Volkswagen Golf VII

[Galaxy]

Also, smaller engined variants get a torsion beam. (Engines under 140HP, so basically everything that isn't a GTI) This is also the case with the Seat Leon...



I would not be surprised if the US model gets the same treatment as the Jetta and it loses the fancier suspension on all model grades.

The 85hp gasser, and the 105hp TDI will have a torison beam, the 140hp gasser, and the 150hp TDI will be multilink. Plus the engines that will be slotted between them and the GTI/GTD. What is more disappointing is that the base trim Trendline will get a cheapened interior, so there is the potential that all US Golfs will get the cheap interior. Wonder why they even bother, most Golfs seem to be at least Comfortline anyways. If they cheapen the interior for the base, those few customers may as well get KIAs. On a positive note the acoustical damping has apprently been improved even more. 

[2o6]

Why cheapen the Golf? Our focus is the same as hours for the most part, a.nd the Cruze actually stepped up quality for our market. Also, New Jetta isn't significantly cheaper tbs old Jetta..

[Galaxy]

Why cheapen the Golf? Our focus is the same as hours for the most part, a.nd the Cruze actually stepped up quality for our market. Also, New Jetta isn't significantly cheaper tbs old Jetta..

If memory serves the US Jetta has drum brakes at the rear, no projector head lights and a few other downgraded items.

[Raza]

If memory serves the US Jetta has drum brakes at the rear, no projector head lights and a few other downgraded items.

The new one has drum brakes?

[Galaxy]

The new one has drum brakes?

The US Jetta TDI and SEL have disk brakes, all others have drums at the rear.

[Raza]

The US Jetta TDI and SEL have disk brakes, all others have drums at the rear.

Damn.  I'm sure the GLI has rear discs though, right?

[Eye of the Tiger]

Damn.  I'm sure the GLI has rear discs though, right?

They all have rear discs. The front gets drums due to new pedestrian impact rrquirements.

[cawimmer430]

The 85hp gasser, and the 105hp TDI will have a torison beam, the 140hp gasser, and the 150hp TDI will be multilink. Plus the engines that will be slotted between them and the GTI/GTD. What is more disappointing is that the base trim Trendline will get a cheapened interior, so there is the potential that all US Golfs will get the cheap interior. Wonder why they even bother, most Golfs seem to be at least Comfortline anyways. If they cheapen the interior for the base, those few customers may as well get KIAs. On a positive note the acoustical damping has apprently been improved even more. 

I think the folks going for the cheapest trim don't really care about the interior quality. Even the "cheapened interior" will still be sturdy and durable and exude a feeling of being well-made despite the use of cheaper materials.

[SVT666]

They all have rear discs. The front gets drums due to new pedestrian impact rrquirements.

[Rich]

A used one of these will probably join the Miata whenever I get back to the US. Unless the next Miata is awesome.

[Eye of the Tiger]

When is this "next Miata" coming? I want to see more engine choices. Base and Mazdaspeed turbo, at least. Make it less happy. Shooting brake version, yes.

[Rich]

I think 2014....  The rough part would be selling the current car. Not sure I can do it

[AltinD]

...What is more disappointing is that the base trim Trendline will get a cheapened interior, so there is the potential that all US Golfs will get the cheap interior. Wonder why they even bother, most Golfs seem to be at least Comfortline anyways.   

It's funny cause till mid-2000s (Golf MKIV, Passat B5.5) Comfortline used to be the base trim and Trendline was the sportier trim above it, followed by of course the luxurious Highline

[MX793]

When is this "next Miata" coming? I want to see more engine choices. Base and Mazdaspeed turbo, at least. Make it less happy. Shooting brake version, yes.

The base is supposedly going to get a turbo motor, but much smaller in displacement (like 1.3L) and slightly less powerful than the current motor.

[Eye of the Tiger]

The base is supposedly going to get a turbo motor, but much smaller in displacement (like 1.3L) and slightly less powerful than the current motor.

Ecoboost?
Hmm... not sure how I feel. Good if is lower priced, but probably not. Depends if it will lend itself to large turbo upgrades.

[MX793]

Ecoboost?
Hmm... not sure how I feel. Good if is lower priced, but probably not. Depends if it will lend itself to large turbo upgrades.

Mazda broke ties with Ford, so I doubt it will be Ecoboost.  The motor is supposed to be of Mazda design (perhaps an evolution of their DISI turbo motor).

