Vehicle: 2005 VW Golf 2.0FSI Sportline with 6-speed Tiptronic
Price as tested: HK$238000

Handling: With the advent of the new independent rear suspension and a much stiffer chassis, the new Golf is anything but. VW has addressed the criticism of Mk4 chassis as being overly softly sprung by giving Mk5 a firmer spring. On the other hand, the firmer springs and shocks don’t sacifice the excellent ride quality that’s been exhibited in this new Golf. The ride comfort has a luxurious feel to it as it reminds me of a more expensive Audi A6 and Mercedes E-Class. The sports suspension standard on our Sportline tester has given out enough stiffness for aggressive driving while providing a sublime ride comfort. Dynamically speaking, the independent rear suspension has given Mk5 a swifter feel through corners. While the German still refused to dial-in the off-throttle oversteer as French does, it does provide a bit of fun by letting the tail out a bit if you pushed hard through corners. There are minimal body rolls and understeer in the twisties. As for steering feel, Golf’s electric power steering provides decent feedback and responsive. It has to be considered as one of the best electric power system I have ever driven, although it still exhibits some artifical feel as with other similar systems.

Performance: Thanks to VW’s direct injection in this 2.0L 16-valver DOHC engine, it produces a healthy 150 horses and 175 lb/ft of torque. While it doesn’t look particularly fast on paper, it feels exceptional in real-life driving. There are plenty of low-end torque when pushing through the mountainside of HK. On the other hand, the 6-speed Tiptronic is responsive and smart to move. It never hunts for gears as it stays on the right gear all the time. The refinement of this engine is excellent as its VW has eliminates most NVH from the engine compartment. Just like the ride quality, this engine has made new Golf feels like a luxury car wrapped in a sporty package.

Brakes: With standard 4-wheel discs and ABS, new Golf’s pedal feel is top-notch. The pedal modulation and control are wonderful, while the stopping distance is short and straight. The ABS system doesn’t kick in until absolutely necessary.

Interior: Inside the new Golf is everything you expect from VW. The instrumentation gauges are clear and analog. VW has addressed the criticism of Mk4′s Climatronic as too complicated, so they have given Mk5 a simpler system that’s more user-friendly. The leather seats are comfortable. They are also made of soft and supple leather which is wonderful, in terms of touch and feel. The driving position is easily found as Sportline is standard with 8-way power driver’s seat and tilt/telescope steering wheel. The stereo is placed higher on the dashboard as VW addressed Mk4′s unit placed way too low down the bottom. Not to mentioned the interior materials are still right up there with the best of luxury brands.

There are plenty of leg and headroom for backseat passengers. It also scores well with a nice center armrest with cupholders. The cramped legroom of Mk4 has gone for good.

Although the hatch has a slightly high liftover, its generally very well-executed. It got 60/40 split fold-down rear seats with plenty of cargo space. VW has to give the nod by giving customers full-size spare tire instead of those mickey mouse dount.

Conclusion: The new Golf is indeed the best one yet. It has an intriguing combination of performance, handling dynamics, refinement, style and quality. If the Mk5 generation can’t revealled the struggling VW sales in North America, nothing else does.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2005 VW GOLF 2.0FSI
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.75/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4.5/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 5/5