Gripenfelter
07-25-2003, 08:29 AM
http://www.thecarconnection.com/images/gallery/7057_image.jpg
Volkswagen AG released the first images of the 2005 Golf V Wednesday, and it appears VW is looking for a bit more muscle in the little hatchback that started the hatch trend thirty years ago.
The stance of the new Golf is distinctive among Golfs, but certain lines look similar to others in the segment like the Protégé5 and Suzuki Aerio. The front end and shoulders of the Golf V are slightly more muscled than the outgoing car, but the design is very much evolutionary and not meant to shake up the segment.
The Golf is VW's best selling model globally, though not in the U.S. where the Jetta has always outsold it since its introduction. The platform has been the platform of numerous VW, Audi, Skoda, and Seat models, including the Audi A4 and New Beetle.
Nearly an inch wider than the outgoing Golf, 1.5 inches taller, 2.2 inches longer, with 2.6 more inches of rear seat leg room, Golf V will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, with European launch early next year. The North American debut won't happen until the Detroit auto show in 2005, though the car will go on sale in North America in late December next year.
The Golf V has a revised MacPherson front suspension and a fully independent rear suspension. It will be offered with a six-speed manual transmission, six-speed Tiptronic, and six-speed DSG unit. Engine choices for U.S. cars should include an in-line five-cylinder as a base engine with 150 hp and a 16-valve, 200-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo as the uprated engine. The 2.0T will also be the base engine in the next U.S. GTI.
The GTI model and the 3.2 VR6 setup will not be available at introduction, but will be shown at a later date. The all-new Jetta, built on the same Mark V platform will be introduced about a year from now and will share the same front end as the Golf V. A Jetta Coupe hardtop/convertible is also expected to be introduced in the next two years. —Jim Burt
Volkswagen AG released the first images of the 2005 Golf V Wednesday, and it appears VW is looking for a bit more muscle in the little hatchback that started the hatch trend thirty years ago.
The stance of the new Golf is distinctive among Golfs, but certain lines look similar to others in the segment like the Protégé5 and Suzuki Aerio. The front end and shoulders of the Golf V are slightly more muscled than the outgoing car, but the design is very much evolutionary and not meant to shake up the segment.
The Golf is VW's best selling model globally, though not in the U.S. where the Jetta has always outsold it since its introduction. The platform has been the platform of numerous VW, Audi, Skoda, and Seat models, including the Audi A4 and New Beetle.
Nearly an inch wider than the outgoing Golf, 1.5 inches taller, 2.2 inches longer, with 2.6 more inches of rear seat leg room, Golf V will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, with European launch early next year. The North American debut won't happen until the Detroit auto show in 2005, though the car will go on sale in North America in late December next year.
The Golf V has a revised MacPherson front suspension and a fully independent rear suspension. It will be offered with a six-speed manual transmission, six-speed Tiptronic, and six-speed DSG unit. Engine choices for U.S. cars should include an in-line five-cylinder as a base engine with 150 hp and a 16-valve, 200-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo as the uprated engine. The 2.0T will also be the base engine in the next U.S. GTI.
The GTI model and the 3.2 VR6 setup will not be available at introduction, but will be shown at a later date. The all-new Jetta, built on the same Mark V platform will be introduced about a year from now and will share the same front end as the Golf V. A Jetta Coupe hardtop/convertible is also expected to be introduced in the next two years. —Jim Burt