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If the world of cars was a monarchy, we have our picks for who would reign. Residing on the hot hatch throne would be the Volkswagen Golf, of course.
It’s no secret that the VW Golf has hatchback enthusiasts wrapped around its finger…or rather, tire. But even outside the hatchback sector, the Volkswagen Golf is one of the top three best-selling cars…”in the world”, as The Grand Tour's Jeremy Clarkson would say.
The Volkswagen Golf has been the hatchback choice of millions ever since it’s 1974 introduction. These days, there are so many iterations of the Golf that it can be difficult to keep up! However, one thing stays constant: the Volkswagen Golf forever altered the automotive scenery.
The Golf has achieved many milestones that can put other hatches to shame. A new Golf is sold in almost every 40 seconds, and it won World Car of the Year in both 2009 and 2013. With an abundance of records to its name, the Golf certainly has done its job of proving itself.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane with the Volkswagen Golf and how it changed the automotive industry - with a few pit stops to the future and present day along the way.
The Volkswagen Golf’s Debut
The Volkswagen Golf, (also known as the Rabbit or Caribe depending on where you are), has been in production since 1974. The original intention of the Golf was to be a replacement to the rear engined, rear-wheel drive Beetle.
When compared to the Beetle, the Golf adopted the more standard front-wheel drive and front engine, which could be water cooled instead of air cooled. VW set the bar high for what a compact car could be, even before the compact class became established! The Volkswagen Golf made itself a staple as one of the most consistent best hot hatches on the market.
Volkswagen's slogan of “The New Popular Sport: Golf” rang true when the Golf became VW’s best-selling car, and is one of the top-selling cars in the entire world.
What Makes The Volkswagen Golf Stand Out
In an era where fastback cars were the standard, VW opted for practicality with a hatchback. Making that decision was well-thought-out, and it clearly paid off with the Golf's success.
The styling of a Golf is simple and straightforward without being boring and forgettable. Its silhouette alone stands out among other hatchbacks, sporty superminis, and compact cars. When a Volkswagen Golf drives by: there's no mistaking it.
The best features of the VW Golf are just as simple: it is an affordable car that is sporty, practical, and it delivers more performance in comparison to other brands in the same price range.
A 2022 VW Golf base level comes with a 2 liter 4-cylinder engine that achieves 241 horsepower. As an entry level and affordable car that can reach 60 mph in just 5.1 seconds, it proves itself over and over against any other car with the mixture of performance and practicality.
Is A Volkswagen Golf A Reliable Car?
The pedigree of Volkswagen spans across a vast and interesting history. VW has put itself in the eye of the people for its reliable cars, and the Golf is no exception.
The plethora of reliability that VW provides also directly influences safety, and since 2015 every VW Golf has received a 5-star rating from the NHTSA. Looking over the lifetime of a Volkswagen, in comparison to other brands, its average maintenance price is only a few hundred dollars more than fellow carmakers like Honda or Mazda.
Given the reward of exhilarating performance while still getting good gas mileage, the Golf would be hard to argue against.
What Is The Future Of The Volkswagen Golf?
The Golf has seen such a long and respected lifetime with consistently great generations. So what's to come for the future of the Volkswagen Golf?
The next model, the 2023 VW Golf, will have its usual GTI accompanied by the R equivalent. The R will boost that 0 to 60 time to just 3.9 seconds and put out 315 horsepower, not to mention that it also offers a 6 speed manual (which is a must). At an MSRP of $44,000 for the sportier R, it makes the Golf another staggering value for performance with such sportiness. The Golf is able to anticipate getting about 23/30 miles per gallon with a combined MPG of 27.
The theme of efficiency is set to continue into the future, with VW anticipating having the next generation of Golf be electric only cars. While timeline of the future is unclear, there is an approximation of an end to the current Golf generation by 2027 or 2028. What Volkswagen has made clear is that they will not be retiring any names or IDs, which leads us to believe that the future vehicles will live up to everything the ICE cars provide. If VW can achieve this feat, the Golf will continue to live through another generation as one of the top-selling and exciting cars for years to come.
Sources: Volkswagen, Triangle Imports