Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £11,945 to £20,460
Interior appearance and quality, good crash protection, image, diesel's economy, strong residual values.
Quality varies, less appealing for keen drivers, new model now available, mushy pedals, slightly claustrophobic interior.
A bit long in the tooth but still a desirable and reasonable choice.
The Golf's performance in EuroNCAP's independent crash tests was very good. When it was tested it scored the four-star maximum, although the rules have changed and top marks now equals five stars. All versions have driver and passenger front and side airbags, and ABS anti-lock brakes. Cabriolet models don't come with side airbags as standard and we wouldn't expect their crash performance to be nearly as good.
SE models and above get alarms, but VWs do tend to protect you from thieves worse than many rivals.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Golf
wrote on 20 06 2007
wrote on 14 10 2006
wrote on 06 06 2006