VW: Teed off

The latest VW Golf lacks street appeal but wins points for its diesel engine. Photo / Jacqui Madelin

Thi sixth-gen Golf may have the sexy Scirocco face, but its side view is a little less thrilling. It blended almost too well among the serried grey family runabouts in the supermarket carpark.

Yet this car is a quiet achiever. It's packed to the gunwales with kit, while the 2-litre common rail diesel engine is impressive. Not only does it deliver a decent wallop of torque, but a particulate filter cuts nasty tailpipe emissions off at the pass, and it's frugal too.

Fuel claims are notoriously difficult to achieve in real life, given few owners boast a driving pattern that mimics a standardised laboratory test. My own daily commute is more demanding than most, yet the car's average thirst hovered at 5.5l/100km - just 0.1 above VW's claim.

Hybrids may point the way to a fuel-frugal future, but conventional powerplants are more than bridging the gap - assisted by modern transmissions. This car gets a six-speed DSG double-clutch set-up that's quick and efficient, if as uninvolving as the rest of the car.

Fortunately, there's more to this Golf than its engine and gearbox.

Or its handling, which is competent rather than sparkling, though it does deliver a compliant ride over even our bumpier B-roads.

To be fair, few buyers will seek to explore the edge of Golf's sensible German envelope. Though keen drivers may not apply, their more restrained counterparts will be very happy.

The cabin boasts typical VW design restraint, and decent fit and finish. The ergonomics are excellent, assisted by fingertip-operated cruise control and steering wheel-mounted buttons for trip computer and main radio features. The car gets stability control and ABS brakes as standard, active front head restraints and seven airbags, all part of its five-star crash test rating.

It crosses every "t" in terms of comfort and convenience, too.

Apart from the stuff you expect from a car at this $48,790 price level there's a cooled glovebox, a luggage net, a plethora of bag hooks and even an underseat storage tray to tuck your wallet out of sight when you head off for that walk. And nice details abound - such as the boot badge, which swivels and becomes the boot catch.

But it's not all good news. The roomy 350-litre boot is compromised if you fit a child seat with tether strap, cutting across some of that volume.

No doubt VW expects buyers will go for the best and therefore buy ISOFIX seats, but would it hurt to have put those clip mountings in the rear seatbacks?

Still, this diesel Golf is smart, if a touch innocuous; and grunty enough to please most people, most of the time.

Shame it's a bit boring and a tad pricey but you can't have it all - though you will get most of it more affordably when the smaller 1.6-litre diesel arrives in October.

VW GOLF:

We like
Attention to detail, punchy yet frugal diesel engine

We don't like
The price, boot space is compromised if child seat has tether strap

Powertrain
2.0-litre common rail turbo diesel, 103kW at 4200rpm, 320Nm at 1750-2500rpm, six-speed DSG transmission drives front wheels

Performance
0-100 fuel, 0-100km/h in 9.3 seconds, 5.4l/100km claimed, 5.5 achieved

Safety
ESP, ABS, seven airbags

What it's got
Climate air, cruise control, diesel particulate filter, cooled glovebox, hillhold, MP3/aux port

Vital stats
4199mm long, 350-litre boot, 55-litre fuel tank