Review of the new Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI

It seems that small diesel engines have a big role to play in the immediate future of the car industry. They're arguably the best solution we currently have to the problem of making cars fuel efficient and affordable, with enough shove to ensure driving them is a less than mind-numbing experience. Volkswagen's 1.6-litre TDI isn't particularly small but its capacity is as low as the manufacturer is willing to go with a diesel Golf. Is it worthy of its crucial position in the range?

The Golf is a massive car for Volkswagen, an icon of the family hatchback sector and of the world car market as a whole. As a result, it was never likely that Volkswagen would chuck the baby out with the bathwater and come up with a radically different car when it launched this MkVI version. What we got was more of the same but made tellingly better in a number of key areas. One of the most crucial was the diesel engines. The old direct injection units were replaced by common-rail injection powerplants offering smoother power delivery and enhanced refinement. Buyers were also told to expect superior fuel economy, which is par for the course with any new model these days as the leading brands push for ever greater efficiency gains.

The 1.6-litre TDI engine can be ordered with 89 or 104bhp. Both yield their peak power outputs at just over 4,000rpm, with the more powerful engine peaking fractionally higher in the rev range. The 89bhp engine delivers 230Nm of torque at just 1,500rpm, while its more powerful partner has 250Nm at the same engine speed. The chunky torque being generated should go a long way to compensating for what look like modest power outputs for a 1,200kg Golf.

Outright pace over the 0-60mph sprint is less than inspiring, with the entry-level engine taking 12.9s and the 104bhp one detaining you for 11.3s. All in, the top speeds are 110mph and 117mph respectively.

".its chassis displays a fine blend of abilities, whether you like to press on or take things easy"

A back-to-back drive in this Golf and the previous generation one reveals a major reduction in cabin noise achieved through a host of measures including a special sound-damping windscreen, extra thick side window glass and advanced door and window seals. The cosseting experience inside this Volkswagen is added to by the car's clever suspension system. Multi-link rear axle technology is the preserve of the top performers in the family hatchback class from a ride and handling perspective and this model is certainly amongst those.

There are three or five-door bodystyles with the standard hatch, plus a more versatile Golf Plus variant and an estate model. The front end styling treatment of the MkVI Golf was first seen on the Scirocco coupe and its horizontal lines serve to make the car appear wider, lower and more planted on the road. Break out the tape measure and you'll discover that this is not merely a stylistic illusion, with the latest car being 27mm wider and 34mm lower than the MkV. At the rear, the light clusters have also been stretched width-ways and the bumper is predominantly body-coloured for a classier look but from whichever angle you approach it, the car couldn't be anything but a Golf.

Inside, the dash design is more of an eye-opener. The instruments are tastefully designed with obvious Audi influences and illuminate in crisp white light. The controls function with typical efficiency and the plastics quality is hard to fault compared to the Golf's family hatch rivals. Some might find the cabin lacking a spark of originality but it's certainly got an abundance of class and the execution is hard to fault. Rear legroom is adequate for tall adults so long as the front seats aren't pushed right back on their runners and a boot of 350-litres ensures this Volkswagen's competitiveness on practicality grounds. Fold the rear seats and 1,305 litres is made available.

The 89bhp engine is only offered in S trim but you can get the 104bhp option in S, Match or BlueMotion guises. The BlueMotion is interesting in that it has a series of aerodynamic and mechanical modifications designed to maximise its economy.

Standard equipment on all models includes body-coloured bumpers, door handles and mirrors, ensuring that even base cars look impressively upmarket. Semi-automatic air-conditioning is also standard, as is speed sensitive power steering, remote central locking, seven airbags, ESP stability control, traction control and Volkswagen's Electronic Differential Lock system. The Golf might be priced above equivalent rivals but it does a convincing job of justifying the premium.

These 1.6-litre diesel Golfs might be the entry-point to the oil-burning range but they're still rather more expensive than the base petrol engines. The impressive 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged petrol has 122bhp and is still around £150 less expensive than the 89bhp 1.6 TDI, which gives buyers something to think about. As is often the case with small diesel engines, it pays to do your sums and make sure that you're going to cover sufficient mileage to make the oil-burner's lower cost per mile pay.

It's the promise of miserly fuel consumption that will draw many buyers in the Golf 1.6 TDI's direction and the car is as good as its word. Both of the power outputs produce identical economy of 62.8mpg, with the 89bhp unit achieving 118g/km emissions to the 119g/km of the 104bhp car.

You can do better than that though. The 69mpg that the 'BlueMotion Technology' model returns on the combined cycle is impressive, as is the 107g/km CO2 emissions figure. There's even a yet more frugal version, simply christened 'Golf BlueMotion' (and identifiable by a sports bodykit) that, thanks to a start/stop system and various other tweaks, can manage 76.3mpg on the combined cycle and put out just 99g/km of CO2, producing a tangible annual saving that will only increase for higher mileage buyers. Both BlueMotion variants achieve this sterling performance at the pumps through a series of alterations, including longer third, fourth and fifth gears in the five-speed manual gearbox and regenerative braking that charges the battery when the car is slowing down.

Small diesel engines have a tendency to look a little expensive compared to entry-level petrol engines but the price premium will invariably lead to a more satisfying car. Volkswagen's Golf 1.6 TDI range achieves satisfying compromise between economy, refinement and performance which should see it alright. The sums might not add-up for those covering smaller mileages however, so keep those calculators handy.

The Golf generally is a leading light in the family hatchback sector, with other cars forced to rely on lower pricing and more generous equipment levels to compete. VW's classy hatchback has the quality and refinement of a far more expensive product and its chassis displays a fine blend of abilities, whether you like to press on or take things easy.

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