• Slightly larger than its predecessor
• Spacious enough for four to travel in comfort
• Boot remains the same size, practically shaped

How much space is there?

Room for everyday life without resorting to enormous external proportions is an absolutely essential requirement for a Golf, so don’t expect a huge amount of extra roominess in this car from if you’re progressing from an earlier model. Those switching from rival cars will find a compact family hatch spacious enough for four tall adults to be accommodated comfortably – five at a push.

However, while the Golf has maintained its size for years, rivals such as the Ford Focus, Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia have all grown larger. That makes them a better bet for taller folk thanks to their more generous rear leg room.

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Boot space and storage

There are a reasonable amount of in-car storage cubbies, with the centre armrest with variable height being especially useful. However, we were disappointed on two counts: the front cupholder is awkwardly positioned and feels flimsily cheap. Also, despite the fact that automatic models have a tiny toggle switch instead of a bulky gear lever, Volkswagen hasn’t found any extra storage space in the centre console.

Luggage space is 380 litres with the seats up and 1,237 litres with them down. That’s average for the class, and although seats up that’s more than that Ford Focus (at 375 litres), it’s beaten roundly by that car’s seats-down 1,354 litres, with the Skoda Octavia easily beating both. The rear seats split 60:40 and fold near flat, while there’s a handy longer loads flap in the middle.

It’s worth noting the plug-in hybrid eHybrid and GTE models lose out on boot space to make room for the hybrid tech – with capacity dropping to 273 litres or 1162 litres with the rear seats folded.

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Is it easy to park?

The Volkswagen Golf is a classically-sized European hatchback, and it’s fair to say that there won’t be too many issues fitting it into the all but the tightest of spaces.

Rear three-quarter visibility over your shoulder isn’t great, and the rear windscreen is a little shallow. But the mirrors are good, and there are options to add front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera or fully automatic parking systems. With any of those aids in place, parking a Volkswagen Golf should pose no problems.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP score
• Ample safety kit as standard
• Lots of exciting tech available

As you’d hope for a car with such sales potential, Volkswagen’s made sure it’s well up to the mark when it comes to safety. This is reflected in a full five-star score across all models regardless of trim level. Euro NCAP noted it offered ‘excellent crashworthiness and standard-fit of a number of assist systems’, some of which will be tested in future NCAP assessments.

The Golf is loaded with high-tech safety systems, such as:

• Car2X communications – this allows the Golf to communicate with other similarly-equipped cars and infrastructure to relay details of hazards such as accidents, jams and slippery conditions in order to give drivers even greater warning.
• Travel Assist – VW’s latest iteration of its driver-assistance system means the adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping system is even more reliable and now requires drivers to merely touch – rather than hold – the wheel while it’s in operation.
• Adaptive cruise control with predictive speed detection – using the existing system, but embellishing it with the ability to adapt speed based on mapping data and speed limit signs automatically.
• Turn-off assist – designed to apply the brakes when crossing the flow of traffic, as you would at a crossroads. If the car senses an impending impact, the Golf will automatically brake to avoid a crash altogether or reduce the severity of it.
• IQ Light – all Golfs come with LED headlamps, but with three levels of sophistication. IQ Light is the highest, with matrix functionality to allowing just sections of the main beam to be switched on and off, rather than the whole thing.

Watch: Volkswagen Golf Euro NCAP crash test