Volkswagen Golf interior, tech and practicality

Now the Golf’s in its eighth generation, you can just imagine how many billions of Euros have been spent perfecting the cabin ergonomics, and you really feel that behind the wheel of the Mk8 Golf. 

There’s loads of adjustment in the driver’s seat and steering wheel, so you’ll get comfy no matter how tall or otherwise you are. Likewise, you get a decent view out, and all models get front and rear parking sensors as standard. Rather annoyingly, a reversing camera is optional on most pre-facelift Golfs, even on top-spec Golf R models.

It doesn’t quite feel like the same amount of money has been invested into the materials used, though. Some of the plastics are a bit harder and scratchier than we’d like, and there aren’t an awful lot of soft-touch areas. And, despite a silver swathe of trim across the dash, the interior can feel a bit dour – like many German cars. Higher-spec trim levels add niceties like ambient lighting and upgraded upholstery.

There are three versions of the ‘regular’ non-performance Golf – the entry-level Life, then top-spec Style and R-Line models. 

All models get alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, sat-nav, a digital dashboard instead of regular analogue dials, and a system that reads the road signs and displays the current speed limit on the dashboard.

Style models add LED headlights with automatic beam-dipping, as well as three-zone air-con and ‘art velour’ seats. 

R-Line models take things down a sportier avenue, with more aggressive front and rear bumpers, reassuringly huggy sports seats and tinted rear windows.

In the Golf’s 2024 facelift, Match and Black Edition trim were added to the range. The latter riffs off the R-Line trim but adds cosmetic changes (bet you can’t guess which colour), while Match costs marginally more than the entry-level Life trim but adds a useful array of extra equipment.

All Mk8 Volkswagen Golfs come with a 10-inch infotainment screen that’s sharp, vibrant and responsive… but also houses lots of functions that you’d prefer were physical buttons. Adjusting the airflow and seat heating requires several prods of the touchscreen, and it can take a while to boot up when you first start the car – leaving with a misted windscreen for longer than you’d like on winter mornings.

Likewise, the touch-sensitive slider controls for the temperature aren’t backlit, so are a bit of a fumble to use in the dark. You do eventually get used to them, but they’ll never be as intuitive as a proper set of knobs and switches.

Despite these misgivings, the infotainment system redeems itself because it includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, allowing you to use your favourite navigation and music streaming apps from your phone.

You might not decide to bother in the 2024 ‘Mk 8.5’ Golf, as its new infotainment system is a marked improvement. The screen is larger than before while, behind the scenes, there’s a much faster processor for improved load times. The user interface has been given a total overhaul, with simpler menus and a new focus on configurability. The entire home screen is configurable, and so is the bar of icons at the top of the screen – allowing you to customise the screen to show what you’ll use most often. We’d go as far as saying the changes have turned the Golf’s infotainment system into one of the best in its class.

And it wouldn’t be 2024 without artificial intelligence (AI) making an appearance. The new ‘IDA’ voice assistant includes ChatGPT functionality, which scours the internet to respond to your questions. You might ask it about nearby landmarks, perhaps, or even ask it to find your nearest Motorpoint store. In our experience, it works fairly well, although we’re told that some of its capability will be added in a later update.

Getting into the Golf’s back seats is relatively easy thanks to decent-sized doors that open reasonably wide. Tall adults will fit back there just fine, and it’s not a palaver to fit child seats – even Isofix bases with supporting legs will fit behind a tall driver, and the Isofix points themselves are easy to get to.

There’s decent headroom as well – the only downside is your rear middle-seat passenger will feel squished, simply because the Golf isn’t that wide. There’s a pair of USB-C sockets on the rear of the centre console so your back-seat passengers can charge their phones on the go.

While the Golf’s 380-litre boot space might be average on paper, it’s a handy boxy shape that means you’ll fit more than you think into it. In our testing, it swallowed two large suitcases as well as two carry-on cases. Some other cars with the same claimed 380-litre space couldn’t manage the same feat. If you need more space, there's always the Golf Estate with its whopping 611-litre loadbay.