VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics

nirmalts · 7th June 2010, 03:47

It wasn't an easy task buying a car here in Germany. Makes and models are too many to make any realistic decision analysis.

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1097.jpg

Finally, I left my heart decide and it was a Volkswagen Golf VI 1.4 TSI Petrol.

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1359.jpg

My requirements were mainly good power, interior space, looks, easy maintenance and decent FE. I wanted a hatch as my wife would be driving it too and she is never confident driving a sedan.

It was a long 3 months wait till my name appeared on the screen at Autostadt, the VW factory in Germany where I picked it up.

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1142.jpg

Buying experience has been amazing. I bought the new car completely online. Of course test drive wasn't online

I have my buying experience in a separate thread here http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post1879960.

Here are the basic configuration info and initial impressions:

1.4 Litres Petrol TSI
Power: 122 PS/ 5000
Torque: 200Nm / 1500 - 4000
Tyre: 205/55 R16
Music System: RNS 510 with Navigation and DVD player
5 Airbags (front) + 4 Airbags (back)
Rain sensor
Park Assist
Seat heating
Cruise control

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1345.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1346.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1351.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1367.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1419.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1426.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1422.jpg

Engine

TSI is simply amazing. Downsizing has really worked for VW. The small 1.4L engine produces 122PS of power (the next higher one in the series produces 160PS with the same engine size). The power and torque are available whenever you need it. You don't notice any turbo lag on this petrol engine (due to the active super charger at lower RPMs).

I have been getting a FE of around 14Kmpl (city + highway) which I feel is pretty ok based on whats promised by VW.

Handling

Rock solid. Gets the feel that you are driving a sedan with the way it plants on the road.

Gears

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1377.jpg

Smooth as butter. Took a while getting used to shifting to the 6th gear.

Comfort and space

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1381.jpg

The interiors are really really spacious. A big plus for Golf here. The front seats are really comfortable. Both front seats have lumbar support with a lumbar support adjustment. It isn't really warm here yet. Hence couldn't really test the air conditioning. There are store spaces everywhere..in the dash, under the seats, on the doors.

Styling

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1356.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1383.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1386.jpg

I bought a special edition model called "Team" which had couple of nice additions in series like Park assistant (which automatically parallel parks the car), 16'' alloys (a plain old design), seat heating, multifunction display, multifunction steering wheel etc.

Music system

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1388.jpg

RNS 510 with 8 speakers sounds good for the ears and produces decent bass. The integrated navigation is really cool. Finds satellites as soon as you switch it on. The mobile phone integration with bluetooth worked out of the box (without the use of any costly adapters). The car uses it own GSM antenna and uses the SIM on the mobile in my pocket (using rSAP bluetooth protocol). The makes it possible to browse address book and read SMS directly on the screen.

Quality

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1393.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1394.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1389.jpg

VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics-img_1392.jpg

You see it everywhere. Its miles ahead of Golf V w.r.t quality. The folks at VW have given attention to detail in all areas.

Drawbacks

I think the headlamps and foglamps of Polo (left) looks more stylish than the one on Golf (right).

There is a little dead spider inside my headlamp. I saw it walking around inside the headlamp a day before and now it is lying dead inside
Engine is a bit noisy at cold start.
The door has two halting positions. You can keep the door only in these positions. The first position is too small and makes it tough to get in and out of the car. The second position makes the door too wide open and would mostly touch the door of your neighbour in parking spots.
It is not easy to close the boot lid by holding on the hooks. Mostly you have to place your hand on the boot lid from outside and press it down again.
Plastic looking alloys on special edition

2cents · 7th June 2010, 09:22

Let me be the first one to officially express my envy

.
Man!! I love this metal.

crackingride · 7th June 2010, 09:36

Ah, the joys of living in a developed nation!
If I can sum it all up in one word~ CHOICE!
The likes of which we do not have here in India.
A few of us pay the price because the many will not pay for a decent hatch.
Congratulations! Das (auto) is sehr gut.
The Golf would have been my choice if it was available here in India, too. Since that isnt likely to happen, I pinned my hopes on a decently specced polo. And we are saddled with a cheap clone.
I can only envy the fact that you can choose between engines, and also spec. Love the fact that navigation and things work out of the box, and that auto parking is an option. I've seen some videos of that working on You Tube, and its phenomenal.

poloman · 7th June 2010, 09:54

Congrats Nirmal. Excellent Pictures ! But why you had to wait for 3 months for delivery? Do we see such long waiting periods even in developed markets.

quadmaniac · 7th June 2010, 09:57

The white Golf looks drool maal .. no two ways about it. And for such an engine I think 14kmpl is really good!

Also, that "TEAM" logo reminded me of the "TEAM in the TEAM BHP" sticker!

rejoycjohn · 7th June 2010, 10:42

@quadmaniac,

Awesome man , be in Germany - own a german car - drive through autobahn - nothing can match that if you are an auto maniac!!! ..Cheers mate on the purchase

So how much did this Golf cost you ? Also the prices and specs for our own Polo ? In some of the videos that I have seen , except for the interior trim and some optional packs. Am I right here ?

