AutoCultureIndia

Hello and welcome back to another article. Today I want to talk to you about the evolution of a car that’s been sold over 35 million times, I am of course talking about the ‘Volkswagen Golf‘. Now before we dive in, did you know that the name “Golf” actually derives from the word Golf as in the Gulf Stream. You did?? Oh okay Cool…

The year is 1974 and the Beetle needs a successor enter stage left the VW Golf that’s styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, And that takes all the Beetle ingredients tears them up and Chuck’s them in the Skip Rear-Engined, Rear-Wheel drive becomes Front-Engine, Front-Wheel-Drive, Air-Cooled evolves into Water-Cooled and round, soft lines transform into hard angles because boxy is beautiful outside the Sea. Pillars are upright, The Headlights protrude downwards and the grille is made to be horizontal and slim a feature that still remains to this day under the bonnet engine choices range from 1.1 liter petrol’s to the 1.6 liter GTI and the later 1.8 liter 112 horsepower GTI with the option of naturally aspirated diesels and the range-topping GTD that features a Garrett turbocharger to produce 70 horsepower and 96 pounds foot of torque. The Mark 1 (Mk1) takes the world by storm selling 6.99 million cars worldwide and putting the Golf name at center stage.

In 1983, the New king is born, the Second-Generation Golf follows VW’s mantra of the Golf, A Golf meaning that when you put both cars next to each other and squint a bit you think they’re the same car. The golf’s new design cues are subtle and include taillights that are higher up. A slightly more rounded body and bigger dimensions overall, In fact compared to a similar Mark 1 the Mark 2 is now around 120 kilograms heavier while also being more aerodynamic and better to drive in every aspect. The technology is better – with ABS, a Power Steering , a Catalytic converter and an all-wheel-drive version called the Synchro becoming available, oh my god the synchro!!! Don’t get me started on that. Under the bonnet VW spices the engine lineup with a 140 horsepower 16-valve GTI as well as a Supercharged G60, that pumps out 210 horsepower and 186 pounds foot of torque. 6.3 million Mark 2’s are sold and in 1991 VW was about to launch the Mark 3 golf.

VW steps away from hard lines and angular cuts opting instead for curves and round edges. This was after all the 90s where everybody but me had a tamagotchi and when the Backstreet Boys were still cool. The point is, people wanted new design trends and the mark 3 did exactly that by dragging the boxy but beautiful golf out of the 80s and into a new and exciting decade as well as it’s soft new exterior. The car is also considerably safer!! Bigger is available for the first time as an estate and can suddenly be optioned with a multicolored body because 90s gets real – along with a 150 horsepower 2-liter GTI, Volkswagen fits the golf with a new Six-cylinder VR6 that produces up to 190 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. 4.8 million mark 3’s are sold worldwide before handing the torch to the Mark 4 in 1997.

VW releases what will soon become the best-selling car in Europe compared with its predecessors. The fourth-generation golf is suddenly way more upmarket with better interiors and higher equipment levels. It’s so good, in fact that the Pope is one and he should know a thing or two about cars because he used to be a motoring journalist not many people know that, anyway this is also the first time reproduction golf is able to hit the 250 km/h mark, thanks to the 3.2 liter R32 that comes to market with 240 horsepower and 236 pound foot of torque. In terms of its design the Mark 4 is another subtle golf evolution with its steep rear, strong C pillar and long roof while under the bonnet buyers are given no fewer than 24 engine options from small run-of-the-mill petrols all the way through to the 155 mile an hour R32 and diesel motors with up to 150 horsepower.

By 2003, the golf is in its fifth generation. Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink and Lil Kim release Lady marmalade. The world now craves excitement and sex appeal from the car industry and VW answers with a more athletic front-end and for the first time, a bonnet that follows the contours of the headlights underneath this sporty new body. The golf gets Four-link rear suspension, Extensive chassis tuning and the option of a 7-speed DSG for the first time in a GTI. The 2-liter GTI engine now produces almost 200 horsepower making it one of the most capable hot hatches around, while the addition 30PS that’s a nearly 230 horsepower. Meanwhile the R32 6-cylinder is turned up to 250 horsepower making it the fastest golf in the range. Then there came this car,

The car took just eight weeks to build and would hit 0 to 62 miles an hour in 3.7 seconds and had a Top speed of 201 miles an hour and while it weld the world, the GTI W12 650 was only ever a concept car and not relevant to this story I just wanted to tell you about it because it’s so cool….

With the Sixth-generation in 2008, the Golf becomes the world car of the year. It’s now smashing it for safety with its First 5-star Euro NCAP rating and although it’s billed as a new generation, it’s more of a re-engineered facelift of the Mark-5. In 2009 engine downsizing means that the 3.2 liter R32 is replaced by the 2 liter Golf R and despite only Four Cylinders, it pumps out 270 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque and has an 0 to 62 MPH time of 5.5 seconds. In 2012 the Golf evolution goes into overdrive, it becomes the first car to be based on the MQB platform, a platform shared with the Audi A3, SEAT Leon and Skoda Octavia, meaning that the Front wheels are shifted forward to considerably reduce the front overhang, the golf is now 100 kilograms lighter and up to 23% more efficient and features a new digital display as seen in luxury vehicles.

In 2014, the New E-Golf becomes the First electric model in its class and shortly after the GTE plug-in hybrid is launched – but the really big news comes in 2016 with the introduction of the New GTI Clubsport S, that sets a new Nurburgring lap record for a Front-Wheel drive production car at 7:49:21 lap is a full 1.4 seconds faster than a Civic Type R leaving the Japanese mega hatch in the corner with a bloody nose. With 6 million Mark 7’s having left the assembly line.

The all-new Eighth generation is revealed in late 2019 and here we are, the present day with the All-New Eighth generation golf, its lost its sharp looks, yes. But the real excitement happens inside because this is a car designed for Millennials with super smart horizontal lines and a sexy digital cockpit. The point here is the Golf Mk 8’s new tech which includes Lane Assist, GPS guided Adaptive Cruise Control as well as a larger range of Hybrid powertrains. The GTI was launched later in the year and The Golf R with 330 horsepower and Manual gearboxes were on the agenda too and despite VW making a big deal about the electrification of the Golf, the Mk8 diesel is not dead. A 2-liter TDI will be available in two states of tune, 108 and 148 horsepower with the GTD arriving at a later date. And there you have it, the evolution of the Volkswagen Golf from the bite sized runabout of the 1970s to the tech fest, that is a brand New Golf Mk8.

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