These days, if you want to cut down on fuel consumption (and cut your fuel bills down to size), you can either buy a bicycle or you can look out for a car that is abstemious in its fuel consumption – a wowser at the bowser, so to speak. However, fuel consumption is the only thing you want to cut down on. You don’t really want to have to sacrifice style, comfort or practicality in order to pinch a few pennies. And this is where the VW Golf 118 TSI Comfortline comes in.

First up, you’ll need to know what the fuel economy stats in the VW Golf 118 TSI Comfortline are, so here goes: 6.5 litres per 100 km on average, which drops to 6.2 litres per 100 km if you take the seven-speed DSG transmission option (the manual’s got six gears, incidentally). But fuel economy doesn’t mean something slow and boring that has all the glamour and power of a second-hand mobility scooter. The direct injection fuel system added to the twin charging means that the VW Golf 118 TSI Comfortline can pump out a maximum of 118kW of power and 240 Nm of torque, which is decent enough in most people’s books and is more than enough for most driving situations outside the race track, which includes towing a trailer or caravan. Not bad for a mid- to a large sized hatchback.

And, of course, the 118 TSI Comfortline has all the VW Golf features such as the combination of a compact and well-styled body with generous seats (kind of like my great-aunt) and a five-star ANCAP safety rating. But what makes the Comfortline unique is its interior finish (plus a few tell-tale exterior touches, such as the chrome on the radiator and the 16-inch wheels). These interior features include dual zone climate control, rain sensing windscreen wipers, auto-dimming rear vision mirror, automatic headlights with a cunning coming/leaving home function and a three-spoke multifunction leather-wrapped steering wheel. All the dials, screens (such as the information display for the radio/CD audio system) and buttons are tastefully laid out within easy reach of the driver… and the front passenger can also get to the dual zone climate control and the CD player without any trouble.

Like all versions of the new Volkswagen Golf, the 118 TSI Comfort Line has been engineered to be easy to drive and quiet. This means that everything is designed to reduce vibrations and extra noise. Take the example of the windscreen: it’s big, it allows for lots of visibility and it’s engineered to minimise that wind noise (and, incidentally, reduce the fuel consumption – that noise is caused by friction-causing drag).

Safety inside the VW Golf 118 TSI Comfortline is superb. The way that the Comfortline won its 5-star ANCAP rating is through a combination of an active-safety ESP system that incorporates ABS brakes, and ASR (anti-slip regulation) traction control, plus the passive safety features that include a super-tough protective body cell, seven airbags (including a knee bag for the driver) and whiplash-reducing headrests and seat design. And the VW Golf 118 TSI Comfortline adds in Volkswagen’s CISS (Crash Impact Sound Sensor), which “hears” the sounds associated with an impending crash (as well as sensing deceleration) and starts to get the seatbelt pretensioners and the airbags ready to go. However, the CISS is not a sissy, and can tell the difference between you braking and swerving to avoid the neighbour’s idiot cat and you banging on the brakes to avoid a major collision.

And those who choose to can upgrade their VW Golf 118 TSI Comfort-line by selecting the Sport Package that includes sports seats, sports suspension and 17 inch wheels. The Volkswagen Golf handles well around the corners with just the basic Comfortline package – this is enhanced even further by the sports suspension in this optional package.

The current model series includes the:

• VW Golf 118 TSI Comfortline

For any more information on the VW Golf 118 TSI Comfortline, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Volkswagen dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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