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For me though, the Golf GTI has always been a bit of a letdown. Granted, most of my experience has only been with the Mk7 and Mk7.5, but for all the myth and legend surrounding those three letters, and the accolades heaped upon it by automotive media everywhere, most of my encounters with a GTI has left me feeling distinctly unenthused. As an unabashed lover of fast driving, hot hatches are definitely right up my alley, but the Mk7.5 just didn't serve up enough thrills. It didn't help that it debuted in something of a renaissance period for hot hatches, with the FK8 Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai i30N, Mk4 Renault Megane RS, and even its corporate cousin the Skoda Octavia RS245, all muscling in on the GTI’s turf.
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1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk8

IN VW, Volkswagen, Golf, Golf GTI, Hot hatch, Hatchback

Amongst hot hatches, it’s always been the VW Golf GTI that’s left BP’s resident racer, Jon, the coldest. Can the feistier new Mk8 change his mind?


Find a twisty road however, and it doesn’t take long to unearth the RS’s other talents. Whack the DCC up into sport, and the car becomes a highly effective, if slightly clinical, road devourer. The meaty yet quick steering is confidence-inspiring and makes accurate placing of the car an intuitive affair, and the body control lent by the DCC is exceptional. As with the RS245 and Mk8 GTI though, the crowning glory is the limited-slip differential, which mitigates any trace of untidy wheelspin as you power out of corners, a trait which the old GTI sometimes frustrated me with.
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First Drive: 2022 Skoda Octavia RS

IN Skoda, Octavia, Octavia RS, Hot hatch, Sports saloon, Skoda Centre Singapore

The Skoda Octavia RS is back, and continues to offer the same incredible value and practicality. We take it out for a brief taster to see what it’s like


Look at the price of the A3 (S$187,635 as of December 2021), and you might balk at how much more it costs over its platform-mates. With that price tag, it puts the A3 S$30k over the Golf, and nearly S$50k over the Octavia!
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The Posher Sibling | Audi A3 Sportback Mild Hybrid

IN Audi, A3, Sportback, Audi A3, A3 Sportback, Premium Automobiles

As the fanciest model to use the Volkswagen Group MQB Evo platform, is the A3 Sportback worth the extra dough? We check out what extras it offers over its siblings.


COVID restrictions meant we only had an hour with the car during the launch event of the new Mk8 Golf and Golf GTI (and that included time for photography as well), so we can’t give you much more than the most fleeting of first impressions. Oh, and conspiring against us further still was some truly appalling weather. But even so, there are signs that VW has turned up the aggression slightly in the Mk8 and made it a more willing entertainer than its forebears.
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FIRST DRIVE: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk8

IN Volkswagen, Golf, GTI, Golf GTI, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Volkswagen Group Singapore

A brief taster of the new Golf GTI suggests that Volkswagen has injected a bit more sportiness back into the long-reigning hot hatch king.


In this latest eighth-generation model, the Golf’s tried-and-tested recipe been enhanced, refined, and modernised both inside and out. What’s new outside? The Golf’s exterior – though not always the most exciting – has always been pleasant and easily identifiable as a Golf. That hasn’t changed, with the signature chunky, forward-leaning C-pillar still present.
Happenings

Eight-gen Volkswagen Golf tees off in Singapore

IN Volkswagen, Golf, GTI, Golf GTI, Golf R, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Volkswagen Golf R

The latest iteration of Volkswagen’s iconic hot hatch is now in Singapore with more power and an all-new digitalised interior


Materials are not of Audi-level, as expected of course. But they do feel robust enough to last for many years to come. To some extent, it is less stressful and therefore more enjoyable to use practical interiors like these as a daily runabout, simply because you don’t have to concern yourself with having an immaculate interior.
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A Compelling Case | SEAT Leon 1.0 TSI

Gone are the days where large capacity engines are needed for a car’s lively performance. The introduction of turbochargers has allowed even the base-model in any line-up to drive decently.


