Volkswagen Golf, the iconic car from VW has been the best selling car for last two years

With superminis getting bigger manufacturers are introducing and highlighting other selling points to persuade family hatchback buyers they need a more expensive car. The interior of this car is fairly bland, but extremely functional. The Golf is far from cheap but at least you can see where your money’s been spent. It feels like a luxury good and in this class, only the Audi A3 can stand comparison.

The interior of the new Volkswagen Golf is very conservative. The multi-function computer – located between the speedo and rev counter – provides useful journey data including the average and current fuel consumption.

The ride is smooth and comfortable at low and high speeds. The model that is powered by a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel the engine produces just 103bhp meaning acceleration from 0-62mph (100kph) takes 11.3 seconds before topping out at 116mph. Comfort is given due importance in Golf. VW has engineered the Golf to be so quiet that for the Volkswagen GTI they’ve had to develop a ‘sound generator’ to provide some aural stimulation. The Golf is a quiet car for its class with low levels of wind, road and engine noise - even at motorway speeds.

VW’s confidence was highlighted by the fleet of Volkswagen Phaetons which ferried a plane-full of journalists to the test cars – with the German manufacturer indicating its flagship limo was the benchmark of quality against which improvements had been measured.

Volkswagen cars are well built, dependable cars. When it comes to reliability, the Golf clearly outperforms most of its rivals. The quality of the materials used and the attention to detail clearly shines through giving the car a luxury feel. The Golf achieved five stars in the EuroNCAP crash test programme.