Yahoo Autos VW's "Biggest Product Offensive Ever" Starts With a New Golf
VW boss Dr. Herbert Diess believes the Golf to be the ultimate Volkswagen, a car for everyone and every situation. So what better way to get past Dieselgate than to launch a significantly upgraded version as a forerunner of VW's Future Pact, which is described as the biggest undertaking in the company's history?
Initially known as the 7S, the 2017 Golf gets a new 1.5 liter TSI engine that produces 148 horsepower and uses Active Cylinder Management, thus shutting down the second and third cylinders during low and medium load states to improve fuel efficiency. The BlueMotion version of this engine will have 128 horsepower with a brand new battery system. Volkswagen will also gradually replace its six-speed DSGs with a new seven-speed unit.
The 2017 GTI comes with 226 horses as standard, or 241 if you opt for the Performance Pack. The new Golfs also look slightly different thanks to having different bumpers at the front and rear, new halogen headlights with LED daytime running lights (which can be upgraded to full LED headlights instead of Xenon headlights), and full LED taillights as standard for the first time.
Volkswagen put a lot of effort into upgrading the Golf's infotainment system. The black-and-white screens are gone, as the base system becomes a 6.5-inch color unit with a touchscreen resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The next level up, the "Composition Media" and "Discover Media" (incl. navigation) packages come with 8.0-inch screens, while the top-of-the-range "Discover Pro" system packs a 9.2-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1280 x 640 pixels.
As a first in a compact, this infotainment also uses both touch- and voice-command operation with gesture control in addition to proximity sensors. Additionally, it comes with an amplifier with a 4 x 20 watt output, a DVD drive, two Apple compatible USB ports, two SD card slots, AUX-IN socket and a 10 GB SSD drive, while further options include a reversing camera, DAB+, and up to two extra USB ports.
But the big screen isn't the only gizmo onboard. The 2017 gets additional driver aids such as Traffic Jam Assist, the new Pedestrian Monitoring for Front Assist with City Emergency Braking, Trailer Assist and Emergency Assist, which will stop the car in case the driver remains inactive following a fair bit of warning.
Needless to say, the semi-autonomous Traffic Jam Assist only works with the DSG gearbox.
According to Volkswagen R&D boss Welsch, the plug-in hybrid Golf GTE has a 31 mile electric range for 2017, while the all new eGolf electric car has range of up to 186 miles.
The new Golf is one of a whopping ten new models VW is planning to launch as part of their Future Pact, soon to be followed by the T-Roc SUV. And while Diess says their "EU6 diesels are cleaner than most from rival manufacturers," Volkswagen will also build a battery factory in Germany, just to be on the safe side...
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