Though it is small in look and appearance, but the VW Golf Cabriolet is a unique figure in itself. The VW has made its Cabriolet within the reach of ordinary buyer. Though there are some competent rivals of this car such as the Audi TT, Audi A3 and BMW 2-Series Convertible, but all these brands are out of the reach of the common man. The good thing in the Cabriolet is this, it is not cheap to buy but also affordable to live with due to its make. It is based on VW’s sixth-generation of mechanicals rather than seventh-generation. With efficient engines it offers very low running cost.
The VW is well known for its elegance, comfort and standard. We find these qualities in its Cabriolet as well. The interior is up to the standard. The dashboard is simple, plain and fitted with easy to use equipment. All controls are very clear and well arranged. The seating arrangement is good.
The front seats are exceptional with lot of adjustments. The driver seat and the position of steering-wheel with adjustments offer a perfect driving position. The VW has equipped its Cabriolet with dual Zone climate control, parking sensors, efficient wind reflector, electronic traction control, cruise control, alloy wheels and DAB radio. The roof is of good style with neat and effective folding stance. The roof fabric is awesome and enhances the beauty of this Cabriolet while it is on.
There is a good and efficient engine range for VW Golf Cabriolet. With some refinements and improvements the VW has impressed its audience by its speedy petrol engines along with efficient and economical diesel engines.
The diesel engine range starts from 1.6litre TDI BlueMotion version which is capable of 103bhp and 184lb/ft torque. It is little bit slow in performance and takes 11.7 seconds to get from 0-062m/h with top speed of 117m/h. The most impressive thing of this diesel engine is its massive fuel average of 64m/g with low CO2 emissions of 117g/km. It is fitted with five-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive unit as standard.
This version is capable of 110bhp and 184lb/ft torque, slightly more powerful than 1.6 litre diesel engine. It takes 11.3 seconds to reach from 0-62m/h with 117m/h top speed. The fuel consumption is as good as we expect from a four-cylinder BlueMotion diesel engine. It gives 65m/g of fuel average with 117g/km of CO2 emissions.
Now the power comes into the action and we feel the difference in performance. This version is capable of 138bhp and 236lb/ft torque, a good and effective combination of power and pull. The sprint time frame for 0-62m/h slips down from 11.3 to 9.6 seconds and speed goes up to 127m/h from 117m/h.
The fuel consumption is also efficient with 55m/g and emissions are well-controlled to 134g/km. This version is equipped with six-speed DSG automatic gear transmission and front-wheel drive system.
This diesel engine is of 148bhp and 268lb/ft torque. It is the fastest diesel engine in the lineup with 8.9 seconds for 0-62m/h sprint. The top speed of this engine is 128m/h. the fuel consumption is also impressive with 60m/g and CO2 emissions are 125g/km. This version is also fitted with six-speed DSG automatic transmission and front-wheel drive unit as standard.
The 1.2 litre TSI petrol engine is of 103bhp and 129lb/ft torque. It is of four-cylinder and eight-valve engine and takes 11.1 seconds to get from 0-62m/h with top speed of 116m/h. The performance is little bit slow but fuel consumption rate is extra ordinary. It gives 54m/g of fuel average with affordable 119g/km of CO2 emissions. This petrol version engine is equipped with six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive system.
This is a powerful petrol engine with 125bhp and 148lb/ft torque. The power comes out from its sixteen valves. It takes 9.6 seconds to reach from 0-62m/h and the top speed of this engine is 123m/h.
The fuel average is good with 52m/g and CO2 emissions are 124g/km. This petrol version is available in seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox and front-wheel drive assembly.
This petrol version is capable of 150bhp and 184lb/ft torque. It is good in speed and takes 8.5 seconds to get from 0-62m/h. The top speed of this engine is 129m/h. It is quite efficient in fuel consumption and gives 53m/g of fuel average with 123g/km of CO2 emissions. Seven-speed DSG transmission and front-wheel drive system is clipped with this version as standard.
This is the fastest version in the whole engine lineup of this stylish and smart Cabriolet. This is capable of 158bhp and a80lb/ft torque. It takes the least time to reach from 0-62m/h with 8.1 seconds. The top speed of this version is 134m/h. The fuel average slips down from the 50s to 44m/g with 148g/km of CO2 emissions.
The VW Cabriolet has enough space for four adults. The front seats are with sufficient leg room and reasonable head room is also there at front and at rear while the roof is up. The rear seats offer good sitting experience. The boot space is reasonably good when the rear seats drop down. The boot is of 250-litres whether the roof is up or down. The roof folds in a Z-shape pattern which doesn’t eat the boot space and storage capacity.
There is always a question mark in front of the reliability of this Cabriolet. The 89th position in Driver Power Owner Satisfaction Survey 2015 is not a good result at all. The safety factors are up to standards. Air bags, electronic stability control, driver alert system, parking sensors, anti-lock braking system and cruise control with traction control are available in the VW Golf Cabriolet.
