Few readers will be unaware of the Volkswagen Golf – first launched in 1974 it effectively invented the family hatch segment, and 37 million have been built in the half-century since. Some 2.3 million of these have gone to UK buyers, the Golf as much a a fleet stalwart as it is a family favourite.

The latest, eighth generation of the Golf went on sale in 2019, and was widely considered to be the most  significant reimagining of the car for some time. Now, neatly coinciding with the 50th anniversary  of the model line, comes an extensive update, unofficially dubbed ‘Golf 8.5’ by VW personnel and encompassing both the five-door hatch and estate versions of the car.

This is no ‘facelift’ – very few mid-life updates extend to engines and virtually none involve changing the car’s basic underpinnings, but the Golf has now adopted Volkswagen’s latest MQB evo platform as seen in the most recent Tiguan SUV launched earlier this year. What this means for buyers is access to much bang up-to-date technology, particularly a new digital cockpit.

The engines see significant changes too, offering a wide choice of power options running across turbocharged petrol (TSI), turbodiesel (TDI); mild hybrid (eTSI); and plug-in (eHybrid) variants.

Power outputs range between 115 and 272hp and include a new entry-level mild-hybrid petrol engine replacing the previous 110hp three-cylinder unit. That platform change also brings in more powerful plug-in hybrids with significantly more range, though unfortunately these weren’t available at the launch event.

What no EV?

More potent performance models, including the GTI, won’t be far behind these initial launch choices but the fleet audience awaiting a new all-electric Golf will need to be patient. Generation 9 of the Golf will be an EV, and only an EV, but when is still to be revealed.

At one time the Golf was under threat, the Volkswagen ID.3 lined up to replace it, but current VW head Thomas Schäfer, appointed in July 2022, fully appreciates the iconic status of his 50-year old stalwart; “We’d be crazy to get rid of the Golf,” he stated recently, adding that the electric version will be clearly recognisable as a Golf, not any model wearing a Golf badge.

Visually the changes to Golf 8.5 are fairly minor – the LED lamps front and rear are updated with the option of more powerful units, in the case of the fronts extending the beam to some 500 metres. Buyers can now have a horizontal light bar across the front in the grille and even the VW logo on the bonnet is now illuminated.

More significant changes take place inside with the infotainment system hardware and software both completely new. Again following the example of the Tiguan, the Golf now makes use of VW’s latest MIB4 operating system, which is based around a 12.9-inch touchscreen and is said to be more intuitive and user-friendly. Users can now also control various functions of the car by means of ‘IDA’, a voice assistant using ChatGPT technology.

It’s not all touchscreens and voice commands though – VW tells us that customer feedback has resulted in the car having a line of illuminated physical buttons at the base of the touchscreen, while controls have returned to the car’s steering wheel.

Significant additions to the options list include a 260-degree bird’s-eye view camera and from the Autumn of 2024 Park Assist Pro, which will allow remote parking of the car while standing outside it, using a smartphone to control movements.

The look of the Golf does not surprise because it is such a familiar shape, with signature elements such as the wide rear c-pillar, and Volkswagen’s stylists are sensible enough not to be too divisive with any revisions.

So the changes to the new version are subtle and with the major update being to the lighting, effects such as the lighting bar in the grille and illuminated logo won’t seen by the driver anyway. To be honest it’s perhaps too subtle, the the exterior profile now looking ever so slightly dated compared to some recent rivals.

In recent times the Golf’s interior had attracted the odd critical comment and stepping inside Golf 8 drivers will find more notable changes. Apparently there are more premium materials on the dash, doors and upholstery, though the upmarket impression one once expected in a Volkswagen is no longer so obvious – likely as a result of rival brands improving their game to VW’s level rather than the German giant’s quality standards declining.

More obvious changes include the physical buttons now adorning the steering wheel, but the major update is electronic, centred on the new infotainment system based around the high-mounted screen of close to 13 inches.

This system is efficient and the voice assistant a handy way of activating various controls – a good thing because there do seem to be a fair amount of electronic buttons to work through. How to do such simple things as returning to the navigation map on the screen after adjusting the climate control is, initially, not that obvious – though the methodology soon becomes more familiar. And the combination of touch buttons and physical ones is more efficient and easier to use than the layout they replace.

Smooth operator

It’s unfortunate that there were no plug-in hybrids to drive at the launch event as these will obviously be the cars ticking boxes with most of the Business Motoring audience, especially as their all-electric range of around 62 miles is double that of their predecessors while with DC charging now also on offer, battery replenishment will be much swifter.

We would expect such units to be up to the mark, however, as drives with the 1.5-litre 150hp mild-hybrid petrol unit in both hatch and estate versions of the car, and the 2-litre diesel that is still on offer, served to remind us that VW makes very good engines – refined, quiet and not lacking in performance.

There appear to have been no chassis updates to this revamp but this was not an area of concern – on the road the Golf remains a car that breeds confidence and remains a reliable companion that is reasonably enjoyable to drive.

Ride comfort is everything one would expect from a car with the Golf’s huge reputation, especially if planning to clock up long distances, while the handling is solid and predictable,

Overall the 50th birthday present to the Golf is another prime example of evolution not revolution, which has always suited the model and its prime audience.