MotorMartin has been having great fun reminiscing about World events from the years of each Mk of Golf’s birth, the most recent being the Golf MkIV which debuted way back in 1997. And even though the much acclaimed MkIV Golf was a refined and intelligently designed family hatchback, it always felt a cut above. Time does not stand still though and those boffins at Volkswagen were already working on the next incarnation of Golf, all of which brings us forward towards this, the fifth Golf.
Volkswagen have informed MotorMartin that, in their opinion, the Golf’s debut in 2003 left many a competitor from the higher mid-class standing with its comfort, dynamism and quality and that just one year later, a 200PS Golf with black radiator grille and sports seats in the legendary tartan “Interlagos” fabric heralded the comeback of the GTI. It’s really no surprise then to anyone here in MotorMartin Towers, that demand for the Golf, and demand for the GTI, has never let up since. In fact, to date, the Golf GTI is the most successful sportscar in the compact segment. Volkswagen say that the Golf itself is unassailable as the best-selling European car ever. So now, just before the launch of this bestseller update in November, it’s the perfect time to take a look back: at the Golf MkV and 2003.
In 2003, Europe experienced a particularly long, hot, summer. Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley feature in ‘‘Pirates of the Caribbean’’ whilst the greatest of all little heroes remains the sorcerer’s apprentice in the 55 million-selling book ‘‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’’.
It’s previously been stated by VW that the automobile highlight of the year is the new Golf MkV – bigger, safer and higher quality. By 2003, MotorMartin has been informed, the Golf had been the bestselling car from Germany for almost three decades and it has generally come to be regarded as ‘The’ car par excellence, as the only truly classless compact class model. And the fifth Golf? Volkswagen confidently state that it is still built on the DNA of the first generation – but the MkV itself is visually reinvented. The design of the Golf MkV with the characteristic C-pillar; the powerful rear; the sporty front end and the muscular silhouette rising toward the rear shows pure dynamism. Another Golf innovation is the front end: for the first time, the bonnet follows the contour of the headlight, like a sports car. Impressive features indeed.
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