Volkswagen Golf is possibly the most important car in the whole universe. They have sold over 29 million units of it, which is quite something. So every time they launch a new model, expectations are a little higher than before. Now, Autocar dispatched Vicky Parrot to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the new boy, the Mk7 Golf.

Vicky’s verdict on the car is all good good good. She’s driving the 1.4 TSI model with the DSG gearbox in GT trim. It is quite a fancy set up and costs good money too, but then it’s full of useful features such cylinder deactivation (on a four-cylinder engine!) to help save more fuel and a brilliant infotainment system. She also likes the way it drives and feels, and also adores its refinement.

Powering the VW Golf VII is a new range of petrol and diesel engines, all of which incorporate Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems. At launch, the petrol engines are a 1.2-litre TSI 85 PS unit returning 4.9 l/100 km (around 57.6 mpg and 113 g/km), and a 1.4-litre TSI 140 PS unit with Active Cylinder Technology, which can deactivate two of the cylinders, and achieves up to 4.8 l/100 km (58.9 mpg and 112 g/km). The launch diesel engines are a 1.6-litre unit with 105 PS, which returns 3.8 l/100 km (74.3 mpg and 99 g/km), and a 2.0-litre 150 PS unit which returns 4.1 l/100 km (68.9 mpg and 106 g/km).