From the time it was first introduced here some four years ago, the Volkswagen Golf Variant was always only available in R-Line form. Perhaps the sporty trim was specced to help alleviate the age-old perception that estate cars look like hearses? I would never know.
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Sports-wagen | Volkswagen Golf Variant R-Line

I've said it before - I love wagons! Now one of my favourites just got prettier.


But that said let me begin by bringing forward one part of this 1.0-litre Golf that I definitely, well, do not find pleasant.
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Volkswagen Golf 1.0 TSI | Miniature Golf

IN Volkswagen, Golf, 1.0, TSI, Volkswagen Golf 1.0 TSI, Golf 1.0 TSI, 2018, VW, 3-cylinder, Turbocharged, Volkswagen Centre Singapore

The Golf now comes with a size ‘S’ engine — so is this the good news for drivers who are sensitive to engine capacity?


Now here’s contestant number ten: The Spain-assembled Nissan Pulsar.
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Nissan Pulsar 1.2 DIG-T | Price Buster

IN Nissan, Pulsar, Family hatchback, Hatchback, Turbocharged, DIG-T, 1.2 DIG-T, Nissan Pulsar 1.2 DIG-T, Tan Chong Motor Sales, 2017

In an already crowded market place, is there still space for the Pulsar here?


In Malaysia, following the Golf is the 308. It has everything the Volkswagen offers, but with a French badge adorning the front and rear instead; and with a price tag that’s significantly cheaper, the 308 also presented a strong case for itself.
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Ford Focus EcoBoost S+ | Hocus Focus

IN Ford, Focus, Hatchback, Sport+, S+, Ford Focus Sport+, 1.5-litre EcoBoost, EcoBoost, Autoconnexion, Malaysia

This is the perfect Focus in the entire range and poses a threat to all its competitors - but why is it not doing as well as it deserve?


Recently - and quietly too - a nameplate that was once a local favourite has returned: The Ford Focus.
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King Of The Crop | Ford Focus Hatch 1.0 EcoBoost

IN Ford, Ford Focus, EcoBoost, Focus, Ford Focus EcoBoost 1.0, Turbocharged, 3-cylinder, Hatchback, Regent Motors

Ford returns, now with a new force-fed powerplant that should put a smile on budget-conscious buyers — but can it steal the limelight from the Golf?


With 123 bhp and 200 Nm worth of torque available courtesy of a 1.4-litre turbocharged TSI powerplant mated to a 7-speed DSG ‘box, the Golf Variant is a surprisingly eager sprinter; flooring the accelerator could still cause the front two wheels to wheelspin off the mark. Well, it’s ok to be a little juvenile every once in a while.
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Wagon Special 4: Volkswagen Golf Variant

IN Volkswagen, Golf, Variant, Wagon, VW, Veedub, Volkswagen Golf Variant, 1.4 TSI, R-Line, Volkswagen Centre Singapore

With the Golf successfully dominating the hatchback segment, can this wagon variant do the same?


The production-based, 330 bhp concept car is assembled in accordance with TCR Regulations and is intended to allow Volkswagen to evaluate a possible customer racing programme as of the 2016 season. In order to accelerate the development process, the new Golf will be tested under competitive conditions in the TCR between now and the end of the season.
Motorsports

TCR-prepped Golf wins at its debut race.

IN Singapore, Golf, TCR, Touringcar Racer International Series, Volkswagen, Pol Rosell

The race Golf we reported about last week made headlines by winning its debut race, claiming its first victory at the Touringcar Racer International Series (TCR) in Austria.


Projek

I Bought One: Lotus Elise 1.8 (M)

About six months ago, we decided to swap our Golf GTI for this sexy little number. Here's a quick intro to the car we got.


