Drop-top Golf poses and performs
One doesn't have to stare too hard into the VW crystal ball to see the fading away of the far from scintillating three-model Volkswagen Eos which certainly didn't set any hearts beating faster with its rather yukkie interior, ho-hum styling and painful price tags.
The latest Golf was VW's third biggest seller last year, selling 7123 units and pipped only by the less expensive 16 model VW Polo range and the value for money 13-model VW Vivo offering. The addition of the Cabriolet to the Golf fleet is sure to increase this model's popularity even further.
The reason for this is quite simple: the new drop-top Golf is just about everything that the Eos isn't: it's cheeky-pretty, handles with typical Golf poise and confidence, boasts with a smart, comfortable and sporty cabin and even the most expensive of the four new Cabriolets only pushes the painful scale to R338 500.
Simple, snazzy
With its simple yet snazzy styling it is going to appeal to both the hairy species from Mars and the prettier ones from Venus. Of course it is a poser's car, but it's more than just a boulevard bragger and image accessory....light a fuse under its tail and it will also squirt off the mark with a lively chirp-chirp and squeal of tyres.
Unlike some of the other rather effeminate el fresco Noddy cars around you can also treat the top down Golf quite harshly through the twisties without your knuckles turning white. Although not likely to rip open the tarmac it certainly also sprints out the starting blocks with more than a modicum of enthusiasm.
The new Cabriolet is available in four variants, all of them armed with VW's much acclaimed 1.4 TSI power plant under the bonnet, offering the choice between a 90kW manual or auto and a 118kW manual or auto.
There are subtle styling differences between the 80kW and more punchy 118kW models, but common to all four are stand-outs such as a sexy swept back windscreen, smoked LED tail lights, cheeky short boot, classy alloys and crouching attitude - and the best of all, a soft top which pops up quietly in just 9 seconds and closes in 11 seconds even when travelling at 30km/h... so no more getting drenched in a sudden downpour on the motorway.
What is particularly nice about the Golf Cabriolet's roof is that it is controlled by a single switch on the centre console and the roof needs no fussy clipping down or unclipping. What's more, as soon as the roof is in place, either up or down, a loud beep tells you it is OK to scoot off and just in case you miss this, a message also pops up in the multifunction display to show you can go.
More of a two-seater - unless your passengers are height-challenged
The living quarters are sporty-smart and typical two-seat comfortable, with back seats really only suitable for ankle-biters and dwarfs. Interior packing space is limited and the boot cannot realistically accommodate much more than a couple of moderate-sized his and her Gucci travel bags.
Getting in the back seats is made slightly less painful on the back, thanks to the Easy Entry design of the front seats... However, other than a temporary residence during a short drive up and down Camps Bay's beachfront boulevard the back seats are best suited to Woolworths shopping bags and garden gnomes.
The dials, gauges, switches and knobs are straight from the Golf parts bin and there is nothing really wrong with that, is there?
The Cabriolet also impresses with its long list of standard fancy gear and if that is not enough there are also quite a few optional extras from which to choose. Included in the purchase price are nice to haves such as cruise control, fully adjustable steering column, climate control, multi-function computer, electric mirrors, cool sound system with radio/CD, MP3 and eight speakers, height adjustable front seats, cheeky three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel and on the two more powerful and expensive models, Vienna leather seats, high beam "light Assist", sporty stainless steel pedals, 17-inch alloys and park distance control.
As the market has become accustomed to, VW doesn't stint on safety features and the new Cabriolet protects its occupants with a roll-over bar (as it has been doing since the first model way back in 1979) plus body and door enforcements, front and side head-thorax airbags and a driver's knee bag.
It would have been nice to try the manual
At the local motoring Media launch of the new Golf Cabriolet I drove the 90kW and 118kW models, both equipped with velvet-smooth 7-speed DSG transmission which offers the choice of standard automatic, plus S for sport which allows you to play around the with the go-fast paddles on the steering wheel.
Left in standard mode the going is more than rapid and smooth enough but clicked into Sport the transmission will also "hold" a gear without the dreaded mid-corner up-change disease from which some auto boxes suffer.
Although cabriolet drivers are generally inclined to be of the cruise and show-off variety rather than fanciers of dynamic extremes it was natural for VW to offer us the auto models although I would also have liked to see how the wind-in-your-hair Golf responds when you stir the manual spoon.
Both models impressed with their quiet progress, low cabin noise levels, comfort, handling, lack of body flex and buffeting wind, and their fairly perky character. Although I am inclined to favour the extra punch of the stepped up model I can see the lipstick clan all tittering on Twitter, Facebook and Blogs about the 90kW model, which cost a good few monthly salaries less than the more muscular version and offers excellent fuel consumption and low emissions while still sporty enough to trot from zero to 100km/h in 10.5 seconds.
But even the manual 118kW TSI, which flexes 240 Nm of muscle and is game to run from 0-to 100km/h in 8.4 seconds and on to 216km/h, sips only 6.4 litres/100km and sprouts just 150g/km of CO2. Surprisingly enough the DSG version is even slightly more frugal.
The new Cabriolet drew quite a few admiring glances on our drive through Franschhoek and Grabouw, over Sir Lowry's Pass to the wine-lands and from there via Chapman's Peak and
Camps Bay to the top end of Cape Town - and so it should, because it is a classy car, especially when shimmering in dark purple, shark blue or sunset red metallic...
Factor in the five-year/90 000km service plan and three-year/120 000km warranty, which are included in the price of the new models, and I reckon VW could well do better than their anticipated 80 cars a month sales target.
The new models and prices are:
1.4 TSI 90kW manual - R283 400
1.4 TSI 90kW DSG - R297 900
1.4 TSI 118kW manual - R324 000
1.4 TSI 118kW DSG - R338 500
2012 VW Golf Cabriolet
Car Tech: 2012 VW Golf Cabriolet
012 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet Exterior 360
More by Henrie Geyser: motoring editor
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- Stylish Renault set to Captur the market - 18 May 2015
