Volkswagen Golf Hatchback (2013 - 2020) 1.4 TSI Bluemotion Tech S 5d DSG Owner Review

Have owned various cars including previous Golf marks before. This is by far the best all-round family car I have ever owned or driven. The engine and gearbox are super smooth, and the ride is comfortable, quiet, but has a positive sports feel to it, giving the total effect of complete control. I opted for the 1.4 TSI GT ACT BMP (150) DSG spec model (bit of a mouthful), as I wanted something a little bit more special, but without the high fuel or insurance costs of the full GTi model. Have owned it from 6 months old (4K miles), and the car has just reached 3 years old now. I don't like cars that are trying to be too fashionable, or have too much 'bling'. This car has a nice balance of style, tech, and bright-work, without shouting about its pedigree or quality. This is the first car I've owned with a DSG gearbox, and I can happily say that it is bery pleasant to drive with. It cycles through the gears with zero fuss, and switches between 4 and 2 cylinders using ACT without any noticeable difference. Both features give the drive a super smooth feel to it. Even when you put the foot down for an overtake, the engine delivers plenty of power, whilst keeping quiet at the exhaust end. It's actually very stealthy for this reason. The active braking assist is without doubt one of the best driver aids I've ever had. Less than 10 miles after picking up the car from our local VW dealer, a taxi driver pulled out of a junction he had no business pulling out of, and put himself right in front of my car, giving me no chance. In that split second before I could get to the brake pedal, the radar had spotted the danger, and had already applied the brake for me. I stopped millimetres from his driver's door, so proof already that the system works. Had it not been fitted with this system, it would have been a collision without any doubt. All new cars should be fitted with this type of system as far as I'm concerned, as it would make a huge difference to our insurance premiums, and more importantly, save lives. I love this car and have no regrets about buying it. And yes, I did buy it (no PCP or HPI finance crap). However, it does have a few niggles... The combination of DSG and electric handbrake make it difficult to control at slow speed and on hills. Unless you have the 'auto-hold' function switched on full time, it is almost impossible to hold the car stationary on a hill using the accelerator. Take your foot off the accelerator, and it starts to roll back. Put your foot back on the brake to stop it rolling, and the engine-stop kicks in. It's very annoying, meaning you have no option but to use the auto-hold function of the electric brake. The hill-hold function on the old fully automatic version was perfect by comparison, requiring no accelerator input to hold steady on a hill. Also, it's tricky to creep forward in slow moving traffic. The DSG transfers too much power with no pedal input. But as soon as you touch the brake pedal to slow forward momentum, it kills all the forward drive. There's no happy medium. Again, the old fully automatic was perfect in this situation, as you could easily control forward momentum at engine idle speed using the brake alone. Another negative is that the parking sensors can on occasion be set off by - as far as I can tell - strong direct sunlight. Has happened to me a few times in both winter and summer. It doesn't impact the driving of the car, but it's an unwelcome distraction nonetheless. Although the car is fitted with a fairly competent all-round parking sensor system, the reverse lights are dangerously weak in terms of light output. I've got very good eyesight, and I struggle every time to reverse in the dark. Obviously, this becomes a problem when you are reversing near a kerb, as the parking sensors won't detect low lying objects. A number of times, I've had to stop the car, get out, and actually look at what's behind me just to be sure I'm not going to hit something in the dark. Never had this issue with the mark 4 or 5 Golf I owned (as they had better reverse lights), so this is a step backwards in development in the name of style. The rear light clusters are not sealed on the inside, meaning moisture and insects can get in there. Once again, previous marks of Golf I owned were better designed in this area, and did not have these issues. One of the light clusters failed completely due to corrosion of the terminals, so had to be replaced under warranty. I can only imagine the other 3 rear light clusters will eventually end up the same way and I'll have to replace at my own expense. Not happy with VW, failing to notice or address built-in failures. All in all, a brilliant car, but not without some small design issues.