MacGuffin
Forum Addict
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2008
- Messages
- 8,329
- Location
- Wilhelmshaven, Germany
- Car(s)
- '17 Ford Mustang GT Fastback
I realized that I reviewed all those fancy SUV's and luxury cars in the past, so people might think I'm not used to driving simple, down-to-earth vehicles anymore.
Wrong. I own one
I suppose the VW Golf IV is so common, that nobody ever bothered with writing a review here in the forum. But it has a reason, why it was/is so common: It's a really good car.
Set your internal clock back to 1998. The Golf IV was introduced, the first Golf developed under the supervision of CEO and later chosen "car manager of the century" Ferdinand Piech.
And all the motoring journalists stood with open jaws because of the attention to detail the 4th generation Golf was given:
- VW had developed blue LED lighting for the instruments and dashboard, which was very expensive back in those days. They introuced it in the Passat and then also put it into the Golf IV. The blue and red lighting design is still nice to watch at night, even today.
- The handles above the doors didn't just snap back by a spring, when you let them go, no... they slowly glided back due to some dampening fluid. Also a very expensive development but Ferdinand Piech has always been all about details.
- The dashboard went from boxy hard plastic in the Golf III to softly curved foamed rubber in the Golf IV, which was also a first at the time. The way the Golf IV looked and felt to the touch, was a revelation in those days. It was the first hatchback with a premium aura.
- The doors shut with a satisfying "plop" instead of a metallic "clang", the overall noise was silenced down, most dramatically the engine noises. There were no vibrations anymore from the diesel engines (the Golf III diesels rattled like a tractor) and the petrol engines were hardly noticable anymore in idle and at low revs. For the first time in a hatchback the loudest noise was the tires.
Perhaps the biggest flaw of the car is the crappy rear visibility to the right rear end of the car. You have to use the side mirror for help when parralel parking, because there is no sense of how close you are to an obstacle.
The progress on quality feeling and interior design was so dramatic back then, that it took main competitor Opel six years to come up with something similar and in my opinion the 2004 (and still current) Astra is still not on the same level with the Golf IV. As a matter of fact, many hatchbacks of today still haven't cought up with the Golf IV qualitywise.
My own Golf IV has the 1.6 liter petrol engine with 101 HP. I had the 90 HP TDI version before that, too (I sold it for 5000 Euros with 198.000 km on the odometer!).
This current one is now 10 years old and has mostly been moved in and around town, with hardly ever covering a distance of more than 60 km in one piece. That's why it only has about 66.000 km on the odometer.
As you can see from the pictures, there are signs of use but the overall quality impression hasn't suffered a bit. Even the light grey seats and carpet pieces still look good. It is still a presentable car.
And no, I didn't treat it particularly well. It sees a car wash every half year or so and it just had a major cleanup on the inside the first time in about 3 years.
The 1.6 liter engine needs to be reved in order to move the car fast -- which it actually does without being tenacious -- and it even has some torque. It is no problem to cruise in 5th gear at 50 km/h in town and still accelerate without having to shift down each time.
The top speed according to the speedometer is close to 200 km/h but the needle of the rev counter is shortly before the red then and the engine gets very loud at around 160 km/h. Acceleration is okay in third gear from about 60 km/h to 120 km/h, which is essential for overtaking a truck on a country road.
Handling is fine, too, the car reacts very nimble and behaves uncritical. It doesn't have a very sporty setup, though, and the Firestone tires I currently have monted, produce a screeching noise rather early in corners. I think I will go to Continentals next time.
At higher speeds on the Autobahn there is also some sensitivity towards crosswinds.
Ride comfort is good but the back wheels have a tendency to trample on rough surfaces and unalligned joints in the road, if you cross them with both wheels at the same moment. If it's a particularly nasty bump, there even is a hard blow coming from there then.
There is lots of space in the front (not so much in the back with me in the front), the sitting area of the seats is a bit short for my long thighs, though. The headrest also barely reaches above my ears.
It's a very practical car (I already had several trips to IKEA without a problem) and suitable for shopping trips and even some long distance travel. The seats are good enough, that you won't end up whacked even after a 600 km trip.
Now about the equipment and let me tell you that everything without any exception still works fine and there is not a single problem in sight. The optional extras this car has, are:
- Heated front seats
- Rain sensor
- Heated side mirrors
- Power windows on all 4 doors
- Electrical glass sunroof
What it lacks compared to newer Golf IV's, is air condition, a remote key access and ESP. Those became standard in later years in the Golf IV but I can live without these things, especially since the blower in the dashboard can produce a mild hurricane and the sunroof does a fine job with circulating air as well. It's not getting nearly hot enough here anyway to really make use of an air condition, especially since my trip to work only takes 10 minutes anyway.
The standard VW speakers sound quite well with the JVC radio/CD-player I put in. Could use a bit more bass, though.
Over the years there have been some repairs:
- Rev control in idle had to be adjusted a couple of times
- The frontlights washers have a leak. I simply disconnected them, because fixing is too expensive and the only real noticable effect they ever had, is emptying the water tank rather quickly. The good thing is: With those frontlight washers installed, the water tank, which is also used for the window washers, takes 7.5 liters of water.
- The plastic tube that leads to the rear window washer, snapped off and had to be fixed with glue, a well-known problem with Golf IV's
- The passenger door power window motor had to be replaced (also a well-known problem with early Golf IV's)
- Lights around the ventilation switches in the center console had to be fixed (probably a slack joint)
- One of the clips that hold the exhaust in place, fell off and the exhaust pipe kept banging on the floor of the car
- Window wiper engine had to be replaced
- Battery failed
That's it. No rust, no other signs of mechanical wearout -- but then again the car has only run 66.000 km yet.
