The Volkswagen Golf Over The Years

One of the more common choices which is often requested when people are looking for car hire with Indigo is the Volkswagen Golf. This is probably because it is one of the most popular, reliable and efficient cars that are available.

The VW Golf is Volkswagons best-selling model and has continued to be with over 29 million vehicles built from 1974 to 2012. The design of the Golf from the 1974 Mark 1 to the current day mark 6 Golf, has not particularly changed much over the years apart from the size getting slightly larger each time and the safety and performance of the vehicle being increased when each new model that comes out.

If you look back over the years from the Mark 1 Volkswagen Golf which was released back in 1974, it was a great little car for the time, as the comparable cars of that era were the Austin Allegro, the Ford Fiesta and the Morris Marina. The VW Golf Mark 1 was a breath of fresh air compared to the cars of the day. This was the front wheel drive, front engine car which would be the replacement for the rear engine rear wheel drive VW Beetle, which had been in a state of decline.

By the time the Mark 2 VW Golf came out in 1984, it was clear to see that the wheelbase and the exterior dimensions of the vehicle had increased. The second generation Volkswagon Golf was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in 1983 and was the winner of the WhatCar? Award for Car of the Year in 1985. The Mark 2 was available as a 3 or a 5 door hatchback and had a sister sedan car which was called the VW Jetta.

The third generation of VW Golf was not release in the UK until 1992. This was the first model which had the increased engine size up to the 2.0l. The Golf was the predecessor of the diesel craze that swept through the UK and Europe in the late 1990’s and this is where the introduction of the direct injection system Volkswagen Golf TDi came from in 1993.

The fourth generation of the Golf was launched in October 1997. The Mark 4 had some main rivals to contend with who were offering more or less the same standard of car for a much cheaper price, like the Vauxhall Astra and the Ford Focus. The Mark 4 Golf was a deliberate attempt by VW to take the VW Golf series further upmarket with a higher quality interior and better equipment so that it could compete with the higher end mid-range vehicle of the Audi A3. In 2003 VW announced the release of their high end sports model of the Golf, which was the 3.2l VW Golf V6 R32.

The Mark 5 VW Golf was released in 2003. The interior quality of the 5th generation Golf had dropped a little from the Mark 4 Golf however it is still of a high standard with its comparable vehicles, although it is still not as upmarket as its closest rival the Audi A3.

The 6th generation Volkswagne Golf is the current offering from Volkswagon and was released in 2010 originally. With all of the Golf’s predecessors there were certain things which were additional extras like the air conditioning for example. The Mark 6 was the first of the Golfs’ to have air conditioning as standard. With a wide range of engine sizes from the 1.4 right up to the GTD and the R versions of the vehicles which, generally came with a 2.0l engine.

The Mark 6 Volkswagen Golf was awarded a 5 star by the Euro N Cap crash test agency and is a very safety conscious car with up to 7 airbags as standard and the standard Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) which helps improve the firmness and security of the vehicle when driving.

Having worked in the car rental industry for over 15 years, he really knows his stuff. Rob heads up our marketing department and as a keen traveller, always has a new location to talk about. Particularly if there is a golf course nearby.