SpursMadDave Posted March 1, 2019 Report Share Posted March 1, 2019 My thoughts exactly. I think true hot hatch fans will be increasingly turning to the Polo GTI, S1, or even the good looking new Pug 208. The base model looks good, so the GTI will look even better - even if it probably won't quite have the build quality of the german cars. I am told that the new A3 / RS3 will have the same "stretched limo" look as the mk8 Golf and the new focus.. These cars will be bristling with gadgets, touch screen tech (and annoying 'driver aids') on the inside, but i think they are missing the point..Trouble is the masses might be happy with all that, and VW probably need to playing safe for the foreseeable. Shame though as seems the Polo will be the new Golf kind of, small and sporty and the Gold will be a long nosed monstrosity...Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk PhilC22 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregozedobe Posted March 2, 2019 Report Share Posted March 2, 2019 8 hours ago, SpursMadDave said: Trouble is the masses might be happy with all that, and VW probably need to playing safe for the foreseeable. Shame though as seems the Polo will be the new Golf kind of, small and sporty and the Gold will be a long nosed monstrosity... Cars generally have grown considerably larger over time, eg look at how the Golf has increased in size from Mk1 to Mk8, the current Golf is bigger than the original Passat. This trend is even more pronounced with some other manufacturer's models, eg the original Honda Civic was a very small car, way smaller than the current Civic, similarly for the original (rear drive) Toyota Corolla compared with the current model. This increase in size has caused some less obvious problems such as parking spaces and garages in older houses no longer being big enough for the cars that owners want to put in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R 4 life Posted March 2, 2019 Report Share Posted March 2, 2019 https://www.carwow.co.uk/volkswagen/golf/news/2367/volkswagen-golf-mk8-2017-price-specs-and-release-date Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyT Posted March 2, 2019 Report Share Posted March 2, 2019 That front end is terrible, I hope it looks better in the flesh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk_88 Posted March 2, 2019 Report Share Posted March 2, 2019 My god that front end is hideous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilC22 Posted March 2, 2019 Report Share Posted March 2, 2019 36 minutes ago, Kirk_88 said: My god that front end is hideous! That Carwow pic is the best one I have seen of the front end, and I have to agree. As a 'face' its like a miserable cat that hasn't been fed for a week. And all in the name of pedestrian safety.. As for the 'continual size bloat', I suspect that this is now a real problem for the guys that do the GTI/R/RS/TypeR versions of family hatchbacks because the framework they have to work with is getting ever more inappropriate. The hot hatch should be "small and nippy" (that is the essence of the car) and that is no longer the case with the Golf/Focus/Civic type cars. As a hot hatch fan, I don't give a sh*t about being able to comfortably fit someone 6ft tall in the back, so wish that VW would allow the Polo GTI to emerge from the shadow of its (very) big brother. The new Polo is very good by most accounts (and certainly looks better than the new Golf), but all reviewers say that VW have "obviously held back" on several aspects of the handling and performance (inc. de-tuning the engine) so it doesn't 'tread on the toes' of the new Golf GTI. A pity because this will probably push potential customers into the arms of Audi - assuming that a new S1 becomes a reality. I'm sure that the new Golf will do well as a boring, fuel efficient, family car (as it will have all the usual Golf traits of reliability, practicality and build quality), but it will be interesting to see how the performance models sell as there is now some serious competition out there. blower 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonSW Posted March 2, 2019 Report Share Posted March 2, 2019 2 hours ago, R 4 life said: https://www.carwow.co.uk/volkswagen/golf/news/2367/volkswagen-golf-mk8-2017-price-specs-and-release-date Thanks for the link. I have taken the liberty of including their (artist's?) picture of a Mk8 R here. If carwow, object, I'll take it down. Even in R trim, that front end is truly dreadful. I'm also very concerned about the size bloat. It was a major factor in me binning the 5 series and getting something more like the size of an early noughties 3 series - the 5 was humongous. Parking and manoeuvring in small spaces was a nightmare. The 450 litre boot is a plus and increases the amount of potential buyers. What fascinates me is that, behind the gopping nose, car park space challenging width and fancy big screens, it's no particular technical advance on what we have now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blower Posted March 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2019 The other thing that’ll be noticeable when you stand front on will be the Golf’s increased track – the space between the left and right wheels – is set to be wider to allow for more cabin room and to make the car handle better in bends. Wider it may be....but longer wheel base is going to hurt cornering performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampantdidact Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 Don't think the carwow image is the real deal, just a concept image. Found this video (second image on the link), if it's real the front end doesn't look too bad. https://m.wheels24.co.za/News/watch-new-2019-vw-golf-8-spotted-testing-in-sa-20190211 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonSW Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 I paused that video for the front end. It does look better but there is also a lot of black around the lights so not sure if they are partly false on that test car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveGrohl Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 I hope you're right. I'm a bit suspicious that it looks so much like the mk7.5 that it's just someone's 7/7.5 with a bit of bodykit. I'd love you to be right though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampantdidact Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 The creases in the shoulder line are different from the 7 and in line with the other leaks, it looks pretty genuine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blower Posted March 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 From the quality of all the spy video's, ya would think that the iPhone 1 has only just been released in South Africa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vidman Posted March 4, 2019 Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 Something just does not look right in those pictures, I will wait till I see one in the flesh before deciding but on this evidence I will certainly not be ordering the new R I had promised myself. Now seriously considering the A35 which looks to be better match for me than the A45, Booth11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belfast col Posted March 4, 2019 Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 Not sure we should all panic just yet. The GTi and R will always be pumped up and this image isn't so bad!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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