Golf is Back, Hatchbacks Rule Again
With the number of hatchbacks proliferating in the US market, albeit under names like "crossover" and "sports wagon," the granddaddy of them all still rules. Always sold in the rest of the world as Golf, it was renamed Rabbit for North Americans, eventually became Golf, briefly went back to being called Rabbit (I trust the idiot who made that decision has left the company) and now, hopefully forever, it's a Golf again. Volkswagen, unlike some other automakers, never saw anything negative about the term "hatchback." Okay, let the guy have his job back.
The 2010 Golf Euro-style hatches will soon be in dealer showrooms, led by the fuel-sipping 2-liter TDI turbodiesels. TDI models come with a higher level of equipment than a base gasoline Golf, and start at $21,990 or $22,590 with a six-speed manual gearbox. The new GTI starts at $23,290. But if fuel economy is less important than initial price you can still get a base two-door, 2.5-liter gas-powered Golf for $17,490. The government's EPA site rates the Golf TDI at an impressive 30 mpg city and 42 highway, up two mpg from last year. All feature handsome styling, excellent handling, and traditional German engineering.
[UK model shown]
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