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24th
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The 2012 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L is easy to recognize at first glance. This relatively boxy and tall five-door hatchback makes the daily commutes through city traffic quite enjoyable. But while buyers are enamoured with its sporty driving dynamics, they shouldn't start planning extended road trips.
You see, the suspension makes you want to tear your brain off when you ride over rumble strips on the highway. On the plus side, the Golf doesn't kid around when it comes to manipulating steering; it feels sharp and direct. Steering assist is nicely calibrated and contributes to the machine's highly responsive handling. I love it!
The six-speed Tiptronic autobox is quite sporty, urging you to push even harder. With gentle throttle prodding, the unit shifts smoothly. Floor the gas pedal, and it'll take you to the redline in a nice, linear sprint. There's a price to pay at the pump, but this transmission produces as much fun-inducing adrenaline as the standard manual gearbox.
The four-wheel disc brakes are properly sized and powerful enough to cool off your bursts of enthusiasm. With sudden pressure on the brake pedal, you'll feel the antilock system working, even on a hot summer drive.
The seats are reminiscent of theatre room chairs from the '90s, meaning that they lack lumbar support. Short-legged drivers will feel some pressure behind the knees. My tester had heated seats, by the way, and I took great advantage of it, even on warm mornings where the temperature had already reached 5 degrees Celsius.
Under the hood is a 2.5L 5-cylinder engine that promises a decent though unimpressive city rating of 9L/100km. In reality, as soon as you forget about fuel economy and start grabbing the bull by the horns, the mill will hover around 10L/100km. I couldn't resist myself!
The Volkswagen Golf offers easy access to the bulbs, windshield washer fluid and coolant tanks. Everything else is kept under tight wrap for a clean look. However, maintenance proves a bit more complicated as a result.
The automatic Sportline model I tested ($26,650) had the Connectivity Package ($775), which allows control of a cell phone through the centre display, the steering wheel buttons or the overhead console (between the two map lights, next to the sunroof control). If you have a loud passenger, however, there's a pretty good chance that your conversations won't last long.
While the graphics have a somewhat dated look, with white Arial characters on a dark background, the menu is user-friendly and synchronizing my phone with the system didn't cause me headaches. A small screen allows you to set the Bluetooth connection, and once you're done, access to your phone directory goes through the centre console. The system can memorize up to four Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Voice commands are limited to ''Dial,'' ''Last call received,'' and ''Last number.'' Was I able to make a call using voice command? Sadly, no. I guess I'm just too technologically retarded or something. The female voice kept telling me she couldn't understand my commands. I quit trying when smoke came out of my ears.
I liked driving the Golf at night if only because of the cool interior lighting. As for passenger room, my legs were pretty happy. I wouldn't put three big guys in the back; I just don't think they would fit (of course, I can't know for sure since the "big-guy store" was out of samples).
What about the competition? For roughly the same price, consider the oddly designed Nissan cube, the ubiquitous and much more fuel-efficient Mazda3 Sport with SKYACTIV technology, as well as the unsung Suzuki SX4 Hatchback. In terms of driving fun, the MINI Cooper Countryman is a worthy competitor, although its base MSRP equals a fully-equipped VW Golf 2.5L
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You see, the suspension makes you want to tear your brain off when you ride over rumble strips on the highway. On the plus side, the Golf doesn't kid around when it comes to manipulating steering; it feels sharp and direct. Steering assist is nicely calibrated and contributes to the machine's highly responsive handling. I love it!
The six-speed Tiptronic autobox is quite sporty, urging you to push even harder. With gentle throttle prodding, the unit shifts smoothly. Floor the gas pedal, and it'll take you to the redline in a nice, linear sprint. There's a price to pay at the pump, but this transmission produces as much fun-inducing adrenaline as the standard manual gearbox.
 |
| The six-speed Tiptronic autobox is quite sporty, urging you to push even harder. (Photo: Volkswagen) |
The four-wheel disc brakes are properly sized and powerful enough to cool off your bursts of enthusiasm. With sudden pressure on the brake pedal, you'll feel the antilock system working, even on a hot summer drive.
The seats are reminiscent of theatre room chairs from the '90s, meaning that they lack lumbar support. Short-legged drivers will feel some pressure behind the knees. My tester had heated seats, by the way, and I took great advantage of it, even on warm mornings where the temperature had already reached 5 degrees Celsius.
Under the hood is a 2.5L 5-cylinder engine that promises a decent though unimpressive city rating of 9L/100km. In reality, as soon as you forget about fuel economy and start grabbing the bull by the horns, the mill will hover around 10L/100km. I couldn't resist myself!
The Volkswagen Golf offers easy access to the bulbs, windshield washer fluid and coolant tanks. Everything else is kept under tight wrap for a clean look. However, maintenance proves a bit more complicated as a result.
 |
| Under the hood is a 2.5L 5-cylinder engine that promises a decent though unimpressive city rating of 9L/100km. (Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte) |
The automatic Sportline model I tested ($26,650) had the Connectivity Package ($775), which allows control of a cell phone through the centre display, the steering wheel buttons or the overhead console (between the two map lights, next to the sunroof control). If you have a loud passenger, however, there's a pretty good chance that your conversations won't last long.
While the graphics have a somewhat dated look, with white Arial characters on a dark background, the menu is user-friendly and synchronizing my phone with the system didn't cause me headaches. A small screen allows you to set the Bluetooth connection, and once you're done, access to your phone directory goes through the centre console. The system can memorize up to four Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Voice commands are limited to ''Dial,'' ''Last call received,'' and ''Last number.'' Was I able to make a call using voice command? Sadly, no. I guess I'm just too technologically retarded or something. The female voice kept telling me she couldn't understand my commands. I quit trying when smoke came out of my ears.
 |
| A small screen allows you to set the Bluetooth connection, and once you're done, access to your phone directory goes through the centre console. (Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte) |
I liked driving the Golf at night if only because of the cool interior lighting. As for passenger room, my legs were pretty happy. I wouldn't put three big guys in the back; I just don't think they would fit (of course, I can't know for sure since the "big-guy store" was out of samples).
What about the competition? For roughly the same price, consider the oddly designed Nissan cube, the ubiquitous and much more fuel-efficient Mazda3 Sport with SKYACTIV technology, as well as the unsung Suzuki SX4 Hatchback. In terms of driving fun, the MINI Cooper Countryman is a worthy competitor, although its base MSRP equals a fully-equipped VW Golf 2.5L