Golf V (2003–present)

-------------------------------------











The fifth generation Golf (VW Typ 1K) was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October of 2003 and went on sale in Europe one month later. To commemorate this, Wolfsburg was renamed "Golfsburg" for a week. It reached North American markets in June 2006 rebadged with the revived Rabbit nameplate.[2] Most print ads for the Rabbit show the old badge (a running rabbit) with the phrase "It's back, at $14,990." TV ads show Rabbits chasing after each other with their numbers increasing until they fill the streets of a city, a sort of double entendre on the phrase "multiplying like rabbits".

[edit] Design and engineering
Mark 5 GTI in Rome
Mark 5 GTI in Rome

While the interior quality of the previous model startled rivals and led most of them to up their game in revised/replacement models, the astonishing chassis and all round ability of the Mark 1 Ford Focus startled Volkswagen (and indeed other rivals). In order to counter criticisms of the average dynamics of the previous model, it is widely reputed that Volkswagen poached from Ford the engineering team who designed the multi-link 'control blade' rear suspension system of the Ford Focus, widely regarded as the class benchmark for ride and handling. Indeed, the rear suspension of Golf 5 (a modified wishbone arrangement) bears an uncanny resemblance to that of the Focus.

The suspension changes, along with careful tuning of the chassis, led to the Mark 5 Golf delivering road manners which challenged the Ford Focus, and although the chassis ability was only just short of the Focus', the overall ability of the rest of the car led to the Mark 5 Golf being the best car in its class until the Mark 2 Ford Focus arrived in 2004.
North American Spec 2006 MK5 Golf GTI
North American Spec 2006 MK5 Golf GTI

The bulletproof interior quality of the previous generation appears to have been lost, and although still of a very high standard and ahead of other rivals the Golf no longer matches its in-house rival, the Audi A3. Many believe the reason for this step back in quality, also seen in the Mark 5 Passat of 2005, is to allow daylight between the marketing and price positioning of Audi and Volkswagen products. The previous generation Volkswagens were on a par with their Audi cousins.

The Golf 5 has proven expensive to build - largely due to its uncommonly long 50-hour build time. According to multiple reports in the European press, its replacement is thus likely to be rolled out in 2008, a good two years earlier than originally scheduled. This means that the production run of the U.S. version of the Mark 5, introduced only in 2006 two years after its world debut - is likely to have an uncommonly short production run.

Awards

* 2007 Car and Driver - Among Ten Best of the Year (GTI)
* 2007 Automobile Magazine - Car of the Year (GTI)
* 2005 Auto Express - Best Hot Hatch (Golf GTI)
* 2005 Auto Express - Best Sporting Car (Golf GTI)
* 2004 WhatCar? Car of the Year
* 2004 WhatCar? Best Small Family Car
* 2004 Winner - AutoExpress New Car Honours
* 2004 Best Hatch - BBC Top Gear Magazine Awards

[edit] Engines

Options for engines and transmissions vary from country to country, but the Golf is available with a gasoline 4-cylinder and a new PD diesel unit-injector TDI engine. Transmission options include manual, automatic, Tiptronic, and direct-shift gearbox (DSG).

North American-spec Rabbits will use the same 150 hp 2.5 L five-cylinder gasoline engine that powers the Jetta and New Beetle in these markets. The GTI will come with VW's 2.0L turbo 4 which makes 200HP and 207 lb/torque. North American transmission choices will include a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic for the Rabbit. While North American GTIs receive a 6-Speed manual or 6-speed DSG.

All of the Golf's engines, including the VR6, have the engine mounting points in the same place, making it possible to remove one engine and replace it with another while making few other modifications to the car.

[edit] Mark 5 Jetta
VW Golf Plus
VW Golf Plus

A trunked version of the Mark 5 Golf was spawned in 2004 and, as with previous incarnations of the Golf, it maintained its own identity, a practice long abandoned by most rivals. While the Jetta name has always remained in North America, the name made a return to Europe replacing the Bora name of the previous Golf saloon. The Jetta name was also introduced to Australia with the Mark 5, the Mark 4 Bora being a slow seller there.

