Volkswagen has revealed the updated 2017 Golf, with an all new engine variant, minor styling changes and many improvements to the infotainment technology and better media connectivity.
The facelifted Golf is being called the Mk 7.5, and the styling updates may be mild, but they do look rather good. In the front, there are restyled air ducts on the front bumper with revised LED daytime running lights. The rear gets an updated design for the bumper and full LED taillights.
Under the hood, reports state that VW has confirmed the introduction of a new 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine that will produce 148bhp. This engine comes with Active Cylinder Management which allows it to shut down cylinders to improve fuel efficiency when the car is cruising. There are also reports that an eco-focused variant of the same engine is under development which will put out 129bhp, will come with Bluemotion badge.
The top of the line Golf GTI too, gets a revised engine for more power, the ‘normal’ GTI will now churn out 227bhp and the Performance variant will be putting 241bhp onto the asphalt. Another mechanical tweak comes in the form of a new seven-speed dual clutch DSG transmission to replace the six-speed one.
As we said, most of the changes and upgrades are in the technology provided in the new Golf models, like a new optional Active Info Display that supports five different information profiles : classic, consumption and range, efficiency, performance and driver assistance, and navigation. All the touch-based systems get a size increase by over an inch, with the range-topping Discover Pro unit getting a 9.2in touch screen, voice command and gesture controls as well.
The 2017 Golf gets more goodies in the department of driver assistant systems, including Traffic Jam Assist which is supposed to make it easy to drive in stop-go traffic of speeds up to 37kph by automatically applying the brakes. Emergency Assist is added for automated braking if the driver is detected to be incapacitated, and Lane Assist too among other driver aids.
Further details on the updated variants of the 2017 Golf are still awaiting full disclosure, so stay tuned for any further interesting news on this cool car.
The Auto Loons 