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Thursday, November 10, 2011

The new Edition R Golf adds a few fancy-Dan styling elements and upper-end specification titbits to a well-known, well-regarded package that is well-supported by the buying public.

But then, what is wrong with that?

Outside of the normal specification trims available (trendline, comfortline and highline in the case of the Golf), the Edition R adds a dimension to the range by affording buyers the option of giving their car individuality.

Volkswagen has not gone down the road trodden by Mini and Fiat (with the 500), whereby every car they sell is ‘built to order’ on the basis of the options available to every buyer; but the Edition R offers an element of individuality not previously on offer with the Golf.

Modern manufacturing techniques allow cars to be personalised like never before, and when you go to a garage to order a car the level of specification and trim available is almost bewildering.

Long gone are the days when Henry Ford told customers they could order their new car ‘in any colour as long as it’s black.’

The R-Line Golf is slightly different to the Mini and the Fiat 500 in that it is a package and while some elements can be added or dropped, you are, in effect, buying a comprehensively upgraded version of what the company previously offered.

For example, the Edition R comes with a bumper design specific to this car, a colour-coded rear spoiler, a black radiator grille and diffuser and (don’t choke with excitement here) special R-Line badges.

This comes at a price.

But with all its added kit, the Edition R comes in at around €600 cheaper than the equivalent highline version and has a considerably better standard spec than the comfortline, while costing just €500 more than that model.

It can all be a little bit confusing to the uninitiated but Volkswagen says there is value to be had here and it is hard to disagree with them.

In the case of the 1.6-litre TDI five-door Edition R, which we recently tested, the added specification includes 16-inch pescara alloy wheels, electric windows and door mirrors, ‘climatic’ air conditioning, day-time running lights, an RCD 510 radio system with MP3 replay function and a six-CD changer system, hill-hold control, ESP, cruise control, ‘comfort’ front seats with lumbar support, Bluetooth preparation and a multi-function computer display.

The only extra on the test car was the reflex silver colour option, which added €537 to the cost.

All of that, you’d have to say, gives this Golf more pizzazz than regular VW customers are used to, and when you consider that this legendary machine is still the one to beat in the small, family hatchback market, then there is much to consider here for many people.

So all this is really about equipment levels, because everything else about the car is pretty much well-known already; the Golf is one of the standard bearers in its class in terms of ride and handling, as well as build quality. It also is fitted with an excellent turbodiesel engine, in this case the 77 kW (105 bhp) unit with a five-speed gearbox.

There is some 250 Nm of torque available between 1,500 and 2,500 rpm and all that translates into a 190 kph top speed and an 11.3-second, 0-100 kph capability.

The Golf will return some 4.7 l/100 km (that’s 60.1 mpg) and fits into tax band A, which means that — until the budget, at least — annual road tax only costs €104.

In any normal guise — such as this one — the Golf is not a car for tearaway tarmac shredders or show-offs, rather it is an everyday car for everyday people.

But, added to that, it boasts top-line quality in every department and blends that with understated efficiency.

It is a very practical machine — as you would expect any Golf to be — and goes about its business with an air of clinical capability.

It will hold five adults relatively comfortably and it will also swallow their luggage without difficulty.

It drives beautifully — although, for the more enthusiastic driver, it is critical to keep the engine spinning in its sweet spot for the best results — looks really good and holds its value like few others.

There may well be an argument to be made that the Edition R is merely a bit of cosmetic icing on an already tasty cake, but there you have it.

If it adds to the appeal and sales potential of the car, then I am sure neither Volkswagen nor its customers will have too many complaints.