Skip advert
Advertisement

Volkswagen Golf Mk8.5 – ride and handling

While a little on the soft side in its standard forms, the Golf performs well on UK roads, with reasonable dynamics and NVH

Evo rating
RRP
from £27,420
  • Improved HMI and ergonomics, broad powertrain options
  • HMI still has room for improvement

Ride and handling is as you’d expect from a standard Volkswagen Golf. Dynamics are adequate rather than outstanding. The entry-level eTSI models are comfortable on most roads, but a slow spring rate and chunky sidewall (in certain specifications) does allow for more body roll than we’d like for a more spirited drive. While nothing to complain about on well paved roads, tougher tarmac can uncover a slightly unsophisticated secondary ride, with lateral movements taking longer to settle than we’d like.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Opt for the R-line with lower profile 225-section tyres and you regain some composure, though a slow spring rate remains, with body control lacking – this also makes steering inputs feel less direct than they would otherwise, with some of that initial input translating to roll as opposed to direction change. Learn to work with the weight transfer and you can carry some good speed on a more challenging B-road, but the Mk8.5 Golf is hardly brimming with feedback for a thrilling drive in any of its standard forms. 

The steering has virtually no feedback, as you’d expect from any ordinary car in 2024, but the Golf does have more off-centre resistance than most of its rivals, giving you a greater sense of connection with the front wheels. Steering heft and response are best in the R-Line, but you’ll need to move up the ranks further to the GTI and R for more satisfying steering.

Likely a byproduct of the blend of regenerative braking and friction brakes, eTSI models have unusual brake feel in our experience, with a spongey, resistant feel – we also felt a ‘step’ in the pedal on a few occasions, which adds a dent to the Golf’s solid overall feel. While short, pedal feel is more linear and natural in 150 trim and even better in the R-line, with more than enough stopping power available for most scenarios. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Porsche 989 – dead on arrival
Porsche 989
Features

Porsche 989 – dead on arrival

Porsche’s first saloon might have predated the Panamera by a decade and a half, had the sums added up
22 Jan 2025
‘There are still a few used car bargains. I almost dare not speak their names’
Audi R8
Opinion

‘There are still a few used car bargains. I almost dare not speak their names’

Jethro confesses an addiction, but one that you almost certainly share
24 Jan 2025
Best cheap fast cars 2025 – performance cars on a budget
Best cheap fast cars 2024
Best cars

Best cheap fast cars 2025 – performance cars on a budget

If you buy right and do your research, you can bag a brilliant performance car for as little as £2500. Here are our top second hand picks
17 Jan 2025