First look: 2004 Golf tees off

VOLKSWAGEN has released the first pictures of its fifth generation Golf.

Only the five-door hatchback has been unveiled. Images of the three-door hatch are expected to follow closer to the new car’s world debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

But Australians won’t get an opportunity to buy the new Golf before the last quarter of next year, probably at the Sydney motor show. And following from 2005 will be four-door Bora sedan and Golf station wagon versions, along with a range of high-performance engine models.

In keeping with its 29-year heritage, the Mk5 Golf offers small car buyers an evolutionary interpretation of the current car.

Most obviously altered is the nose, where larger headlights and a more pronounced grille now sit above a bolder bumper bar that features bigger air intakes.

More changes can be seen in the mildly upsweeping window line, which adds a slight wedge to the Golf’s profile for the first time, while the more rounded tail-lights reflect the headlight treatment’s twin-circular theme.

Otherwise the Golf’s trademark wide C-pillar, deep side windows and flared wheel arch design cues remain.

Compared to today’s car, the new Golf has grown in every direction. It is 1759mm wide, 1483mm tall and 4204mm long. The increased dimensions should be most felt by the rear passengers, whose legroom and headroom measurements rise by 65mm and 24mm respectively.

But VW has not yet shown the crucial all-new interior. The current car may be best remembered for introducing soft-feel, high quality cabin materials to the mainstream market.

Of more concern to keen drivers is a complete rethink of new Golf’s running gear.

The biggest departure is the adoption of a four-link independent rear suspension that is rumoured to be similar in design to the radical “cross-blade” system found in the Ford Focus.

This means that the torsion bar and coil set-up that the 1974 original helped establish as the staple among front-wheel drive small cars is gone in the new Golf.

VW has also revealed that the static bodyshell is 80 per cent more rigid than the current car.

This, along with the new rear suspension and electro-mechanical power steering that VW is claiming will enhance straight-line precision, should help the Mk5 Golf deliver much improved handling, ride and refinement characteristics.

The current car has been living in the dynamic shadow of the acclaimed Ford Focus. Allegedly determined not to let such a thing happen again, VW managed to acquire the services of one of Ford’s key engineers, Dr Ulrich Eichhorn.

VW says it will also adopt direct fuel injection (FSI) to all its Golf engines. FSI offers more efficient fuel combustion capabilities.

Australian-bound cars are likely to be powered by 85kW 1.6-litre and 110kW 2.0-litre FSI four-cylinder engines. They compare favourably to the 75kW 1.6 and 85kW 2.0 motors that are currently doing service.

Pedals that collapse in an accident and a new type of safety steering column add to a standard safety features list that will include six airbags.

The Golf is the third model announced using VW’s new small car platform, being preceded by the Holden Zafira-style VW Touran and second generation Audi A3.

The next six months promises to be a bonanza for new small car activity.

Alongside the Golf and the next generation Opel/Holden Astra revealed this month, Ford is poised to strike back with the Mk2 Focus at the Geneva motor show next March.

Nissan, in the meantime, is preparing an all-new Pulsar, which is based on the radical Mk2 Renault Megane that is due here in October.