Golf

Launch Report: Volkswagen Golf R and Golf GTD

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The best of both worlds

A few months ago, we had the privilege of testing the new Volkswagen Golf GTi 7.5. On the open roads to Graaff-Reinet, this proved to be one of the best cars that we have tested in a while and we really struggled to find any faults with it. Southern Africa is renowned for the highest percentage of GTi’s. In fact, over 350 000 GTi’s have been sold in the region ever since it started with the MK1. Now it is the turn of the Golf R and the Golf GTD to make a trip to our local showrooms and once again, Volkswagen gave us a little taste of what to expect.

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Launched: VW Golf & GTi

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Volkswagen’s Golf range continues to set the trend – we attended the recent press launch.

When thinking about the Golf, my personal recollection is the vivid memory of my childhood friend, whose father owned a Golf GTi Mk2. It became a family member, a car that stayed in the family for 18 years. At the end, the car and family only separated due to unfortunate circumstances. In fact, until today it is likely that you’ll hear a similar story from GTi (or Golf) owners.

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Top 5: Cars of the Year 2016

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So here’s something different. Each year we list our favourite new cars which were launched over the last 12 months but this time around, instead of us telling you which ones we liked, our Facebook page invited YOU to vote your favourite new ride of 2016.

The list of candidates was chosen from the launches we attended or vehicles we thought were brilliant newcomers and worthy of being included in this line-up.

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Tested: 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTi Clubsport

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The clever touches

The Volkswagen Golf GTI has long been the yardstick for all performance hatchbacks to be measured by. One can certainly see this in our daily traffic, where the fast Wolfsburger ruthlessly outnumbers its rapid counterparts. For those wishing to stick out a little more, there’s now the limited-edition GTI Clubsport.

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Lineage: Golf GTi

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Volkswagen just announced the last Golf 7 GTi model, so we take a look at a car closing in on 45 years of existence. To this day, VW’s front-wheel driven high-performance hatch remains a true car for the people. So much so, that 33% of all new Golf owners in South Africa opt for a GTi badge on theirs. That ranks Southern Africa as one of the top 10 countries, when it comes to GTi ownership, worldwide. N.B.: These are local / ZA specs while photos are of international models. Other high-performance Golfs like VR6 or Golf R have been excluded from this list.

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Top List: Boot Space

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Ag no man. Your mother-in-law is coming along on holiday and the kids want to take ALL their toys and sports equipment along. Where are you going to fit all of this?

Perhaps you have already invested in a sizable trailer and decent roof-top box but your car simply can’t handle more luggage. Well, we at NamWheels love to help and have compiled a list of cars with at least 400L of luggage space. Big enough to put your skoonma in the boot.

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Tested: Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Trendline 2.0 TDi

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The recreational van

Say the name “Volkswagen Caddy” and two cars from my youth spring to mind. First was my father’s 1,800 Sport which brother-dearest and I used for Dad’s business and our own pleasure – the front tyres lasted 12,000km. Then there was my buddy’s Sport which eventually became a 250kW turbo monster around Tony Rust.

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List: South African Cars of the Year

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Our southern neighbours have a guild of motoring journalists who, not always without some controversy, selected their pick of new cars since 1986. Here is a list of all winners since then and some links to our NamWheels Cars of the Year lists further down: 

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