VW is showcasing four Golf models at the New York Auto Show: the Golf SportWagen Concept which previews a production model arriving in 2015, the Golf GTI and Golf R hot hatches, and the e-Golf electric vehicle. The German automaker’s booth also includes the dimly refreshed 2015 VW Jetta sedan.
The Golf SportWagen will replace the Jetta SportWagen in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2015, with the new car based on the seventh-generation Golf. Although it is labeled as a concept, there’s nothing concept car-like about it. The Golf SportWagen will be offered with the new 150hp 2.0-liter TDI Clean Diesel unit and the 160hp 1.8-liter turbocharged gasoline unit.
With the launch of the Golf SportWagen, the Jetta will remain only a sedan. The 2015 model brings very discrete styling updates inside and out, with the main change being the addition of the new 2.0-liter TDI Clean Diesel engine producing 150 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque (320 Nm). The 2015 VW Jetta will arrive in U.S. dealerships in the third quarter of 2014.
VW has used the New York show to announce pricing for the 2015 VW Golf GTI, which starts from $24,395 (plus $820 for destination and handling) for the three-door model. That makes it $195 more expensive than the previous-generation GTI. Compared to the previous model, the new Golf GTI has 10 hp more (210hp) and additional standard features such as driving mode selection feature, VW Car-Net connected services, touchscreen radio, leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, ambient and footwell lighting with LED reading lights and LED foglights.
The e-Golf electric vehicle will go on sale in select states in the fourth quarter of 2014 in five-door form only, while the Golf R will arrive in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2015 also exclusively as a five-door model.
By Dan Mihalascu
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