14kmpl for such a well equipped vehicle sounds decent
Congrats again

sureshaddagalla · 7th June 2010, 10:46

Loved it! Congratulations!! I wish we had access to such cars in India.

I'm starting to like the VW designs even more now. I did like the Vento pictures that came out a few days ago. To my taste, I guess. But it's sad that we'll not be anywhere near the feature levels you get abroad.

Regarding polo vs. golf head lights & fog lamps, I agree with you if I look at them in isolation. But I guess the golf ones do fit the overall design better.

Enjoy your car!

sajo · 7th June 2010, 10:51

Excellent choice Nirmalts!

May I ask why not the diesel?

Your explanation of what "internet brokers" do was very informative..Thanks for that! No one can ignore a 28.5 % discount!

extreme_torque · 7th June 2010, 10:56

Classy looking hatch but we may not see it in India ever because of our obsession with the third box.

kutlee · 7th June 2010, 11:50

nice classy stuff there mate! i think the special edition should have been named 'team bhp' instead of just 'team'. Look at the interiors. Speaks of Europian solidarity. (actually German solid build quality!) Seats look rather nice too.

sidindica · 7th June 2010, 12:00

Congrats nirmalts on becoming the first team-bhpian to become an owner of this Euro bestseller.

The quality, design and engineering speaks for itself and that 1.4 twincharger is a dream to drive, isn't it?

Some more pics of the golf and polo, please!

joe1980 · 7th June 2010, 12:10

Congrats Nirmal. The Golf looks really awesome. It looks more sturdy for the size it actually is. One of my colleagues has Golf Plus which to me looks like a tall boy design. But this one in the pic is really awesome.

By the way, I live in Bonn. Let's organize for a Team-BHP meetup here in Germany. It is summer time here in Germany.

hiren959 · 7th June 2010, 12:36

Congrats Nirmal for your new car!! amazing car and the procedure to take delivery from the Factory, I think the most busiest site for car delivery in the world.

Lucky enough that you need just a sticker of "BHP" as your car has already "TEAM".

shivapsreddy · 7th June 2010, 13:59

Congrats Nirmal on your purchase. Wish you happy driving.

theragingbull · 7th June 2010, 17:12

Congratulations!! Lovely car and lovely color! The way an owner takes the delivery of a new VW car in Germany is amazing! Do you have more pics of the delivery towers?

