Thread: Car Talk
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addison
Formerly “AWM”
 
Join Date: May 2009
 
2012-09-05, 09:14

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorian Gray View Post
The engineering is undoubtedly impressive (the low-end model weighs 1050 kg, which is pretty light for such a big and stiff car), but this has to be the most conservative Golf yet. Anyone but a car geek would be hard-pushed to spot the differences between this and the Mark 6.

By my reckoning, the design is also ugly in places. That horrible, small, fat, flat-bottomed steering wheel, for instance. What is it with steering wheels these days? The flat bottom is inexcusable in any car, and fat, small wheels belong in rally cars, not family cars.

If drivers want to pretend they’re rallying, they could start by shoving their seat forward by about six inches, so they have a hope of controlling the wheel quickly and precisely. I’ve seen so many guys poke fun at their girlfriend/wife/anonymous woman on the road for sitting too close to the steering wheel. No: you sit too far from the wheel. By about a mile. Do you think you look cool with your arm stretched out straight to reach the wheel? Maybe you do, but don't do that and simultaneously pretend you know how to drive. Amateur.

Back to the Mark 7. I heard that the entry-level model will have torsion-beam suspension. A Volkswagen Golf with an expensive (albeit not entirely successful) interior, but torsion-beam suspension? Are Golf buyers now so disinterested in driving that they’ll buy that?
VW styling has always been conservative. It's what makes their cars age well in my opinion. I look at my eleven year old Jetta and it still looks modern. Compare that to some of the edgier designs from others and they look good for a few years then seem dated.

Totally agree about the flat bottom steering wheel. Not sure it's standard though. The car in the pics is pretty well optioned. I did see it has an electronic parking brake as standard which I could do without. The beam axle out back is probably standard except for the GTI. I'm guessing on that though. Don't think it matters. I've driven the new Jetta with one and it handles fine. It's not the end of the world that auto writers want you to believe. They need to cut costs to compete and they choose to do things like this. It's always been hard for them but they have no choice.
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