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.
Here's where Volkswagen scores a valuable coup with the 1.4 TSI, untouchable in its class for its blend of performance, emissions and fuel consumption.
It emits 144g/km of carbon dioxide while averaging a fine 45.6mpg, so it slips into VED band C and has a low 16% BIK company car tax rate. The equivalent Ford Focus 1.8 struggles to compete with its 21% BIK tax and VED band E road tax.
The Golf TSI is also in a reasonable group 7 for insurance.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Golf
wrote on 20 06 2007
wrote on 14 10 2006
wrote on 06 06 2006