Everyone’s friend with teething problems
The times when the Volkswagen Golf dominates sales lists are behind us. Even from its own home, the new, eighth generation has to deal with stiff competition. Little brother Polo and ‘electric Golf’ ID3 saw on his chair legs. Does the Golf no longer meet what consumers want or is it just not that good anymore? Owners of the Volkswagen Golf 8 share their experiences.
Trump cards that the Golf plays strongly as always are space and comfort for all passengers, the silence on board is also appreciated. Volkswagen seems to have paid extra attention to the front seats. “The seat is great, even better than the ErgoActive seat from my previous Golf 7.5. The seat surface can be extended more than in the other Golf, which is very nice because I am quite tall.”
Operation Golf 8
The Volkswagen Golf 8 is more digital than a Golf ever was. For example, you search in vain for a traditional set of instruments and the amount of buttons has been reduced to a minimum. Instead, there are a number of touch-sensitive areas below the central touchscreen. This allows volume and temperature to be controlled with the swipe of a finger. Not always handy, according to a number of owners. One of them has found a workaround. “There are more convenient ways to change the temperature. For example, via the ‘clima’ button on the button island around the hazard light button. If you press it, you immediately get the stove settings on the multimedia screen.”
Not every user experiences problems with the touch controls. “Setting the temperature via the touch bar under the screen works fine. The steering wheel with the touch buttons also works quite nicely. I got used to it very quickly and I don’t miss the physical buttons on the steering wheel myself.”
Infotainment malfunctions
The operation therefore seems mainly a matter of getting used to. That does not include slowness and glitches that users complain about. They experience connection problems with Apple CarPlay and struggle with slow response or even failure of the central screen. Users who report such issues will report back after a number of updates. After the system has been updated, sometimes via an “over-the-air update”, both the speed and stability of the system have increased. In Golf 8 models from 2022, improved hardware with faster chips will be used.
Drive and features
When it comes to driving, the Golf 8 surprises no one, it turns out to be everyone’s friend again. “The chassis is sporty enough for me. The car is good enough in the corners, it is of course not a sports car,” writes an owner of his 150 hp 1.5 eTSI.
The Golf 8 R is a sports car, which managed to tempt one reviewer to trade in his Golf 7 R. “What is striking is the feeling of slightly tighter steering and the calmness in the car during normal use/driving.” Hard driving is certainly possible with 320 hp under the hood, but not necessarily necessary. “With all that luxury on board, it is a pleasure to drive and if you feel like it, it also goes like the fire brigade. If not, you quietly zip along with the traffic.”
Do you own a Volkswagen Golf 8 and would you like to share your experiences with readers of AutoWeek.nl? Then write a review!
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