VOLKSWAGEN'S updated Golf features one of the most comprehensive engine line-ups of any model in the UK.
Now the potent 245 PS Golf GTI Performance and keenly anticipated new 150PS 1.5-litre TSI EVO engine are available to order and, together, they bring high performance and further frugality to the burgeoning Golf range.
Two versions of the 1.5-litre EVO engine are joining the updated Golf line-up. With outputs of 150PS and 130PS, both are turbocharged four-cylinder units and are available with six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG gearboxes. The 150PS unit is available now, and the 130PS derivative will join later in the summer.
Active Cylinder Management is an integral part of these new EVO units' efficiency. ACM technology shuts down cylinders when the driver lifts their foot off the throttle. In the 150PS unit two of the four cylinders are shut down, while in the 130PS BlueMotion version all four cylinders are paused when the car is coasting.
Looking at the detail of the 150PS unit, internal friction is reduced via a fully variable map-controlled oil pump and a polymer-coated crankshaft bearing. A higher injection pressure of 350 bar compares to the 200 bar of the 1.4-litre unit it replaces. Temperature-sensitive components such as the throttle valve are located downstream of the intercooler.
The new engines also have an innovative thermal management system with a new map cooling module. APS-coated cylinder liners, fin cooling between the cylinders and a cross-flow cooling concept in the cylinder head are used specifically for the 150PS TSI. This new technology means the 1.5-litre EVO engine is a particularly sprightly motor.
In 150PS guise it develops maximum torque of 250Nm from just 1,500rpm thus taking the Golf hatch, whether equipped with the six-speed manual or the seven-speed DSG gearbox, from rest to 62mph in only 8.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 134mph. Combined economy is put at 55.4mpg for the 150PS 1.5TSI EVO hatchback in six-speed manual form (56.5mpg for the DSG-equipped hatchback), with CO₂ figures of 116g/km for the manual and 114g/km for the DSG automatic.
Figures for the 130PS 1.5TSI EVO BlueMotion models will be available at a later date. This advanced engine will become available in 130PS BlueMotion specification on the Golf SE and SE Navigation in both hatchback and Golf Estate forms.
The 150PS EVO engine is available in the Golf GT and R-Line hatchback trims, and in the Golf GT Estate, with prices starting at £23,445 (RRP OTR).
