The Volkswagen Golf 1.4TSI Test Drive and Delusions of Grandeur

The one major problem I see that is caused by the artificial and slightly high car prices in Malaysia is that people think the car they bought is manna from heaven or as I stated earlier their car is a golden chalice from heaven. Some also think that their RM100,000 to160,000 car is a super-duper luxurious status symbol of a car. I see this problem in many owners of cars that cost a tad bit more than the usual below RM100,000 bread and butter models. Yes they work hard to pay their monthly car installments and all that but it is the fact that we are paying so much duty and excise tax that we think we actually bought gems in the first place. One should actually keep a level perspective in the first place and not think like what I will say in the next paragraph.

What I intend to say is this - They think that their Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0GT is a Lancer Evolution. They think that their Honda Civic 2.0 is a Civic Type R. They think that their Volkswagen Golf GTI is a supercar. They end up paying RM215,000 for a slab sided, dull looking hot hatchback and think that they can chase down Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and to a lesser extent properly tuned (the word here in properly tuned and driveable) Subaru Impreza WRXs and Lancer Evolutions. The VW Golf GTI folks is what it is – a fast fabulous handling front drive hot hatch and nothing more than that (which is already quite a lot actually).

You have at the most 210bhp going through the front wheels and you think you can beat the crap out of a 280bhp Lancer Evolution or a 300bhp Porsche 911 Carerra? It must be the RM195,000 9 year loan you took that is doing the talking instead of the actual car itself. What the Golf is, is a very fast hot hatchback and not a giant killer like most of the Malaysian owners think. Try adding more power (or close to 300bhp) and those front wheels will torque steer you to the other side of the road. Spending RM215,000 or so does not mean that you're buying something great. It basically means that you chose to buy a slab sided fast hatchback instead of a RM235,000 Audi A4 1.8TFSI which is a much nicer car to own in the long run for only a little bit more.

Anyway, before I digress a little too much from the actual over RM100,000 to RM155,000 price range I shall rein it all back in by stating that it is the high prices that cause artificial feelings of grandeur in Malaysian car buyers. If we were in the UK or Australia we'd have a Golf going for GBP25,000 or so and this would mean that a Golf GTI would cost someone the price of a Toyota Corolla Altis or a Volkswagen Polo 1.2TSI here in Malaysia. So I suppose it is rational, or irrational, that people think that their RM100,000 over car is a sex symbol. So sometimes, if you buy a RM200,000 hatchback, the delusions of grandeur gets worse – which is why some who buy the Golf GTI think its an Audi R8 in drag.

Now those that cannot own a Golf GTI but yearn for one THINK that they can get away with owning a RM155,000 Volkswagen Golf 1.4TSI. It has the same shape (it IS a Golf....how different can a variant be?) and it has a turbocharged and supercharged 1.4liter engine. But is it a mini GTI or a luxury continental like what some of the people who end up buying this VW or the smaller 1.2liter Polo (This little car is also looked as if its a hot hatch or a luxury car but it actually isn't). I love to blow your bubble but the Volkswagen 1.4TSI is actually a bread and butter model that is actually a family sized hatchback and nothing more.

The 5 door hatch comes with that 1.4liter 160ps , 240Nm torque and balloon 205/55/16 inch tyres. It is very well built internally and externally but it is slightly dull in terms of styling. The only exciting bit about the exterior are the LED daytime driving lights and the only interesting to say about the very, very well built interior is that the interior is very, very well built and it feels good. Aside from that the exterior and interior are styled by humourless Germans who think that everything should look like a laboratory.

Driving one is like driving any other VW Group car. Everything is in the same position and while this makes it very easy, it also makes me feel like there is no point to upgrade to another VW or Audi or Skoda once you buy one . If you bought this car and then graduated to an Audi A6 you wouldn't be confused. You could get in and drive right away without feeling awkward. If you downgraded from a A6 to a Golf, it would feel like you haven't downgraded at all. However if you bought a Polo, it would feel different because the Polo is truly austere and plain. A different story there as that folks, is a VW that is built to a much cheaper budget and spec.

But this standardization is a little bit dull. I think VW hasn't found a proper way to differentiate their interiors like how BMW or Mercedes Benz can. And so, I find it a little tedious and boring to jump from one VW group car to another. Of course if you bought one it is one of the best interiors to be sitting in day in, day out. But don't expect it to be anything but clinical and plain.

So the VW Golf TSI is off to a decent start. It feels good sitting in one with everything in place. The seats are good, the interior is dull but well put together. It comes with a 7 speed DSG gearbox. Not the same one fitted in the GTI but still a dual clutch thingamajig. In this newly registered car it has some creep issues which may be due to quality issues. It isn't a deal breaker as in traffic it still feels competent. The DSG box mated to the TSI engine feels good in the cut and thrust traffic of the Federal Highway.

The engine is indeed a marvel of modern technology. The 160ps turbocharged and supercharged engine is very torquey at low speeds and pulls from low revs with gusto. Gun it from a junction and it feels fast. The 8 or so seconds it requires to reach 100km/h feels pretty spot on and the DSG gearbox suits the engine perfectly. It can cruise at 90km/h easily in 7^th gear and reacts pretty well upon kickdown. It will accelerate pretty briskly afterwards.

It does start to lose its grunt above 160km/h but what do you expect from a such a tiny engine even though it is force inducted time two. I am a fan of this engine. It is like the 1.4liter turbocharged Alfa Mito engine I tried a few years ago – small in size but more than ample poke. It pulls hard from idle and has a zesty mid-range too. It feels close to a normally aspirated 2.0liter engine in performance but that force inducted torque makes it feel like it has an even stronger mid-range pull.