7th June 2010, 03:47	#1
nirmalts BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Stuttgart, Germ Posts: 252 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage	VW Golf VI: Initial Impressions & Pics It wasn't an easy task buying a car here in Germany. Makes and models are too many to make any realistic decision analysis. Finally, I left my heart decide and it was a Volkswagen Golf VI 1.4 TSI Petrol. My requirements were mainly good power, interior space, looks, easy maintenance and decent FE. I wanted a hatch as my wife would be driving it too and she is never confident driving a sedan. It was a long 3 months wait till my name appeared on the screen at Autostadt, the VW factory in Germany where I picked it up. Buying experience has been amazing. I bought the new car completely online. Of course test drive wasn't online I have my buying experience in a separate thread here http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post1879960. Here are the basic configuration info and initial impressions: 1.4 Litres Petrol TSI Power: 122 PS/ 5000 Torque: 200Nm / 1500 - 4000 Tyre: 205/55 R16 Music System: RNS 510 with Navigation and DVD player 5 Airbags (front) + 4 Airbags (back) Rain sensor Park Assist Seat heating Cruise control Engine TSI is simply amazing. Downsizing has really worked for VW. The small 1.4L engine produces 122PS of power (the next higher one in the series produces 160PS with the same engine size). The power and torque are available whenever you need it. You don't notice any turbo lag on this petrol engine (due to the active super charger at lower RPMs). I have been getting a FE of around 14Kmpl (city + highway) which I feel is pretty ok based on whats promised by VW. Handling Rock solid. Gets the feel that you are driving a sedan with the way it plants on the road. Gears Smooth as butter. Took a while getting used to shifting to the 6th gear. Comfort and space The interiors are really really spacious. A big plus for Golf here. The front seats are really comfortable. Both front seats have lumbar support with a lumbar support adjustment. It isn't really warm here yet. Hence couldn't really test the air conditioning. There are store spaces everywhere..in the dash, under the seats, on the doors. Styling I bought a special edition model called "Team" which had couple of nice additions in series like Park assistant (which automatically parallel parks the car), 16'' alloys (a plain old design), seat heating, multifunction display, multifunction steering wheel etc. Music system RNS 510 with 8 speakers sounds good for the ears and produces decent bass. The integrated navigation is really cool. Finds satellites as soon as you switch it on. The mobile phone integration with bluetooth worked out of the box (without the use of any costly adapters). The car uses it own GSM antenna and uses the SIM on the mobile in my pocket (using rSAP bluetooth protocol). The makes it possible to browse address book and read SMS directly on the screen. Quality You see it everywhere. Its miles ahead of Golf V w.r.t quality. The folks at VW have given attention to detail in all areas. Drawbacks I think the headlamps and foglamps of Polo (left) looks more stylish than the one on Golf (right). There is a little dead spider inside my headlamp. I saw it walking around inside the headlamp a day before and now it is lying dead inside Engine is a bit noisy at cold start. The door has two halting positions. You can keep the door only in these positions. The first position is too small and makes it tough to get in and out of the car. The second position makes the door too wide open and would mostly touch the door of your neighbour in parking spots. It is not easy to close the boot lid by holding on the hooks. Mostly you have to place your hand on the boot lid from outside and press it down again. Plastic looking alloys on special edition
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 09:22	#2
2cents BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: India Posts: 528 Thanked: 596 Times	Let me be the first one to officially express my envy. Man!! I love this metal.
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 09:36	#3
crackingride BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: bangalore Posts: 270 Thanked: 19 Times	Ah, the joys of living in a developed nation! If I can sum it all up in one word~ CHOICE! The likes of which we do not have here in India. A few of us pay the price because the many will not pay for a decent hatch. Congratulations! Das (auto) is sehr gut. The Golf would have been my choice if it was available here in India, too. Since that isnt likely to happen, I pinned my hopes on a decently specced polo. And we are saddled with a cheap clone. I can only envy the fact that you can choose between engines, and also spec. Love the fact that navigation and things work out of the box, and that auto parking is an option. I've seen some videos of that working on You Tube, and its phenomenal.
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 09:54	#4
poloman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,311 Thanked: 5,265 Times	Congrats Nirmal. Excellent Pictures ! But why you had to wait for 3 months for delivery? Do we see such long waiting periods even in developed markets.
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 09:57	#5
quadmaniac BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 430 Thanked: 119 Times	The white Golf looks drool maal .. no two ways about it. And for such an engine I think 14kmpl is really good! Also, that "TEAM" logo reminded me of the "TEAM in the TEAM BHP" sticker!
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 10:42	#6
rejoycjohn BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore / Calicut Posts: 462 Thanked: 864 Times View My Garage	@quadmaniac, Awesome man , be in Germany - own a german car - drive through autobahn - nothing can match that if you are an auto maniac!!! ..Cheers mate on the purchase So how much did this Golf cost you ? Also the prices and specs for our own Polo ? In some of the videos that I have seen , except for the interior trim and some optional packs. Am I right here ? 14kmpl for such a well equipped vehicle sounds decent Congrats again
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 10:46	#7
sureshaddagalla BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 57 Thanked: 5 Times	Loved it! Congratulations!! I wish we had access to such cars in India. I'm starting to like the VW designs even more now. I did like the Vento pictures that came out a few days ago. To my taste, I guess. But it's sad that we'll not be anywhere near the feature levels you get abroad. Regarding polo vs. golf head lights & fog lamps, I agree with you if I look at them in isolation. But I guess the golf ones do fit the overall design better. Enjoy your car!
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 10:51	#8
sajo Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 2,625 Thanked: 1,153 Times	Excellent choice Nirmalts! May I ask why not the diesel? Your explanation of what "internet brokers" do was very informative..Thanks for that! No one can ignore a 28.5 % discount!
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 10:56	#9
extreme_torque Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,377 Thanked: 5,105 Times	Classy looking hatch but we may not see it in India ever because of our obsession with the third box.
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 11:50	#10
kutlee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,141 Thanked: 232 Times View My Garage	nice classy stuff there mate! i think the special edition should have been named 'team bhp' instead of just 'team'. Look at the interiors. Speaks of Europian solidarity. (actually German solid build quality!) Seats look rather nice too.
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 12:00	#11
sidindica Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 4,892 Thanked: 8,116 Times	Congrats nirmalts on becoming the first team-bhpian to become an owner of this Euro bestseller. The quality, design and engineering speaks for itself and that 1.4 twincharger is a dream to drive, isn't it? Some more pics of the golf and polo, please!
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 12:10	#12
joe1980 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Andromeda Posts: 336 Thanked: 155 Times	Congrats Nirmal. The Golf looks really awesome. It looks more sturdy for the size it actually is. One of my colleagues has Golf Plus which to me looks like a tall boy design. But this one in the pic is really awesome. By the way, I live in Bonn. Let's organize for a Team-BHP meetup here in Germany. It is summer time here in Germany.
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 12:36	#13
hiren959 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 344 Thanked: 63 Times	Congrats Nirmal for your new car!! amazing car and the procedure to take delivery from the Factory, I think the most busiest site for car delivery in the world. Lucky enough that you need just a sticker of "BHP" as your car has already "TEAM".
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 13:59	#14
shivapsreddy BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Nuremberg,Germany Posts: 62 Thanked: 0 Times	Congrats Nirmal on your purchase. Wish you happy driving.
	() Thanks

7th June 2010, 17:12	#15
theragingbull Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,601 Thanked: 646 Times View My Garage	Congratulations!! Lovely car and lovely color! The way an owner takes the delivery of a new VW car in Germany is amazing! Do you have more pics of the delivery towers?
	() Thanks