km : Passing Lane

The Volkswagen Golf has long been the king of high-quality basic transportation, a somewhat oxymoronic category. Its combination of German driving dynamics, real-world features and a high level of overall refinement put it in a class all its own. Throw in a diesel powertrain and you have a highly efficient small car that outright embarrasses other so-called economy cars. For 2010, the Golf received a major update that improves on its legacy, as we recently discovered with this TDI.

With its EPA ratings of 30/42 mpg, the 2010 Golf TDI beats just about everything in its class, plus a good number of hybrids. Better still, Volkswagen’s 2.0-liter, 16-valve turbodiesel churns out 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, making it feel more like the world’s smallest V8 than a typical four-cylinder. It makes torque down low and provides a confident off-the-line push without the drama of your typical econobox. Passing power is similarly effortless and quiet, like a V8, and that’s why we love the TDI so much.

We also love the Golf’s new look. Compared to the jelly bean costume worn by the outgoing Rabbit and current Jetta (except the 2010 Sportwagen, which gets the new Golf face) the sixth-generation car has taut, modern lines and a simple but aggressive face we think will end up being billed a timeless design. With a grille and taillights both stretched horizontally, the Golf looks wider and lower (even though it isn’t) and more Golf-like overall. Inside, new materials and a revised dash and instrument cluster ensure the car will have a class-best interior for years to come. The sport seats, now standard in the Golf TDI, are supportive and we love that VW has seen fit to equip them with seat heaters even with cloth upholstery.

For the last year we’ve been driving a 2009 Jetta TDI with a DSG transmission that was abrupt and jerky from a stop and at low speeds, and while this Golf’s transmission was much smoother, the automated clutch does seem to struggle with smooth diesel launches more than it does with VW’s gasoline engine cars. If you’re not intimidated by the thought of driving a manual transmission car every day (welcome to the minority), we’d recommend going that route and saving a little cash while getting the opportunity to control your own soft-launch destiny.

Yes, the latest diesel Golf is better than ever and is, in many ways, all the car most people would ever truly need. But it still leaves us cold in a few ways, both literally and figuratively. In the dead of winter, it really is just a cold place to live, as the heat-efficient diesel engine takes forever to start pumping warmth into the cabin, and at really cold temperatures, the engine itself seems noticeably down on power for the first few minutes. BMW puts an auxiliary electric heater in its 335d, and you’d think Volkswagen could do the same for not too much money — we have a space heater in our office that works quite well, and it only cost us 20 bucks.

Beyond that, the 2010 Golf TDI frustrates us for its confounding packaging, specifically the decision to load the TDI model up with high-end content and set the base price at $21,990. Our car, with DSG, Cold Weather Package, Navigation, Dynaudio, and a sunroof, breaks the bank at $27,490. That’s a two-door Golf for Passat CC money. A diesel for GTI cash. As our car sat, we felt like it would be a great car at $22,000, and that the base TDI should start somewhere around $18,000.

Volkwagen is trying to push the sporty message with TDIs to improve diesel’s image, giving the base car a sport suspension, sport seats, and big alloy wheels. But is that what diesel types really want? We’re willing to bet they’d snag quite a few more customers if they offered steel wheels and a little less standard equipment. Of course, the inconvenient truth is that diesel power is expensive, and building the Golf in Germany makes it even more so; the only way to bury those expenses is to equip it upwards. Perhaps VW’s cost structures will improve and they can afford to offer a decontented model for 2011. As long as we’re dreaming, maybe they’ll find a way to include an auxiliary heater.

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