As with its predecessor the Jetta featured unique front wings and rear doors, but the front doors were also unique so the only external panel shared with the Golf was the bonnet. As with all Golf saloons, the Jetta featured a unique grille which is only shared with the contemporary Golf R32 (although the GLI variant has the Golf GTI's front end). Unlike all previous saloon variants however, the front lights were now shared with the Golf.

As with the previous Jetta/Bora, Volkswagen is again trying to market the car as a rival to mainstream large family cars, such as the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall/Opel/Holden/Chevrolet Vectra, leaving the Passat to compete against the premium marques. The smaller Jetta, though, is still a Golf saloon whose true rivals are the Ford Focus, Vauxhall/Holden/Opel Astra, etc.

Mark 5 marks the return of the Rabbit name in the United States. Volkswagen has stated that the change in name was due to Golf not being as important in the US and it allows for creative marketing in hope to make the car more competitive. Because of the preference for sedans in the US market, the Jetta outsells the Golf 10 to 1.

Golf Plus 2004-Present




Golf Plus (rear view) 2004-Present




CrossGolf 2006-Present


In December 2004, Volkswagen announced the Golf Plus variant of the Golf 5. It is 9.5 cm taller than the standard Golf, but 15 cm shorter than the other compact MPV of the marque, the seven-seater Touran. The Plus would replace the Variant station wagon in the Golf lineup, although a Variant may yet be released.

There will be no convertible version of the Golf 5, as the Eos coupé convertible (introduced in Spring 2006) will be marketed as a separate model and the New Beetle convertible makes a droptop Golf redundant. The Eos does not share body panels with any other Volkswagen model, although it is based on the Jetta/Golf platform.

At the 2006 Paris Motor Show Volkswagen released the new CrossGolf compact MPV, which is essencially an off-road version of the Golf Plus. It was developed by VW Individual brand which developed the Golf R32 and CrossPolo. The CrossGolf is only available in front-wheel drive configuration (like the CrossPolo) and is powered by two petrol engines 1.6 & 1.4 TSI and two Diesel engines, 1.9 TDI & 2.0 TDI with output ranging from 75 kW / 102 PS to 103 kW / 140 PS.






[edit] Performance models
Mk V GTI with 18" wheels
Mk V GTI with 18" wheels

The Golf 5 GTI is hailed as a return-to-form for the progenitor of the genre. The Golf GTI features a 2.0 litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine with FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection) direct-injection technology, which produces 200 bhp. It is available in both 3-door and 5-door hatchback body shapes, and comes with a choice of either 6-speed manual or a 6-speed DSG gearbox which greatly reduces shift time to only 8ms.[2] The concept GTI was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003. The first production model was initially unveiled at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris in September 2004 and went on sale around the world shortly thereafter. At the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006 the GTI made its long awaited North American debut in 3-door guise (a 5-door variant has since become available), where it is marketed solely under the 'GTI' moniker, with no reference to the Rabbit. The new GTI has a considerable price increase over the previous model, mainly due to the features mentioned above and the fact that the exterior itself had not seen such a dramatic design change in years. The price is further raised due to the fact that it is built in Germany, unlike the MK4 which was built in Brazil. The innovative DSG transmission and the 200bhp engine all helped raise the retail price of the car. The Mark V GTI named Automobile of the Year by Automobile Magazine, in December 2006.

The initial American ad campaign for the GTI featured the "fast", which Volkswagen says is the feeling and force inside you that likes driving and encourages your driving passion, with the tagline "Make friends with your fast". However, recently those ads were replaced with a series of ads starring Peter Stormare as a "German engineer" hired to "un-pimp ze auto" by taking tuner cars and smashing them, giving their owners a GTI instead. The slogan for the campaign is "Pre-tuned by German engineers", however it has been Stormare's lines of "VDub: representing Deutschland!" and "V-Dub: German, engineering, in da haus!", delivered with a stilted German accent and coupled with a "VDub" hand motion, that have popularized the ads.