[Galaxy]

The was an interview with the head of design at VW AG Walter de Silva, along with designer Klaus Bischoff regarding the Golf VII, and design in general in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Perhaps 206 might be interested My translation of a few parts:

WaS: Did you feel the burden designing the car that is the most important vehicle for VW AG?

de Silva: If you beginn to design a new generation of the Golf, you can not sleep at night. I can guarantee you that. The Golf is not simply any car, it is Das Auto, an icon. The great challenge is to create something new that is still the same. The Golf needs no experiments, it must be instantly recognizable as a Golf, but it needs some change.

WaS: Would all to audacious designer dreams bring VW to financial ruin?

de Silva: Of course not. But for me developing the Golf is the most difficult task in ma life. It is a 38 year success story, this tradition comes with great responsibility. It is like an enactment: The music was created in 1974 by Giorgio Giugiaro. Today we designers are but mere conductors that interpret the music new.

WaS: Do you view engineers as your natural enemies?

de Silva: No. The engineers with their parameters deliver an important aspect of our work: limits. Without limits we would never get done. We are in a permanent dialog, and both sides try to realize their ideas. That means that both sides need to be willing to compromise and engage in the dialog.

WaS: Was there a design proposal for the Golf VII that was to radical?

de Silva: At the beginning there was a general idea, and everything was about getting it onto sheet metal. We discussed and sketched for weeks until we had the proportions correct. A Golf needs to convey a trust that must not be shattered by a to ambitious design. On the other hand it needs to be new, the people must not be disappointed by a to conservative design. The margin of error is extremely slim.  When I drove to work today I saw a Golf VI GTI and thought: My God, what a beautiful car, why do we need to change it? At the same time I know that the new Golf will be better.

Bischoff:  The lead idea is always the same. The car is a group work, but the different ideas are in competition to one another. With every sketch one maxim must always be followed: If one takes off the logo I need to be able to tell: This is a Golf. Our designers in Wolfsburg, Potsdam, California, and Italy created hundreds of different concepts. The lead designers of the different centers did a pre-selection and turned them over to us. We reduced them even more. Some competing ideas converged, some went in different directions. What remained was a concentration of all ideas. We then created 4 models that were presented to senior management, those were changed even more until the design remained that is on front of you today.

WaS: Can Wolfsburg be a fountain for inspiration?

de Silva: For me it is not a question of location, though I realize many colleges disagree. For security reason we develop the cars in window less rooms. My inspiration is my work.

WaS: But an artist needs stimulation.

de Silva: Come on. Of course I travel to different countries, visit museums and exhibits. I am interested in all kinds of design. But to say that a piece of Audi, or something from the new Golf came from those activities is silly. One does not just grab ideas, they are the result of hard work. They are created here in my office.

Bischoff: It is fun to create something, especially if it sets of a kind of chemical chain reaction. If one wrestles with the engineers  over the best solution. The fact that we can go into a hall were there are always at least 10 1:1 models standing around that have a chance of one day driving out on the streets, is inspiration enough. We do not have to worry about new input, we employ designers from 20 different countries, plus every year 50 to 60 interns from design schools from around the world that all shower us with ideas. It can't be done better. If I go to a museum, I do so to relax.

WaS: Do you design with the thought of creating a part of our biotope?

Bischoff. The Golf is not a statue, it is an article of daily use of high aesthetical maturity, and with the aspiration of being time less.

WaS: Which characteristics does a Golf always need to have?

Class, and classlessness, a Golf is so much: It is understatement but also quality, frugal but sporty. You can use it as a business car, as a second car. Families can travel with it, or singles. The Golf is Das Auto.

[nickdrinkwater]

We don't have Comfortline in the UK. It's S, SE, SEL etc. Not sure why the difference.

As for the car, you can't criticise them wanting to stick to the same formula however a bit more innovation wouldn't go amiss.  I actually think the new Leon looks more stylish inside and out.  I don't know why the guy above who designed the Golf was losing any sleep about sticking the Mk6 in a photocopier.

[2o6]

The was an interview with the head of design at VW AG Walter de Silva, along with designer Klaus Bischoff regarding the Golf VII, and design in general in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Perhaps 206 might be interested My translation of a few parts:

WaS: Did you feel the burden designing the car that is the most important vehicle for VW AG?

de Silva: If you beginn to design a new generation of the Golf, you can not sleep at night. I can guarantee you that. The Golf is not simply any car, it is Das Auto, an icon. The great challenge is to create something new that is still the same. The Golf needs no experiments, it must be instantly recognizable as a Golf, but it needs some change.

