• Vast range of petrol, diesel and hybrids on offer
• All are efficient and offer low running costs
• Plug-in hybrid GTE looks the best on paper
  

How much is it going to cost to run?

All Volkswagen Golf Mk8s offer economy that ranges from palatable to very good, hence the competitive 5.6 - 8.6mpp figures across the board. Under the ‘real world’ WLTP official fuel efficiency testing regime, the most economical versions to consider are the eHybrid and lower-powered 2.0 TDI.

Best of the petrols are the 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre 130 TSI versions. The 1.5-litre TSI petrol engines can also save fuel by shutting down two cylinders or even coasting when you come off the accelerator pedal.

In a week’s testing over more than 1,000 miles, the 2.0 TDI in manual form averaged 67.3mpg in a combination of motorway driving and mixed local running. Although it wasn’t driven hard, no particular attempt was made to maximise the fuel economy. So, we’d fully expect any long-distance driver to match and even beat our overall figure. The eHybrid is able to manage well over 50mpg on a long run, with shorter journeys improving that figure further. After all, the more you can run on electricity, the less fuel you’ll use.

The 2.0-litre TDI uses a much more sophisticated AdBlue injector system that’s 80% more effective at reducing nitrogen oxide emissions compared with the old Golf. However, in terms of CO2 emissions the best performer is the eHybrid plug-in hybrid version with the sportier Volkswagen Golf GTE not too far behind.

Servicing and maintenance

Volkswagen has more than 200 dealers in the UK with a large, well-equipped showroom and workshop unlikely to be too far from you. Customer service is rated highly, although Volkswagen’s reliability record can’t quite match sister brand Skoda’s.

Volkswagen offers Service and Maintenance Plans which will offset the cost of future servicing against an upfront payment or an additional amount on a monthly payment. The advantage of these is that they will protect you against any future increase in servicing costs, and all work carried out comes with two years’ warranty.

Reliability

• Two recalls so far
• Infotainment sometimes glitchy
• Tried and tested mechanicals shouldn’t prove troublesome

There has been one safety recall so far, relating to a very small number of vehicles (124), where the crash sensors in the front doors need to be checked. The Golf’s eCall system that’s able to contact the emergency services has also needed an update.

We’ve also found the Golf’s infotainment system can occasionally freeze or restart, something that has been helped by software updates. However, even now we’re not surprised to see the odd electronic glitch when testing one.

Remember that much of the engine technology is already employed within the Volkswagen Group, and the mild-hybrid technology will appear in a variety of other models. Although flashy, the touchscreens are an evolution of what Volkswagen’s been using for a few years, so again, there should be few niggles. You can find out more about what it’s like to live with in owners’ reviews.

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