After all, the Golf is no lightweight considering its 1,184 kg kerbweight; and (on paper) it can only whip out some 104 bhp and 175 Nm (available from as low as 1,550 rpm, though) of torque. Last but not least, 10.2 seconds is needed to get from 0 to 100 km/h.
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The Singapore Car | Volkswagen Golf 1.2 TSI

IN Volkswagen, Golf, 1.2 TSI, VW, 1.2, Turbocharged, DSG

A full-sized hatchback with a small engine equates to a money-saving proposition — exactly what every Singaporean driver desired…


Handling wise, the Golf R is pinpoint sharp and definitely feels one notch higher than the GTI. Thanks to the 4Motion four-wheel drive system, ever alert traction control and XDS cross differential lock, you can enter tight corners at speed and also flick the car into a turn without worrying about any understeer. In fact, you might even feel the rear about to throw itself into a drift but like magic, the car will just correct itself. That said, body-roll is still obvious; it’s not the sort that throws you off, but the type that adds more sensation into your drive. If you want something that is more focused on all out grip and controlled body movements, then you might want to look at Renault’s Megane RS instead…
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Rock On | Volkswagen Golf R

IN Volkswagen, VW, Golf, Golf R, R, Veedub, Volkswagen Group Singapore

VW’s ultimate Golf returns — for all family men, there is still hope for non-boring motoring…


Cliche as it may sound, power is nothing without control, and if great handling is what you want, handling is what you get. Upon plonking yourself hurriedly in the driver's seat, and fretting about your future wives reaction, ooops a typo there, 'wife's' I mean (bit of a Freudian slip eh?) the first thing you’ll want to do is push the Start button, and with that, the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine burbles into life with a bassy note to boot. The next button you would want to push would be the 'Mode’ button next to the gear lever and select from the available settings of Comfort, Normal, Sport, Eco and Individual. The changes affect the suspension, steering and throttle response of the car and in Sport, performance is aplenty as the car settings are adjusted to be more dynamic. In fact mashing the accelerator is a treat, as the car resonates with a rich burble and a near instant response that eggs you on to push it harder. And with the reworked and improved sport suspension, grippy Continental ContiSportContact 2 tyres and a steering wheel that offers great feedback, indulging in a bit of necessary spirited driving results in your best man going
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Golly, That's Insane! | Mk7 Volkswagen Golf GTI

IN Volkswagen, Golf, GTI, Mk7

The all-new Mk 7 Volkswagen Golf GTI has got it all covered as the best all rounder hot hatch. Pavement burner or wedding car, the GTI does it all!


The Golf gained a total of 504 points, the highest ever for an import model. It also scored 131 points more than the second-placed car. At the award ceremony, Shigeru Shoji, the President of Volkswagen Group Japan, commented: “We are very much pleased that the Golf becomes the first import car which gained the grand prize in 34 years of Japan Car of the Year history. This honour has been awarded to all the people who supported Volkswagen in Japan over the past 60 years.” Among numerous other awards, the new Golf has also won the Car of the Year, World Car of the Year, and Golden Steering Wheel titles this year.
Happenings

The Golf Captures The Japan Car Of The Year Award

IN Volkswagen, Golf, Japan Car Of The Year

For a country that prides itself on manufacturing some of the world's best cars, the German made Golf has made history by being the first non-Japanese car to win this award.


We were very impressed with the latest seventh-generation Golf when we tested it both abroad in Italy and on home ground. Back then though, the car we managed to get a drive in was the 140 bhp Sport model. We find out this time, how the base model 1.4 TSI with 122 bhp fares.
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The Real Thing | Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI

IN Volkswagen Group Singapore, Volkswagen, VW, Golf, 1.4 TSI, DSG, Mk 7

Every Coke has its Pepsi, every iPad, its Galaxy Tab (cue flame war). But only one name has the qualities that make it 'The Real Thing'. When it comes to hatchbacks, the Golf is that name.


The exterior of the Fiesta ST has several alterations that include a large grille (that may have been inspired by a certain British Marque) that dominates the front fascia, a new front splitter, and a rear fascia shaped to resemble a rear diffuser. To further distinguish the ST from the normal Fiesta, the ST has a dual exhaust outlets, a new rear wing and tricked out 17 inch alloy wheels. Of course, a hot hatch is meant to scream in your face, and what better way to do it then to paint it in a bright Orange specifically made for the car?
Happenings

‘Hot’ Fiesta Launched!

IN Ford, Fiesta, ST, Hot, Hatch, Manual

Ford bolts a turbo on a Fiesta and turns it into a Euro-hatch killer. Let's hope it makes its way here!



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