WaS: Would all to audacious designer dreams bring VW to financial ruin?

de Silva: Of course not. But for me developing the Golf is the most difficult task in ma life. It is a 38 year success story, this tradition comes with great responsibility. It is like an enactment: The music was created in 1974 by Giorgio Giugiaro. Today we designers are but mere conductors that interpret the music new.

WaS: Do you view engineers as your natural enemies?

de Silva: No. The engineers with their parameters deliver an important aspect of our work: limits. Without limits we would never get done. We are in a permanent dialog, and both sides try to realize their ideas. That means that both sides need to be willing to compromise and engage in the dialog.

WaS: Was there a design proposal for the Golf VII that was to radical?

de Silva: At the beginning there was a general idea, and everything was about getting it onto sheet metal. We discussed and sketched for weeks until we had the proportions correct. A Golf needs to convey a trust that must not be shattered by a to ambitious design. On the other hand it needs to be new, the people must not be disappointed by a to conservative design. The margin of error is extremely slim.  When I drove to work today I saw a Golf VI GTI and thought: My God, what a beautiful car, why do we need to change it? At the same time I know that the new Golf will be better.

Bischoff:  The lead idea is always the same. The car is a group work, but the different ideas are in competition to one another. With every sketch one maxim must always be followed: If one takes off the logo I need to be able to tell: This is a Golf. Our designers in Wolfsburg, Potsdam, California, and Italy created hundreds of different concepts. The lead designers of the different centers did a pre-selection and turned them over to us. We reduced them even more. Some competing ideas converged, some went in different directions. What remained was a concentration of all ideas. We then created 4 models that were presented to senior management, those were changed even more until the design remained that is on front of you today.

WaS: Can Wolfsburg be a fountain for inspiration?

de Silva: For me it is not a question of location, though I realize many colleges disagree. For security reason we develop the cars in window less rooms. My inspiration is my work.

WaS: But an artist needs stimulation.

de Silva: Come on. Of course I travel to different countries, visit museums and exhibits. I am interested in all kinds of design. But to say that a piece of Audi, or something from the new Golf came from those activities is silly. One does not just grab ideas, they are the result of hard work. They are created here in my office.

Bischoff: It is fun to create something, especially if it sets of a kind of chemical chain reaction. If one wrestles with the engineers  over the best solution. The fact that we can go into a hall were there are always at least 10 1:1 models standing around that have a chance of one day driving out on the streets, is inspiration enough. We do not have to worry about new input, we employ designers from 20 different countries, plus every year 50 to 60 interns from design schools from around the world that all shower us with ideas. It can't be done better. If I go to a museum, I do so to relax.

WaS: Do you design with the thought of creating a part of our biotope?

Bischoff. The Golf is not a statue, it is an article of daily use of high aesthetical maturity, and with the aspiration of being time less.

WaS: Which characteristics does a Golf always need to have?

Class, and classlessness, a Golf is so much: It is understatement but also quality, frugal but sporty. You can use it as a business car, as a second car. Families can travel with it, or singles. The Golf is Das Auto.

He is going to ruin VW. Their models are too close together, and too close to their old models.

[Galaxy]

He is going to ruin VW. Their models are too close together, and too close to their old models.

To close to each other perhaps, but VW models have a history of being close to old models.

Golf 1



Golf 2



Golf 3



Golf IV





The jump between 2 & 3, and 4 & 5 was relatively big, other then that... 

[nickdrinkwater]

3 and 4 was a big jump too.

[Galaxy]

3 and 4 was a big jump too.

In terms of refinement it was a huuuugggeeee jump, but design?








One thing which really made the Mark IV look fresh was the clear glass headlight imo. I believe it was the first car to feature that.

[Cookie Monster]

For some reason I really, really like Golf III's.

[2o6]

For some reason I really, really like Golf III's.

I like them too, I should have bought one instead of that Neon.

[Payman]

Love the new Golf. Looks crisp and classy like a nice tuxedo. The interior is by far the best in class.

[Raza]

Mk3s were the worst cars in the A chassis history. 

[93JC]

Mk IIIs sucked. I have known a few people who had one (or a Jetta) and none had anything nice to say about their Mk III.

[Cookie Monster]

I have no experience with them but I like how they look.

[MrH]

He is going to ruin VW. Their models are too close together, and too close to their old models.

[AltinD]

To close to each other perhaps, but VW models have a history of being close to old models.

Golf 1



Golf 2

Wasn't Golf 2 with two sets of round headlights, or only the GTI, GTD models?