Boasting greener credentials, better onboard equipment and a World Car of the Year award, the Golf, now in its sixth generation, seems assured in its place as Volkswagen's global best-seller.
While it's instantly recognisable as a Golf, the MkVI has been given a sensitive makeover that marries styling cues from the new Scirocco - a sharpened prow, smoothed-out bonnet and tapering headlight clusters - with a Touareg-like rear aspect featuring a rear parking camera that pops out from under the VW badge.
Other standard exterior features include sharp 18-inch alloys, a chrome-trimmed front grille, foldable door mirrors with integrated turn signals, an electric tilt/slide glass sunroof, halogen headlights with range adjustment, front and rear fog lights and green heat-insulated glass all round.
The spec list is even more generous inside the cabin, where Volkswagen has taken pains to upgrade the equipment and finish to create a genuinely luxurious ambience.
Fully adjustable leather-trimmed front sports seats featuring lumbar support and VW's whiplash-optimised head restraint system complement an Audi-like matt-black dash that sports chrome highlights on key switches, while all the back-lit dials have an adjustable setting to make them easier to see in the dark.
There's more leather on the handbrake, gear lever and multi-functional steering wheel, which allows the driver to adjust the radio, CD, phone or central display with minimal fuss. Dual-zone climate control comes as standard, as does Volkswagen's top-of-the-line RCD 510 CD/MP3 system, with eight speakers, multimedia connections and a six-CD changer.
