Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £11,945 to £20,460
Punchy and smooth petrol engine, class-leading refinement, rides well, good drive.
Price premium, uninspiring looks.
The pick of the Golf range.
Car companies face the unenviable task of committing billions to reduce emissions, but with so many solutions out there it can be difficult to know where to spend it.
It used to be simple: build a range of clean, efficient diesel engines. But the worldwide demand for diesel has seen prices soar in the UK to 12p per litre more than unleaded - enough to scare away consumers.
In response, carmakers such as Volkswagen are returning to petrol. They believe the future lies with small capacity turbo-charged engines, and a glance at the figures reveals why.
The second generation entry-level 1.4 TSI is slightly down on power than before (down 18bhp to 120bhp), yet it sprints to 62mph in 9.5 seconds, averages 45.6mpg and emits just 144g/km of carbon dioxide. That means the new engine boasts the power of the 1.8 and has better emissions and fuel consumption than the entry-level 79bhp 1.4.
With numbers like that no wonder we think the new Golf 1.4 TSI makes for one of the most appealing real-world cars money can buy.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Golf
wrote on 20 06 2007
wrote on 14 10 2006
wrote on 06 06 2006