That's all for now. Maybe I will make some vids later.
Wrong. I own one
I suppose the VW Golf IV is so common, that nobody ever bothered with writing a review here in the forum. But it has a reason, why it was/is so common: It's a really good car.
Set your internal clock back to 1998. The Golf IV was introduced, the first Golf developed under the supervision of CEO and later chosen "car manager of the century" Ferdinand Piech.
And all the motoring journalists stood with open jaws because of the attention to detail the 4th generation Golf was given:
- VW had developed blue LED lighting for the instruments and dashboard, which was very expensive back in those days. They introuced it in the Passat and then also put it into the Golf IV. The blue and red lighting design is still nice to watch at night, even today.
- The handles above the doors didn't just snap back by a spring, when you let them go, no... they slowly glided back due to some dampening fluid. Also a very expensive development but Ferdinand Piech has always been all about details.
- The dashboard went from boxy hard plastic in the Golf III to softly curved foamed rubber in the Golf IV, which was also a first at the time. The way the Golf IV looked and felt to the touch, was a revelation in those days. It was the first hatchback with a premium aura.
- The doors shut with a satisfying "plop" instead of a metallic "clang", the overall noise was silenced down, most dramatically the engine noises. There were no vibrations anymore from the diesel engines (the Golf III diesels rattled like a tractor) and the petrol engines were hardly noticable anymore in idle and at low revs. For the first time in a hatchback the loudest noise was the tires.
Perhaps the biggest flaw of the car is the crappy rear visibility to the right rear end of the car. You have to use the side mirror for help when parralel parking, because there is no sense of how close you are to an obstacle.
The progress on quality feeling and interior design was so dramatic back then, that it took main competitor Opel six years to come up with something similar and in my opinion the 2004 (and still current) Astra is still not on the same level with the Golf IV. As a matter of fact, many hatchbacks of today still haven't cought up with the Golf IV qualitywise.
My own Golf IV has the 1.6 liter petrol engine with 101 HP. I had the 90 HP TDI version before that, too (I sold it for 5000 Euros with 198.000 km on the odometer!).
This current one is now 10 years old and has mostly been moved in and around town, with hardly ever covering a distance of more than 60 km in one piece. That's why it only has about 66.000 km on the odometer.
As you can see from the pictures, there are signs of use but the overall quality impression hasn't suffered a bit. Even the light grey seats and carpet pieces still look good. It is still a presentable car.
And no, I didn't treat it particularly well. It sees a car wash every half year or so and it just had a major cleanup on the inside the first time in about 3 years.
The 1.6 liter engine needs to be reved in order to move the car fast -- which it actually does without being tenacious -- and it even has some torque. It is no problem to cruise in 5th gear at 50 km/h in town and still accelerate without having to shift down each time.
The top speed according to the speedometer is close to 200 km/h but the needle of the rev counter is shortly before the red then and the engine gets very loud at around 160 km/h. Acceleration is okay in third gear from about 60 km/h to 120 km/h, which is essential for overtaking a truck on a country road.
Handling is fine, too, the car reacts very nimble and behaves uncritical. It doesn't have a very sporty setup, though, and the Firestone tires I currently have monted, produce a screeching noise rather early in corners. I think I will go to Continentals next time.
At higher speeds on the Autobahn there is also some sensitivity towards crosswinds.
Ride comfort is good but the back wheels have a tendency to trample on rough surfaces and unalligned joints in the road, if you cross them with both wheels at the same moment. If it's a particularly nasty bump, there even is a hard blow coming from there then.
There is lots of space in the front (not so much in the back with me in the front), the sitting area of the seats is a bit short for my long thighs, though. The headrest also barely reaches above my ears.
It's a very practical car (I already had several trips to IKEA without a problem) and suitable for shopping trips and even some long distance travel. The seats are good enough, that you won't end up whacked even after a 600 km trip.
Now about the equipment and let me tell you that everything without any exception still works fine and there is not a single problem in sight. The optional extras this car has, are:
- Heated front seats
- Rain sensor
- Heated side mirrors
- Power windows on all 4 doors
- Electrical glass sunroof
What it lacks compared to newer Golf IV's, is air condition, a remote key access and ESP. Those became standard in later years in the Golf IV but I can live without these things, especially since the blower in the dashboard can produce a mild hurricane and the sunroof does a fine job with circulating air as well. It's not getting nearly hot enough here anyway to really make use of an air condition, especially since my trip to work only takes 10 minutes anyway.
The standard VW speakers sound quite well with the JVC radio/CD-player I put in. Could use a bit more bass, though.
Over the years there have been some repairs:
- Rev control in idle had to be adjusted a couple of times
- The frontlights washers have a leak. I simply disconnected them, because fixing is too expensive and the only real noticable effect they ever had, is emptying the water tank rather quickly. The good thing is: With those frontlight washers installed, the water tank, which is also used for the window washers, takes 7.5 liters of water.
- The plastic tube that leads to the rear window washer, snapped off and had to be fixed with glue, a well-known problem with Golf IV's
- The passenger door power window motor had to be replaced (also a well-known problem with early Golf IV's)
- Lights around the ventilation switches in the center console had to be fixed (probably a slack joint)
- One of the clips that hold the exhaust in place, fell off and the exhaust pipe kept banging on the floor of the car
- Window wiper engine had to be replaced
- Battery failed
That's it. No rust, no other signs of mechanical wearout -- but then again the car has only run 66.000 km yet.
That's all for now. Maybe I will make some vids later.
Last edited: