As we’ve seen from such cars as the Honda Fit or Mitsubishi Mirage, getting a car with fuel economy in the 34 to 25 mpg or 7.0 to 8.0 litres per 100 km range isn’t impossible. Getting it in a car that’s an absolute blast to drive? That’s a bit more challenging. Then along comes the Volkswagen Golf 1.8 TSI. It’s powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine. In the tester, it was mated to a slick five-speed manual.
The fuel consumption? It ended in my control with an average of 30.15 mpg or 7.8 L/100km. And, as is usual for any time I’m driving a press car, that’s without heroic (or stupid) measures to conserve gasoline. I try to go the way I usually would, putting my foot into it at the odd time and having an average pace of acceleration at others.
My ‘normal’ might be a more conservationist than most drivers’, but I make sure I’m never someone else’s rolling roadblock and I never sacrifice commute times at the altar of conservation. The official numbers for the Gulf are 9.3 for city and 6.4 for highway with manual transmission.
So you can imagine how impressed I was that the fuel consumption average never nicked above 8.0, even with city driving. (Given the change in fuel consumption testing methods for 2015, it’s not surprising that we are meeting or even beating the official numbers any longer.)
The engine is, essentially, a destroked version of VW’s popular 2.0-litre turbo, which till now, was my favourite inline four-cylinder engine (I’m still torn between the VW mill and Subaru’s H4 turbo boxer engine, which, of course, isn’t an inline).
The 1.8 shares many parts with the 2.0, and, like the 2.0, is built in Mexico. The best part, according to Thomas Tetzlaff, VW Canada’s public relations manager, is it runs on regular fuel.
That means, unlike diesel or other high-performance gas engines, it gets good fuel mileage without more expensive fuel such as diesel or premium. I mean, what are you saving if you save 10 percent on fuel mileage but spend 10 percent more on fuel?
It’s rated for 170 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque, so it does give up a fair bit to the GTI 2.0T’s 210 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.
The engine is part of what Tetzlaff says is VW’s modular family of engines, which means it shares common mounting points with various VW engines, allowing for easy interchangeability on the production line.
It’s rated for 170 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque, so it does give up a fair bit to the GTI 2.0T’s 210 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Yet the 1.8, now the standard gas engine in the VW Golf lineup, offers more acceleration than the numbers might suggest.
Because it’s a small engine with a turbo, you’re cruising with a small engine, helping the fuel mileage when you don’t have your foot into it. Spin that turbo a lot, and you will start to burn fuel at a prodigious rate.
However, it isn’t just the acceleration that makes the Golf fun to drive. The steering is tight, with good feedback and precise turn-in. Despite the electric power steering, it’s not numb.  (Put it this way, it felt good enough I had to ask…)
The four-wheel independent suspension (coil springs front, multilink rear) gives the car lots of grip in corners, and the torque steer is well-controlled.
The brakes clamp down hard when you need them but are controllable, too. Most importantly, the car stays true as it comes to a stop.
As I alluded, the gearbox uses a slick-shifting mechanism that’s precise and easy to shift. You won’t be hunting for third, as the shifts are almost intuitive. Try this one if you’ve been resisting manual transmissions because you think they’re difficult to learn. The clutch has a progressive but certain engagement that makes it easy to get the hang of.
From a safety perspective, there’s much to say about driving stick. It forces you to pay attention to driving. Automatics tend to make it almost too easy.
The Golf continues its packaging as a hatch in either three- or five-door configurations. It’s a classic, sharp-looking design that is so much more attractive than most of its sedan competitors. The hatch also offers decent cargo volume.
As a three-door, the Golf starts at $18,995 for a Trendline (add $1k for a five-door). The model range rises to $28,495 as a gas-powered Highline. For diesel, the Golf starts (as a five-door only) at $23,095, topping out at $30,995.
2015 Golf 1.8TSI Specs
- Engine; 1.8-litre turbocharged, 16-valve four-cylinder
- Power: 170 horsepower @ 4,800-6,200 rpm
- Torque: 185 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,200 rpm
- Transmission: five-speed manual, six-speed automatic (opt.)
- Steering: electric power rack-and-pinion
- Brakes: four-wheel discs with ABS, hill-hold assist
- Suspension: independent MacPherson struts with stabilizer bar, front; fully independent four-link suspension with coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, and stabilizer bar, rear
- Fuel economy (city, hwy (l/100km)): 9.3, 6.4
How I’d order it: Comfortline ($22,895), Platinum grey metallic, black leatherette, convenience package (auto headlights, dual-zone climate control, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, light assist ($1,695)), aluminum sill protector plate ($192.86). Total: $26,387.86 (incl. $1,605 freight and PDI).
