All of which means there’s a genuine big car feel about the Golf MkVI. The diesels will be the most popular over here, but don’t rule out the petrols – the 1.4TSI 160 is a nice halfway house to the GTI, and the 1.4 TSI 122 is fine if your annual mileage isn’t huge. Don’t be fooled by the TSI badge of the latter, as there isn’t a trick turbo and supercharged arrangement. It’s just a turbo here, which is so smooth that you really can’t feel it boosting pressure. Which is another way of saying that its effect is virtually unnoticeable – low down in the revs there’s not much torque, but equally up high there’s not an abundance of poke. This sounds like faint praise, until you remember that the old 1.6-litre FSI engine was far rougher and much less economical (45.6mpg versus 42.2mpg). Equally, it was hardly the last word in pace. The diesel is still far better on the current car, but this petrol brings it closer than it was. Most has reviewed the Golf TSI before here and I have brought the Golf back out to play once more, for a comparison shoot-out between the Scirocco TSI and Polo GTI; all of which employs the same 1.4 twincharged mill. The EA111 engine is an award winning engine for good reason – direct injection, supercharged and turbocharged, squeezing 160PS @ 5,800rpm and 240Nm @ 1,500-4,500rpm from a tiny 1,390cc block. These figures are enough to rival many other naturally aspirated 2.0-litre engines in the market. As can be expected – suspension in the Golf is more tuned for comfort, soaking up all pimples on the road effortlessly. There is a lightness to the rear though, and whilst this can lead to some hairy moments when taking corners too fast, once you’ve understood the limits of the car, the Golf ends up being very rewarding to drive. Another thing you have to keep in mind are the brakes – the ones in the Golf do not perform the same way as the ones in the Scirocco. Brake pedals felt spongy, and your feet travels a little further towards the floor before any stopping happens. I’ve driven both the mk5 and mk6 Golf GTI, and they both had similar issues, so I’m left wondering if this is simply just a Golf trademark.
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