We’re just a couple of weeks away from the official unveil of the 8th-generation Volkswagen Golf, set to take place in the brand’s headquarters in Wolfsburg on October 24th. At this stage, the world has already treated itself to an inordinately high number of spy photos of the Mk8 hatch - some revealing of its final design, some less so.
Being a Golf, and with being a product of VW, we’d naturally expect some evolutionary step forward rather than being thoroughly surprised by any radical change. Volkswagen, meanwhile, would prefer if we were hyped up as possible at the risk of being disappointed by now ‘normal’ it might (very likely) turn out to be.
Volkswagen insists that the all-new Golf will feature "more digitalisation and connectivity than ever before”, but of course it will. Judging by the teaser of its cabin, the car will adopt a more minimal dashboard with the bulk of its trim used as a means to house the climate control vents that run most of the car’s interior width.
It’s similar in philosophy to what has been adopted quite widely by Audi, which is no surprise. HVAC and infotainment duties have been a seemingly outsourced in full to a buttonless angled display which integrates into the fully digital instrument cluster - think of it as the next-generation of Volkswagen’s Active Info Display.
In terms of its styling, the sole computer generated render published by Volkswagen does seem like a bit of an exaggeration in terms of its proportions. However, we are confident that the finished car will sport alloys of a similar design, at least in R-Design trim, perhaps even wearing 225/35 Pirelli P Zeros as shown. Why not a set of Continentals?
The automaker does also insist that their newest Golf will indeed be markedly sportier to drive and to look at, even before more performance-oriented variants such as at the GTI and R start to surface. VW’s defines its aesthetics as “highly expressive”, which is unfathomable PR speak.
In terms of what will power the Golf Mk8, there will be a larger emphasis on hybrids and particularly with mild hybrids armed with a 48V architecture and a starter motor/generator combo. However, it will otherwise be a range of carry-over motors that litter the car’s ensemble of combustion engines, comprising of three- or four-cylinder turbocharged petrol TSI and diesel TDI varieties.
We’ll have plenty more to come as VW no doubt continues their stream of teasers and previews as the big reveal date nears and even more as the car itself its officially premiered on its way to a slated December 2019 on-sale date.
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