IT’S a fair criticism that most motoring articles today are written about electric vehicles (EVs), but the irrefutable fact is that because of the drive towards electrification by governments, lobbyists and manufacturers, almost every piece of motoring news released is written about EVs.
At the 2023 German Motor Show recently, there were twice as many Chinese electric cars at the show than there were in 2022 and EVs vastly outnumbered petrol and diesel cars – further evidence of the march of the electric car leaving non-EV news items fewer and further between.
But just for a nice change this article features the announcement of what could only be described as an automobile old friend, and this old friend has more petrol options than electric. A new car has joined the Volkswagen Golf line-up, and the new kid on the block has additional and exclusive features that go above and beyond Golf’s top-of-the-line R-Line edition. Now in its eighth generation, the VW golf has been a family hatch and a company car workhorse, as well as a boy and girl racer’s car of choice – and it has great resale values.
Volkswagen has added extra style, performance and exclusivity to the range with the new Black Edition which went on sale on September 7. The Black Edition sits between the R-Line and GTE models and comes packed with exciting and exclusive features and loads of style.
Extras on the Black Edition not even included on the R-Line include 18-inch black Bergamo alloy wheels, a Winter Pack, a rear-view camera, and the Black Style Package, including an illuminated strip between the headlights, recessed and illuminated door handles, black exterior mirror housings and LED Plus headlights.
There are sports seats in the front, tinted glass in the rear, and R-Line body-coloured bumpers. Interior ambient lighting with 30 colour options complete the Black Edition’s head-turning good looks.
The Black Edition comes with a choice of three advanced powertrains, all providing sparkling performance, impressive refinement and high efficiency. There’s a 1.5 TSI 150bhp petrol with a six-speed manual box, a 1.5 eTSI 150bhp mild hybrid with seven-speed automatic direct-shift gearbox (DSG) and the 2.0 TSI petrol, putting out 190bhp with a seven-speed DSG and 4MOTION all-wheel drive (exclusive to Black Edition).
As expected from any Volkswagen, this new model also offers notable value for money. Its additional features, compared with the R-Line, would normally cost approximately £2,900, but with the new model they cost just £1,500. On the road prices start at £31,985 on the road, including VAT. If you like to purchase your new car on a finance scheme, the Golf Black is available with a £2,000 deposit contribution and a 6.9-per-cent personal contract plan from Volkswagen Financial Services. If you are in the market for a performance car, the Black Edition Golf could well be worth a test drive.
