings seem to have been passed onto the consumer – the base 1.4 S now starts at £13,150 – £870 more than the Mk5 entry-level Golf.
What goodies does my £13,150 Mk6 Golf come with?
Along with a 79bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine, an entry level S model comes with a decent level of equipment to help offset the price increase. As standard there’s ABS, ESP, seven airbags, air-con, heated and electric mirrors, body-coloured bumpers and door handles, plus a CD/radio.
SE models add an uprated stereo with MP3 connectivity, 16-inch wheels, cruise control and automatic wipers and lights. Range-topping GT models get sports suspension and seats, front fogs, a multifunction steering wheel and 17-inch alloys. Apart from that, customers can spec the Adaptive Chassis Control (ACC) sysytem lifted from the Scirocco, and ParkAssist which steers into spaces for you.
And if I want an oil-burning Golf?
The cheapest TDI model starts at £15,800 for a 2.0-litre with 108bhp. A more powerful 138bhp version is available in SE and GT trim levels, while the full-on 158bhp model is limted to GT spec. Other petrol engine options include a 101bhp 1.6, plus 120 and 158bhp versions of the 1.4 TSI, the latter again limited to GT models.
But don’t go down to your nearest VW dealership and place your order just yet. Of course the hot GTI model is still to arrive (it’s due in summer 2009), but many of the mainstream launch engines will also be replaced in 2009. The entry level 1.4 is ousted for a 1.2 TSI in September 2009, while around the same time a new 1.6-litre diesel will also appear in VW brochures.