Volkswagen Golf review - Interior & comfort

​While the latest Golf’s interior represented a major shift from analogue to digital which made it more modern than the last generation, there were areas where the pre-facelift car felt disappointingly cheap and ergonomic missteps made for some less-than-intuitive controls. The facelift has brought some improvements, and now the cabin gets a nice mix of high-quality materials and sturdy build quality with a polished finish befitting its 50-year heritage.

Unfortunately the dreaded touch-sensitive slide bar is still present, but Volkswagen says it’s been made more responsive and is finally backlit – the lack of backlighting before was a major oversight that made it difficult to use at night. In better news, the haptic controls that used to feature on the steering wheel have been replaced with good old fashioned buttons – sometimes simpler is better, and you’re less likely to press them by mistake while manoeuvring.

Infotainment and navigation

The latest Volkswagen Golf gets a huge 12.9-inch infotainment system sitting on the centre of the dash, and we’re pleased to report that the software is much easier to use than before. There’s now the possibility to add shortcuts to jump to functions of your choosing, and there are permanent icons for things like heated seats, cutting down the amount of submenus you’ll need to navigate.

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While it’s great that many of the pre-facelift Golf’s major usability issues have been rectified for the facelift, it’s a shame Volkswagen hasn’t borrowed the brilliant configurable multi-function physical dials from the Skoda Superb and Kodiaq.

Equipment

As before, the Golf lineup starts with Life trim, which includes a good level of standard equipment. These cars get 16-inch alloy wheels, climate control, wireless smartphone integration, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, plus a digital gauge cluster and the 12.9-inch infotainment (that screen stays the same size across the entire range.)

Match is next up and includes 17-inch alloys, rear privacy glass, keyless entry and go, a reversing camera and high-beam assist. Style models now get an illuminated Volkswagen logo on the grille and higher-quality interior trim, ambient interior lighting, sports seats and three-zone climate control.

R-Line models add a sportier look, plus sports suspension, diamond-cut alloy wheels and a heated sports steering wheel. Black Edition and GTE versions, as well as the GTI hot hatch, add matrix-LED headlights and heated front seats (which you’ll have to pay extra for on lesser models.)

Options

Buyers can choose from a variety of additional paint colours and extra tech. The sound system can be upgraded to Harman Kardon premium system for £600 and you can add VW’s Dynamic Chassis Control with selectable driving modes for £870. Many of the optional extras can be found on higher trims for no extra charge, so it’s worth weighing up whether it's worth springing for a higher spec rather than adding individually.​