2012 Volkswagen Golf Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Volkswagen Golf review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Golf, and includes VW Golf safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

For decades one of the best-selling vehicles in the world, the Volkswagen Golf first went on sale in America back in 1975 as the Rabbit. Offered in three- or five-door hatchback configuration, the Golf is a functional, fuel-efficient, and fun-to-drive small car.

Volkswagen simplifies the Golf lineup for 2012, making it easier to choose the best model for your needs. The unfortunate byproduct of this approach is that you are likely to end up paying for features you don’t really want in order to get others that you do really want. The Golf TDI gets a new 17-inch alloy wheel design this year, and versions of that car equipped with the optional Tech Package feature LED running lights.

Basically, what Volkswagen is doing for 2012 is to offer the Golf in two models, the 2.5L and the TDI, each available with a couple of option packages to create a lineup of six models with names that don’t exactly flow off the tongue. Things shake out like this:

The Golf 2.5L is the most basic model, and is available in three- or five-door configuration, the latter commanding a significant $1,800 premium because it comes standard with an automatic transmission. Standard equipment includes 15-inch steel wheels with plastic wheel covers, air conditioning, power windows with automatic up/down operation, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, cruise control, a trip computer, a compass, and an eight-speaker stereo with a CD player and an auxiliary audio input jack.

The Golf 2.5L With Convenience – see what we mean about how that doesn’t roll elegantly off the tongue? – basically adds a $600 Convenience Package to the standard Golf 2.5L. Bluetooth, heated front seats, and a front center armrest are included on this model.

Next up is the Golf 2.5L With Convenience and Sunroof, which is $2,400 more than the base model. It contains all the features mentioned previously, plus a premium sound system with a CD changer and satellite radio, an iPod connection, and a power sunroof.

If you’d rather drive a Golf with a more fuel-efficient turbo-diesel engine, the TDI model range is available. It starts off with the Golf 2.0L TDI Clean Diesel model, which costs $6,000 more than the standard Golf 2.5L ($4,900 more in five-door configuration). However, it also comes with more standard equipment, adding everything from the top Golf 2.5L model (except the power sunroof) plus 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, and heated washer nozzles.

To better equip your turbo-diesel Golf, get the 2.0L TDI Clean Diesel with Sunroof and Navigation model. Bet you can’t guess what’s included. Or, you could just go with the 2.0L TDI Clean Diesel with Tech Package, which includes a Dynaudio premium sound system, keyless access with push-button start, LED running lights, and bi-Xenon headlights with an active front lighting system.

Volkswagen offers two different engines for the 2012 Golf. If you choose the Golf 2.5L, you’ll get a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine attached to a standard five-speed manual gearbox in the three-door model or a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission in the five-door model. The Tiptronic automatic features a separate gate for manual shifting, and is available as an option on the three-door model. Fuel economy with the manual is 23 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. The automatic gets 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

The Golf 2.0L TDI Clean Diesel models have, you guessed it, a 2.0-liter clean-diesel engine. It makes 140 horsepower but, more importantly, generates 236 lb-ft of torque between 1,750 an 2,500 rpm, helping to ensure that this version of Golf accelerates with authority. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard on all TDI Clean Diesel models, with a six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) optional. The DSG is a fully automated dual-clutch manual transmission that operates like an automatic. Regardless of transmission choice, fuel economy rates 30 mpg in the city and 42 mpg on the highway.

All 2012 Volkswagens, including the Golf, come standard with a Carefree Maintenance Program that allows the owner to obtain all scheduled maintenance during the first three years and 36,000 miles of ownership absolutely free of charge.

Every 2012 Volkswagen Golf is equipped with six airbags, traction and stability control, and four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution.

Crashworthiness is a bit of a mystery, since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) only provides a 4-Star rating for the five-door model’s ability to resist rolling over. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the 2011 version of the Golf five-door a Top Safety Pick, but as this review is written, the IIHS had not yet transferred that accolade to the virtually unchanged 2012 iteration.

Reliability predictions from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates could not be farther apart. Consumer Reports says the Golf is expected to be much better than average in terms of reliability, while J.D. Power and Associates gives the Golf its lowest rating for predicted reliability. Average the two and, well, reliability is likely to be average.

Most Americans prefer to buy the Volkswagen Jetta Sedan, which was redesigned for 2011 and, in the process, cheapened in a variety of ways designed to be invisible to the consumer. The tactic must work, because the new Jetta is selling at greater rates than the previous model, even though quality and dynamic sophistication have taken a step backward.

The good news is that the Golf and the Jetta SportWagen continue to offer high-quality interior components, an independent rear suspension, four-wheel-disc brakes, and a more Germanic driving character. In fact, now that the Jetta SportWagen shares the Golfs front styling and dashboard, it’s basically a Golf SportWagen. How do you like them apples?

Despite its popularity on the global stage, the Volkswagen Golf is a niche player in the American compact car marketplace, dramatically eclipsed by the Jetta Sedan. Our preference is the Golf, because it has a more sophisticated suspension and braking system, has a nicer interior, and features the practicality of a hatchback design. Add the TDI model’s excellent fuel economy, a terrific dependability prediction from Consumer Reports, free scheduled maintenance, and a likely Top Safety Pick laurel from the IIHS, and the Golf is worthy of far more consideration than it gets.

By Christian Wardlaw