What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

80 April 2020 whatcar.com

USED

CAR

FINAL

REPORT

AudiA3

OurUsedCarof

theYearis greatto

driveandsupremely

classyinside.

SkodaOctavia

More practical

than the Golf and

cheaper to buy, but

not quite as rened.

RIVALS

Volkswagen Golf 1.5TSIEvo 130 Match

Ourusedfamily hatchback hasprovedto benotonly

a neall-rounderbut also pleasinglycheap torun

OUR CARS

MYVOLKSWAGENGOLFhasgoneandI’m

feeling a little bereft.

You see, although we get to drive a

lot of cars in this profession, from the

decidedly humdrum to the spine-tinglingly

exotic, it’s rare to find one that’s such a

competent all-rounder, so pleasant to ride in

and so easy on the pocket that you begin to

wonder how you ever lived without it. That,

though, is exactly how I came to feel about

this smart family hatchback.

The Golf doesn’t flex its muscles

ostentatiously like a BMW 1 Series, do glam

like an Audi A3 or Mercedes-Benz A-Class, or

offer unbelievable space for a bargain price like

a Skoda Octavia. What it gives you instead is a

combination of extremely useful abilities in

milesontheclockanda£3000savingonwhat

itwouldhavecostnew.Itleftfourmonthsand

3000 trouble-freemileslaterwithanegligible

furtherdropinitsvalue.

Whywasitsoimpressive?Forstarters,

thedrivingpositionwasfirstclassandthe

interiorsimple,straightforwardandneatly

finished,withlogicallyplacedcontrols.Indeed,

IprefermyGolf’sinfotainmentsetup,withits

combinationoftouchscreenandniceold-

fashionedrotarydialsfortheair-con,tothe

new Mk8 Golf’s touch-only affair. Visibility

was excellent, too, and all who travelled in it,

with the exception of the very tallest rear seat

passengers, were comfortable.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine was

smooth and refined, albeit slightly asthmatic

at low revs, and the six-speed manual gearbox

was a delight to use. The car steered nicely,

handled well and rode wonderfully on all but

the most broken back roads.

My Match edition was decently equipped,

too, and the car I chose came with a healthy

list of options, including heated front seats

(which worked with a pleasing rapidity),

a rear-view camera (for which I gave daily

thanks) and keyless entry and start, which was

adelightfullyclassyandtastefullyrestrained

packageyou’dbehappytotakeanywhere.

Mycarwasn’teventhelatest,high-tech,all-

singinganddancingMk8Golf,butanearlynew

version of the superseded Mk7.5, with 2000

Golf rides, handles and steers in a slick, assured manner, while it stands up to scrutiny in almost any company, thanks to its smart, user-friendly interior and timeless looks

Mark Pearson

[email protected]