For The lower suspension set-up and slightly larger wheels give slightly more sporty responses. It also has plusher interior trim and sports seats, and this engine is no less refined than the weaker diesels.
Against The Match has a more supple ride. You'll need a high mileage to recoup the extra cost of the diesel engine in lower fuel bills, while the 140 engine is dearer to insure than the 110.
If you like this engine-chassis combination, it probably works best as a three-door, because it has the matching sporty looks. Nothing wrong with it, though, apart from a slightly firmer ride.
The Golf is all the car most families will ever need. There are rivals with more prestigious badges, larger cabins, punchier engines or lower prices, but if we had to pick one model to cope with everything a family is likely to ask of a car, it would be a Golf.
Yes, it couldn't look more conservative if it wore a blue rosette, but buyers still love it. It’s class-leading in many areas, and there isn’t a thing that it does badly.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t big discounts to be had, though. Haggle hard, and you’ll get four figures off almost any version, and because the Golf’s residual values are so strong, you’ll get plenty of money back at resale time.
We’d avoid the smallest petrol engine because it’s a bit weak, but all the rest make a strong case for themselves. Our favourite is the 1.4TSI petrol, which is our reigning Small Family Car of the Year,. The Bluemotion model, meanwhile, is our Green Small Family Car of the Year.
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