For more than 30 years, the Golf has been Volkswagen's core, its foundation, its cash cow. You don't mess with success, which perhaps is why the Golf Mk6 - yes, the sixth generation - follows a familiar formula. Mostly.
The big changes are all visual. If you think the new Golf looks a lot like the just-released Scirocco coupe, you're right - it follows the mandate set last year by Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn that VW cars needed to move away from the fussy, pretentious look of cars, like the current Passat and Eos, and return to a simpler style that could be translated across models.
The Scirocco and the Mk6 Golf showcase VW's new look, which was developed by the VW design team working under the direction of Walter da Silva. Critical elements are a horizontal grille, punctuated by the VW badge, with trapezoidal headlights on either side.
Because of the shakeup at VW design, the Golf Mk6 has been designed, developed, and put into production in a record 18 months. It's no surprise, then, to learn the Mk6 utilizes the current car's architecture, but with completely revised cladding, inside and out. The resulting interior dimensions remain the same, as do the track and wheelbase. The front overhang has been reduced by 20 mm (0.78 in.) - a feat in itself considering the necessary cooling and safety performance standards. Recycling the Mk5's structure will also keep production costs to a minimum.
Along the sides of the car is a design crease that fades in and out above the trademark Volkswagen wheelarches. A lower overall look is achieved as a result of the line and the concave surface created above it. Less wedgy styling is achieved via sculpted side sills as well as the deletion of side-impact strips. Rear treatments include new rear lights with four lit circles. Lower black panels emphasize the width of the rear end, too. Overhang out back has been increased by 10 mm (0.39 in.), but in conjunction with a shorter front end, the car sports a smaller length than its predecessor.
Within the cabin are all-new, soft-feel surfaces. Ergonomics are said to be improved due to the revised driver-oriented positioning of air-conditioning and stereo controls. Adding to the new cockpit arrangement is a subtle styling crease on the top surface of the dash running over the driver's instruments and center stack. Eos-like metal trimmings around the air vents also find their way into the car.
Since the Golf Mk6 will employ existing architecture, power is expected to be derived from current engine offerings. Four-cylinder engines will likely be the outgoing car's 1.4L TSI and 1.8L TFSI units, while the bigger 2.0L TFSI V-6 will top off the gasoline lineup. BlueMotion diesel technology in either a 1.9L or 2.0L variety is speculated be initially available to European customers. A hybrid version is expected to make its debut later in the car's production run.
Topping off the range will be the sportier GTI version employing what's thought to be a 230-hp, 2.0L turbo four-cylinder. Of course, added to the next-generation GTI mix will be an aggressive-styled exterior inspired by last year's Golf GTI W12 concept. Like the concept, two performance-themed red lines, one at the top and the other at the bottom, have been affixed on the new horizontal grille. At either end of the grille are upgraded headlights featuring LED running lights. A lower front splitter rounds off the front-end modifications. To the rear of the car, LED clad taillight housings and a prominent black diffuser further distinguish the GTI. Optional 19-in.-diameter wheels (18-in. on standard models) fill the bold arches quite well.
Our latest intel suggests Volkswagen will introduce its sixth-generation Golf at this year's Paris motor show in October. European customers will likely receive the first run of 2009 Golfs by late next year, but don't expect the hot hatch to hit our shores anytime soon. Much like the product scheduling of the current Golf Mk5, U.S. customers will unfortunately have to wait until around 2012 to get their hands on the latest compact from Wolfsburg. In the meantime, a revised fifth-gen will hit North American streets soon after the Golf Mk6's European introduction next year.
Source: motortrend
The big changes are all visual. If you think the new Golf looks a lot like the just-released Scirocco coupe, you're right - it follows the mandate set last year by Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn that VW cars needed to move away from the fussy, pretentious look of cars, like the current Passat and Eos, and return to a simpler style that could be translated across models.
The Scirocco and the Mk6 Golf showcase VW's new look, which was developed by the VW design team working under the direction of Walter da Silva. Critical elements are a horizontal grille, punctuated by the VW badge, with trapezoidal headlights on either side.
Because of the shakeup at VW design, the Golf Mk6 has been designed, developed, and put into production in a record 18 months. It's no surprise, then, to learn the Mk6 utilizes the current car's architecture, but with completely revised cladding, inside and out. The resulting interior dimensions remain the same, as do the track and wheelbase. The front overhang has been reduced by 20 mm (0.78 in.) - a feat in itself considering the necessary cooling and safety performance standards. Recycling the Mk5's structure will also keep production costs to a minimum.
Along the sides of the car is a design crease that fades in and out above the trademark Volkswagen wheelarches. A lower overall look is achieved as a result of the line and the concave surface created above it. Less wedgy styling is achieved via sculpted side sills as well as the deletion of side-impact strips. Rear treatments include new rear lights with four lit circles. Lower black panels emphasize the width of the rear end, too. Overhang out back has been increased by 10 mm (0.39 in.), but in conjunction with a shorter front end, the car sports a smaller length than its predecessor.
Within the cabin are all-new, soft-feel surfaces. Ergonomics are said to be improved due to the revised driver-oriented positioning of air-conditioning and stereo controls. Adding to the new cockpit arrangement is a subtle styling crease on the top surface of the dash running over the driver's instruments and center stack. Eos-like metal trimmings around the air vents also find their way into the car.
Since the Golf Mk6 will employ existing architecture, power is expected to be derived from current engine offerings. Four-cylinder engines will likely be the outgoing car's 1.4L TSI and 1.8L TFSI units, while the bigger 2.0L TFSI V-6 will top off the gasoline lineup. BlueMotion diesel technology in either a 1.9L or 2.0L variety is speculated be initially available to European customers. A hybrid version is expected to make its debut later in the car's production run.
Topping off the range will be the sportier GTI version employing what's thought to be a 230-hp, 2.0L turbo four-cylinder. Of course, added to the next-generation GTI mix will be an aggressive-styled exterior inspired by last year's Golf GTI W12 concept. Like the concept, two performance-themed red lines, one at the top and the other at the bottom, have been affixed on the new horizontal grille. At either end of the grille are upgraded headlights featuring LED running lights. A lower front splitter rounds off the front-end modifications. To the rear of the car, LED clad taillight housings and a prominent black diffuser further distinguish the GTI. Optional 19-in.-diameter wheels (18-in. on standard models) fill the bold arches quite well.
Our latest intel suggests Volkswagen will introduce its sixth-generation Golf at this year's Paris motor show in October. European customers will likely receive the first run of 2009 Golfs by late next year, but don't expect the hot hatch to hit our shores anytime soon. Much like the product scheduling of the current Golf Mk5, U.S. customers will unfortunately have to wait until around 2012 to get their hands on the latest compact from Wolfsburg. In the meantime, a revised fifth-gen will hit North American streets soon after the Golf Mk6's European introduction next year.
Source: motortrend
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