The life cycle of the current-generation VW Golf is set to expire, with the all-new Mk8 version officially scheduled to debut on Thursday, October 24 – though, the cat’s already out of the bag.
Before it’s all said and done with regards to the seventh-gen model, around six million units would have been sold, and like its predecessors, the Mk7 was also a best-seller. First, it all started with lightweight construction. VW wanted the Golf to weigh less in order to emit fewer grams of CO2 per km, and by losing roughly 100 kg (220 lbs), the Mk7 also became up to 23% more fuel efficient than the Mk6.
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Of course, we all know how that CO2 thing worked out, but that’s beside the point.
As expected, the Mk7 featured much better driver assistance systems than any Golf that came before it. Examples include the Multi-collision Brake and Front Assist area monitoring system, and City Emergency Brake. Other features include the adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistant, driver fatigue detection, traffic sign recognition, automatic parking system and rear assist camera – all optional extras.
As for its styling, this is what VW design boss Klaus Bischoff had to say about it back when it first came out: “The style is logical, solid, product-oriented, pure, and precise. It reflects the brand’s design DNA as a pure doctrine in form.”
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1997-2003 VW Golf Mk4 Gave Us A Higher Quality Interior, ESC And DSG
2003-2008 VW Golf Mk5 Climbed Up The Premium Ladder
2008-2012 VW Golf Mk6 Made Safety And Comfort Breakthroughs
The seventh-gen Golf utilized the same MQB platform as the third-gen Audi A3, Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia, and thus had a longer wheelbase than its predecessor. Buyers could opt for either the 3-door hatchback, 5-door hatch, a 5-door wagon or the 5-door MPV version (Golf Sportsvan).
A year after its debut, VW unveiled multiple new iteration such as the GTI, GTD, R and the Variant. Electrification took place in 2014, with the GTE and e-Golf making their debuts. As for more recent highlights, we count the 2019 debut of the GTI TCR.
According to VW, the Mk7 stands as one of the three best-selling generations of this product line, which is no small feat.
VW Golf Mk7 Timeline
2012 Delivery of the first Golf Mk7 in November
2013 Debut of the 4MOTION versions
2013 Debut of the Golf GTI, GTD and Golf Variant
2013 Debut of the Golf R
2014 Debut of the e-Golf, GTE, R Variant, GTI Clubsport and GTD Variant
2014 Debut of the Golf R Touch and Connect Golf concepts at CES
2016 VW celebrates “40 years of Golf GTI” with GTI Clubsport S model
2017 Product line update
2017 Update to the Golf Sportsvan
2018 World premiere of the GTI TCR Concept
2019 Debut of the Golf GTI TCR
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