The Volkswagen Golf is a compact car produced since 1974 in eight generations and more than 37 million units, making it Volkswagen’s bestseller and the third best-selling car of all time. The first Golf was a front-engined, front-wheel-drive replacement for the air-cooled, rear-engined Beetle, and the model has been sold as the Rabbit in the United States and Canada and as the Caribe in Mexico. Its family includes the GTI, the Cabriolet, the Variant estate and the Jetta saloon.
Volkswagen Golf at a glance
| Maker | Volkswagen, Wolfsburg |
|---|---|
| Production | since 1974, eight generations |
| Total sold | over 37 million |
| Other names | Rabbit in the United States and Canada; Caribe in Mexico |
| Body styles | three- and five-door hatchback, Variant estate, Cabriolet |
| First generation | Mk1, May 1974, front-wheel drive |
| GTI | introduced in June 1976 with a 1.6-litre injection engine, 180 km/h |
| Estate | Variant, from September 1993 |
| Cabriolet | from January 1980 to 1994, then a Mk3-based version to 2002 |
| Awards | European Car of the Year 1992 and 2013; World Car of the Year 2009 and 2013 |
| Best-selling car in Europe | Mk4, in 2001 |
| Range | from economy models to the 3.2-litre VR6 R32 |
History of the Volkswagen Golf
In May 1974 Volkswagen presented the first-generation Golf as a modern front-wheel-drive replacement for the Beetle. The range quickly grew: the Golf GTI arrived in June 1976 with a fuel-injected 1.6-litre engine and a top speed of 180 km/h, a diesel version followed in September 1976, the Jetta notchback in October 1979, the Golf Cabriolet in January 1980 and a Golf-based van and pickup, the Caddy. The Mk1 was sold as the Rabbit in the United States and Canada and as the Caribe in Mexico, and a facelifted version was built in South Africa as the Citi Golf from 1984 to 2009.
The second generation arrived in September 1983, slightly larger in wheelbase, exterior and interior but keeping the Mk1 look in a more rounded form; the Mk2 GTI had a 1.8-litre eight-valve engine from launch and a 16-valve version capable of more than 220 km/h from 1985. In 1985 the first four-wheel-drive Golfs went on sale as the Golf Syncro, the same system being used on the supercharged G60 of 1989 with 120 kW and anti-lock brakes. There was no Mk2 cabriolet: the Mk1 Cabriolet stayed in production through the whole of the Mk2’s life. The Mk3 of August 1991 brought the first TDI diesel in a Golf and a narrow-angle 2.8-litre VR6, and in September 1993 the first Golf estate, the Variant; a new Cabriolet on the Mk3 platform ran from 1995 to 1999 and, with an Mk4-style facelift, to 2002. The Mk3 was European Car of the Year for 1992. The Mk4 followed in August 1997 with the Bora saloon in August 1998, the Variant in March 1999 and high-performance models including the four-wheel-drive Golf R32 with the 3.2-litre VR6.
The Golf has won the World Car of the Year award in 2009 with the Mk6 and in 2013 with the Mk7, and along with the Renault Clio and the Vauxhall Astra it is one of only three cars to have won European Car of the Year twice, in 1992 and 2013. It has appeared many times on the Car and Driver 10Best list, the Mk7 was Motor Trend Car of the Year in 2015, the Mk1 GTI took the same award in 1985 and the Mk4 was the best-selling car in Europe in 2001. The range has always stretched from economy models to high-performance versions, and the Golf has been built in hatchback, estate, convertible and saloon forms under several nameplates.
Design and features
- Front-wheel drive: the layout that replaced the Beetle’s rear engine in 1974.
- GTI: the 1976 hot hatch with a fuel-injected 1.6-litre engine and 180 km/h.
- Eight generations: more than 37 million cars, the third best-selling model of all time.
- Syncro and R32: four-wheel drive appeared in 1985 and returned in the 3.2-litre R32.
- Awards: European Car of the Year in 1992 and 2013, World Car of the Year in 2009 and 2013.
Volkswagen Golf versions
- Golf GTI (1976): the sporting hatchback that started the line.
- Golf Diesel (1976) and GTD: the diesel versions, with the first Golf TDI in 1991.
- Golf Cabriolet (1980–2002): open versions on Mk1 and Mk3 platforms.
- Golf Variant (1993): the estate.
- Golf Syncro (1985) and G60 (1989): four-wheel drive and the supercharged model.
- Golf R32 (Mk4): the 3.2-litre VR6 with four-wheel drive.
The Golf replaced the Beetle and spawned the Jetta saloon and the Caddy van and pickup. More cars are in the Volkswagen collection.
Video: 2015 Volkswagen Golf – Review and Road Test
Video by Kelley Blue Book on YouTube.
Sources
- Volkswagen Golf, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, variants, awards, sales