The car's visibility all round feels good and you can easily maneuver the car in traffic and tight spots. But I have to note that the steering feel is lifeless – light for maneuvering but feels numb. There is a distinct lack of feel in this department. It does what it is supposed to do, which is a device for you to guide the car through corners and nothing more.

The ride is disappointing too. It feels all springs and under damped absorbers. Much like how Audi was with the B6 Audi A4 but with even softer dampers. It feels artificially nimble due to this as the car feels like it is eager to change direction but this eagerness is offset by the fact that the car floats where it isn't supposed to do so. It feels like its at sea. Honestly. On the long sweeping corner/interchange at the Subang Jaya end of the New Pantai Expressway heading towards the Federal Highway it felt as if the Golf TSI wanted to punt me over the concrete barrier and into the rows of houses down below. And that slightly inert and numb steering isn't helping by filtering out all the feel from the road. Again, this betrays its family hatchback design background. It isn't a mini Golf GTI in terms of handling. Want it to handle? Get rid of those balloon 16 inch tyres for a set of 17inch tyres and invest in a set of coilovers. This means at least spending RM 7,000 before it can corner like a psudo Golf GTI. Expensive in my opinion. Springs alone won't do as it is the dampers that isn't helping the handling here.

Another reason why you should get rid of the stock tyres is that the OE tyres have bad grip and over broken road surfaces the road noise transmitted by them interrupts the quietness of the cabin at normal speeds. That said, the Golf TSI is pretty silent on smooth surfaces, but when the road gets rippled or slightly bumpy you can hear the road noise. So we now know that the Golf TSI has numb steering, family car handling and rubbish tyres.

It also got me thinking that a Mazda 3 2.0, a Ford Focus 2.0TDCI or even a Honda Accord 2.0VTI – all of which are priced cheaper than the Golf TSI are actually better buys than this. The Mazda 3 is more courageously styled (which I like over blandness and ugliness), good build quality and the ZoomZoom can also handle well (well it is based on the Ford Focus chassis). The Focus diesel gives you fantastic handling, immense turbodiesel torque that adds to the driving experience and fantastic fuel economy. The larger totally different class size Accord actually gives you quietness, great ride comfort, surprisingly good handling for a large car and build quality which is as good as the VW. These three cars are actually better buys than the RM155,000 Golf TSI. So if you actually bought one, why the heck did you choose this over these more complete cars? The only actual reason that you should buy a VW over the better handling (Focus TDCI), more adventurously styled (Mazda 3), larger and better equipped (Accord 2.0) cars above is the VW badge (you typical badge snobs you) and the fantastic build quality. And that is why if I had RM155,000 or RM1,500 worth of monthly installments to spend, this isn't the car for me. It isn't a mini GTI or a sporty drive, and I prefer sporty drives.

The comparison between the cars above also highlight the confusing price and category differences actually fill the RM150,000 car price category. That being said, the owner (and her husband) of this Golf also think that the car is a disappointment as she actually likes something sportier and may get rid of it or just keep it for a her kid which should start college soon. This is actually the problem as she actually drove a Subaru Legacy 2.0GT for a while and a Honda Accord 2.0 prior to this. She also felt the Accord was the better car albeit a little too large to drive in and around the packed roads of Petaling Jaya.

So let's end this slightly confusing road test article by stating that the Volkswagen Golf 1.4TSI is actually a good car if you want quality and is willing to pay for a hatchback when you can get a larger Honda Accord, like that incredible turbocharged and supercharged engine. It also means that you are actually buying a Volkswagen for the sake of buying a Volkwagen (note that Volkswagen means 'People's Car' in German – it could also mean Proton in some ways). It is also a good car if you don't care about ride, handling and intend to change the car after about 5 years or so.

The reason I say this is because while it does come with a 2 or 3 years manufacturer warranty, imagine if after its fifth year of service the turbocharger bearings start to give way. Then after you repair it the supercharger pulley starts making noises. Then the DSG starts having shifting issues and then the air-conditioning starts giving problems. It could happen and it has happened to a VW Golf GTI owner acquaintance who unluckily suffered air-cond compressor issues right out of warranty – it cost him over RM3,000 to get it rectified). You should note that if your car has more mechanical parts than the usual engine and drivetrain it would be logical to assume that there are more mechanical parts to suffer from wear and tear over the years. Remember folks – one turbocharger, one supercharger and one complicated DSG box are more items that can go wrong in a car in the long run. Most cars have one turbocharger or supercharger to take care of and that is more than enough for some.

And so I end this test drive on a slightly pessimistic note. But do have a nice day people and try not to have feelings of grandeur about your ride. Remember, its only metal and do try to buy something not only for the badge.

Base Price: RM155,888 (with something called a light & sound package) in Malaysia

Body: 5-door Hatchback
Mechanical Orientation: Front Wheel Drive

Engine: 4 cylinder 1.4-litre Turbocharged/Supercharged
Power: 160ps
Torque: 240 NM
Transmission: 7 speed DSG Automatic

Weight: 1361 kg
Wheelbase: 2575 mm
Length: 4199 mm
Width: 1786 mm

0-100km/h: 8.0 seconds
Top Speed: 220 km/h

For: Fabulous build & material quality, power delivery, family car specs
Against: DSG slightly hesitant at low speeds , floaty ride & handling, dull and boring looks, family car specs

Conclusion: Not a mini Golf GTI but a family hatchback. You could be better off buying another car in this price range (or lower).

With thanks to Mrs Andy Lee of LMY Automobiles & Services