Golf Mk5 R32 (2006)
Golf Mk5 R32 (2006)

In late September 2005, the Mk5 R32 went on sale in Europe. It features the same 3.2-liter unit fitted to the previous version, but with an extra 10bhp courtesy of a reworked inlet manifold. Maximum power is now 247bhp at 6,300rpm; torque is unchanged at 236lb ft but comes in 300rpm lower down the rev range. It reaches an electronically-governed top speed of 250 km/h (154mph). Going from 0 to 100 km/h will take a brisk 6.5 s, reduced to 6.2 s with the direct-shift gearbox. As with the previous R32; there is 4MOTION all wheel drive through 18" Zolder 20-spoke alloy wheels. Stopping the R32 comes in the form of blue-painted brake calipers with 345 mm discs at the front and 310 mm disks at the rear.

In September 2005, the Golf 5 GT was announced, which featured a choice of either 1.4 L petrol engine in twincharger configuration or a 2.0 liter Turbo Diesel. Both are available as 125 kW (170 PS, 168 bhp) versions; while the diesel also is available as a 140 PS variant in the UK. The 170 PS diesel has 350 Nm (258 lb ft) of torque which is more than the range topping R32. The petrol offering contains the new TSI engine, which is based on the recent FSI, but with a pair of chargers forcing the induction of the air. The chargers are a single supercharger that disengages after a specified rev-range, at which point charging of the air is handled by a single turbocharger. This system could benefit from both of the efficiency of the supercharger in the lower rev ranges, with the longevity of the turbocharger higher in the rev range. This results in no turbo lag, constant power delivery along the rev range, and better fuel efficiency than similarly powered V6 2.4 L due to its small size. Both petrol and diesel versions are also available with DSG (direct-shift gearbox). Performance figures for the petrol vehicle are 0-100km/h (62mph) in 7.0s (6 speed) and 6.8s (DSG) with the diesel taking 8.2s, and both reaching top speed of 220km/h (137mph).

[edit] GTI Edition 30

To mark the GTI's 30th anniversary, Volkswagen produced a limited edition Golf GTI. Changes over the standard model include a modified engine, producing 30bhp more than the standard GTI. Slight changes to the body work include modified spoilers and body colored bumpers, with a return for the golf ball shaped gear stick knob inside. The seats are also decked out in a distinctive leather and Interlagos fabric mix, with red stitching added to the leather-covered steering wheel. Finally, 18-inch 'Pescara' alloy wheels finish off the car's unique features.

[edit] Fahrenheit Edition
GTI Mk5 Fahrenheit Edition (2007)
GTI Mk5 Fahrenheit Edition (2007)

In October 2006, Volkswagen debuted a new Fahrenheit Edition of their GTI and GLI models at the Playboy Mansion. These new models are the first special-edition versions of the GTI and GLI made available in North America, and the first of the new models arrived in dealers in the early spring of 2007. Fahrenheit models of the GTI are distinguished by their Fahrenheit Orange paint job, special Fahrenheit badging, a commemorative plate placed on the steering wheel, body-colored interior pannels, orange stitching on the seats, DSG boot, steering wheel, floor mats, and break handle, as well as special 18-inch "Charleston" wheels that are nearly black in color. Only 1200 Fahrenheit models will be produced in the form of the GTI (1200 more for the GLI). Pricing starts at $27,665 in the United States.

[edit] Safety

In Australia, 1982-2004 Volkswagen Golfs were assessed in the Used Car Safety Ratings 2006.

* (1982-1994) - "worse than average" level of occupant protection
* (1995-1998) - "average"
* (1999-2004) - "significantly better than average"