Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Volkswagen Golf which will see the facelifted eighth-generation model introduced and company CEO Thomas Schäfer has hinted that it could be the last combustion-engined version of the world’s best-selling hatch.
The VW Golf 8.5 will feature updated styling, revised hybrid powertrains and a reworked cabin with larger displays and upgraded digital functions.
According to Autocar, Volkswagen has reacted to criticism of the eighth-generation Golf with updated digital controls and higher-quality materials for the 2024 model.
Included is a new 10.4in instrument display and a 12.9in central infotainment screen, and the climate control ‘slider’ now lights up for use at night. The digital menu for the infotainment system is also simplified, with larger icons introduced in an attempt to make it much easier to use.
Further changes centre on the steering wheel, which receives traditional buttons in place of the capacitive controls of today’s Golf. There is also a new centre console and reworked door trims – the latter with what Volkswagen calls ‘Atrilur’, a recycled material similar to Alcantara, in upper-end Golf models.
The publication continues to note that according to their sources, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrols and diesels will get mild-hybrid assistance in new eTSI and eTDI models. The same applies to the highly tuned EA888 petrol four-pot used by the GTI and R.