I went to the VW dealership after work today, test drove a 2018 Golf. TLDR: It drove very nice but I felt it had to be modified right away.
It was a white 3 door Trendline (Base), 1.8T 5 speed. I was looking at there website and every vehicle listed had a “Prairie Package” included, not knowing what this included I asked using the chat box. they then sent me an email saying the package included: block heater, Rubber floor mats and trunk liner, mudflaps, and nitrogen filled tires. they also asked if I wanted to go on a test drive, so I did.
Getting in to the car I liked the comfort of the seats with nice grippy cloth and lots of adjustments (Fore/Aft, Up/Down, Back Tilt, Lumbar). The back seat was also surprisingly spacious. It had power/heated mirrors, lots of cubby holes (sunglasses holder, door bins, arm rest, drivers left knee), and three 12V power points (2 in front, and 1 in the trunk). it was nice to see that even the base model had a leather steering wheel and shift knob.
Driving
The clutch throw was long and light with the engagement point difficult to find. (I stalled 4 times oops) The trick being to use NO throttle, using the torque and gearing while smoothly letting the clutch out fully, then applying throttle. The shifter while smooth with short throws, I found the gates to be poorly defined. In order to test the pedal box for sizing I wore the safety boots I’m required to wear for work, to see if it would work as a daily driver. The pedal box was very narrow with the brake and gas pedal very close together the was however enough room for my boot to not touch the gas and brake at the same time (barely), there was plenty of room in the vertical direction so my boots didn’t catch on the underside of the dash (unlike my E30).
The brakes brakes were good but the very grabby and engaging high up on the pedal. The way the pedals are placed I might have been sitting to close. I did try Heel and Toe while trying to rev match downshifts the pedals didn’t feel placed quite right.
*Power deliver and sound.(170hp and 184lbs/ft)
*Handling goes here.
*Infotainment Am/Fm USB android auto/apple carplay 8 speakers bluetooth steering wheel controls
Pricing
*$22835
Overall Impression
*
UGH WHY DOES WRITING TAKE SO LONG????