When it comes to functionality, if there’s one car that can compare to the Porsche 911 over the past four decades, it can only be the Volkswagen Golf.
In a way, this comparison seems a bit odd as the Porsche 911 is often referred to as the “elegant beetle,” while recently, the VW Group, with its long history associated with the Porsche name, has also acquired the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer.
You can’t imagine how different two cars can be when one is a 2+2 sports car with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and a six-cylinder engine using a flat-six layout at the rear, while the other is a compact hatchback produced for the masses with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Although each generation of the car has seen some changes, both models share a common point: they have chosen a path of cautious improvement rather than revolution, defining the corresponding market segment for each model and being seen as the default choice for customers with standards that all new cars are based on to compare.
Although VW has never officially numbered each generation of the car, the public and journalists began to observe and conventionally assign designations for the Golf models such as Mk1, 2… With 29.13 million units sold as of the end of July this year, the car manufacturer in Wolfsburg has finally adopted an “official” numbering system following the launch of the seventh generation.
Here is a summary of the Golf’s history over the past four decades.
Golf Mk1 (A1/Typ 17, 1974-1983)
It took a very long time for VW to launch a replacement campaign for the old Beetle produced since World War II. When carrying out this campaign, the company used the experience of the Auto Union carmakers with the four-wheel-drive Audi, while also being willing to invest a lot of money to hire the famous Italian designer Giorgio Giugiaro in order to create a different style for the car.
The result is a simple, compact design that is quite comfortable. In most markets, this car is called the Golf, only in the US and the Caribbean in Mexico is it called the Rabbit. The car started rolling off the assembly line in March 1974.
The figures show that this is a record-breaking best-selling car, with over one million units sold on the market by October 1976. This is also the year VW introduced the first-generation GTI, the 108HP (110PS) 1.6-liter Golf GTI (although the Renault 5 Alpine appeared earlier, it didn’t leave a similar impression).
Being sold on all continents worldwide, the MK1 Golf and its variants like the Jetta saloon and Cabriolet achieved impressive sales records of up to 6.72 million units.
Golf Mk2 (A2/Typ 19E, 1983-1991)
The replacement car design for the best-selling Beetle was indeed a very difficult task. The successful replacement of the MK1 Golf on the market showed that this was a significant challenge. Essentially, VW retained the original design but decided to create a second generation with significantly larger dimensions.
Compared to the original version, the new Golf is longer by 170 mm and wider by 55 mm, while the wheelbase is extended by 75 mm, and the front and rear track widths are increased by 23 and 50 mm respectively.
MK2 introduced many features for the compact car, such as the catalytic converter in 1984, ABS in 1986, and in the same year, it introduced power steering and four-wheel drive.
A year earlier, the total sales of Golf models from 1974 had broken the record of 10 million units, with the Mk2 model selling 6.41 million units during the period of this model.
Figures also show that VW had previously revealed electric cars and hybrid cars since 1989.
Golf Mk3 (A3/Typ 1H, 1991-1997)
In August 1991, VW announced the third generation of the Golf C-segment cars. The MK3 Golf has a rounder body and, although it still retains the wheelbase of the Mk2, this model has slightly increased in size, exceeding 4m (4074 mm).
The engine power of the GTI also increased to a 2.0-liter. The 8-valve version was quite neutral due to the maximum power output only reaching 13 horsepower, although the next version, the 148-horsepower, 16-valve, and 2.8-2.9-liter narrow-angle VR6 engine resolved this issue.
VW was confident that the MK3 had many new improvements, such as side airbags, direct fuel injection engines, ABS, and standard power steering.
Furthermore, a new Cabriolet played a leading role until 2002 when it was replaced by the soft-top version of the new Beetle.
The fourth-generation Golf also won the Car of the Year award in Europe in 1992, and after six years of production, it sold 4.96 million units.
Golf Mk4 (A4/Typ 1J, 1997-2003)
However, the third-generation did not satisfy the company’s bosses and the head of the design department, Harum Warkuss, decided to make some design improvements for future models.
Once again, the car’s dimensions were increased, with the length being extended to nearly 4.2m, while its platform remained the backbone for the A3 Audi, Seat Leon, and Skoda Octavia models.
The highlight of the fourth-generation model lies in the quality of the car’s interior, which is no less luxurious than larger or more expensive cars.
The MK4 Golf is the first Golf model with an all-galvanized body with satellite navigation and xenon headlights. The Haldex 4-wheel drive system on the car has been used by most car manufacturers and is still being used today.
The fourth-generation model also introduced new features such as electronic stability control, roof airbags, direct injection engines, six-speed manual transmissions, and the first dual-clutch transmission (DSG). The GTI is equipped with a 20-valve 1.8-liter turbocharged engine.
With 4.92 million units sold, this model was replaced after only four years of production.
Golf Mk5 (A5/Typ 1K, 2003-2009)
With the fifth-generation model, VW aimed to improve the handling characteristics of the car, which, at the time, were considered far behind similar features on the leading Ford Focus.
The new MQB platform is 35% stiffer than the previous one, and more importantly, the rear beam axle is replaced by a multi-link suspension system, which is the key point that elevates this model to be on par with its competing rivals.
The MK5 is associated with the first turbocharged direct-injection 197hp (200PS) 2.0-liter TSI engine and, for the first time in the world, a mass-produced twincharged engine, combining a supercharger for low-end torque and a turbocharger for maximum output. Bi-xenon headlights, rain sensors, a panoramic sunroof, and a new 7-speed DSG transmission have also been integrated into this model.
The Golf Plus compact MPV had sold more than 3.27 million units by the end of 2009.
Golf Mk6 (A6/Typ 5K, 2008-2012)
Introduced to the public at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the sixth-generation Golf won the Car of the Year award in Europe in 2009. This was a well-deserved reward for the fifth-generation car that was redesigned by talented designer Walter da Silva.
VW redesigned the interior to address criticism that the perceived quality of the MK5 had decreased compared to the MK4, while the laser-welded body received a top 5-star rating for crash testing from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP).
VW redesigned the interior to address criticism that the perceived quality of the MK5 had decreased compared to the MK4, while the laser-welded body received a 5-star rating for crash testing from Euro NCAP.
Until now, this was the shortest-lived Golf model, as it was replaced after only 4 years of production.
Golf Mk7 (2012-)
Last Tuesday night, Volkswagen unveiled the seventh-generation Golf series in Berlin ahead of the Paris Motor Show on September 27th. The product will be available in Europe in November and will roll out to other regions worldwide next year.
One of the highlights of this model is the new MQB platform and the 84 horsepower TSI 1.4-liter engine that achieves a fuel consumption of 4.9 liters/100km, using an active cylinder management technology that can shut down two cylinders of the engine, lightweight design up to 100 kg lighter than the previous model despite being larger in size.
The new Golf also introduces some new features such as XDS electronic differential lock as standard on all models (this lock has already appeared on the previous-generation Golf GTI), a multi-collision brake system, automatic parking assist, and a touch screen infotainment system.
Thanh Van (TTTĐ)
The Volkswagen Golf – More Than 40 Years of Excellence
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