Volkswagen Golf (Mk8) review

Life is the entry-level spec and it starts from £27,035. Yep, the lowliest Golf really costs over £27k. It might look a bit dowdy with its small wheels, but it’s pretty well appointed, and it gets all the key safety tech. 

The other available Golf trims – Match, Style, R-Line and Black Edition – cost from £27,210, £29,835, £30,285 and £31,285 respectively and offer mostly visual upgrades, though R-Line upwards skip the less powerful 1.5-litre 4cyl engine and gives lower, stiffer suspension, progressive steering and drive modes.

After that you’re into variant territory: the diesel GTD starts from £29,005 (in Match trim), the plug-in hybrid from £36,760 (in Style trim), the fast Golf GTI from £38,900, and and the GTE from £39,750. A that’s before you get to the even faster R…

At time of writing, lease prices start at around £290 for the lowest-spec petrol models and £310 for the equivalent diesel, both on a four-year agreement with an initial payment of less than four figures.

Top spec R-Line models – which include the more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension – will also only set you back an extra £30 per month or top, so it’s worth considering if your budget can stretch that far.

Either way, every single Golf sold in the UK will get LED head- and tail-lights, front and rear parking sensors, digital instrument cluster and 12.9-inch infotainment screen with web connection and navigation, ambient lighting, a wireless charger, auto climate control, keyless start, plus a swarm of active safety features including adaptive cruise control and Car2X technology. Phew.

Apart from all that, a Golf will always be a supremely easy car to own and sell on, because it’s such a well-developed and well-known object.