Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet: A Test Drive of the Newly Arrived Golf Cabriolet

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Test Drive: The New Golf Cabriolet Returns After a Long Hiatus (1)

Launched by Volkswagen Group Japan on October 1, 2011, the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet is the fourth generation of the model, returning after a nine-year absence. According to a marketing representative, "Brochures have been disappearing from dealership shelves at a pace rarely seen in recent years."

Text by Fumio OgawaPhotos by Masayuki Arakawa

The Pride of Knowing It's a Cabriolet, Even with the Roof Up

The Golf Cabriolet (¥3,999,000) is equipped with a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine featuring a twin-charger system that combines a supercharger and a turbocharger. Its packaging allows four occupants, even those over 175cm tall, to sit comfortably. Another distinctive feature is the use of a fabric soft top, rather than a retractable hardtop, which folds compactly into the body.

"When the roof is up, especially with the black soft top, customers appreciate the certain sense of pride that comes from knowing it's a cabriolet," says the marketing representative. The electric soft top retracts neatly into the body when opened. By eliminating overly complex mechanisms, it opens in just 9.5 seconds. The trunk capacity is also sufficiently practical.

Adopting a downsizing concept, the small displacement engine achieves a fuel economy of 15.4 km/L (10-15 mode).

Volkswagen touts its high collision safety, including a rollover protection system, comfortable packaging, and a styling that further sharpens the Golf hatchback's look, all combined with significant functional appeal.

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Test Drive: The New Golf Cabriolet Returns After a Long Hiatus (2)

A Single Grade: The 1.4-Liter Four-Cylinder "Twincharger" Unit

The heart of the Golf Cabriolet is the same 1.4-liter four-cylinder "twincharger" unit found in the Golf Highline. The supercharger provides torque at low RPMs, while the intercooled turbocharger delivers punchy acceleration at high RPMs. It produces a maximum output of 160ps at 5,800rpm and a maximum torque of 240Nm between 1,500-4,500rpm. This is paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, or DSG.

The Golf Highline with its 160ps twincharger engine is characterized by a power that rivals past GTIs. In contrast, our impression from the test drive is that the Cabriolet, with the same engine, lacks that same level of power.

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Above 3,000rpm, It Instantly Becomes Sporty

Torque feels slightly lacking at lower RPMs, requiring a firmer press of the accelerator for brisk city driving. However, above 3,000rpm, the impression shifts instantly to sporty. When revved high, the Golf Cabriolet surges forward like an arrow.

Furthermore, cabin noise with the top up is relatively well-suppressed, making it surprisingly quiet at typical Japanese highway speeds. There's a slight wind noise from the junction of the windshield and the soft top, but overall, there's no unpleasant droning. It feels refined.

The ride comfort is also excellent, with carefully tuned damping that avoids jarring impacts or lingering floatiness. In short, it's a car that anyone can drive without feeling out of place. This is surprisingly difficult to achieve, but the Golf Cabriolet has managed it masterfully, which I found impressive.

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Test Drive: The New Golf Cabriolet Returns After a Long Hiatus (3)

A Design That Lets You Fully Enjoy the Exhilaration of Full Open-Air Driving

Comfort during open-air driving is also high. The soft top can be opened or closed even while driving at speeds up to 30 km/h. When open, the steeply raked windshield allows you to see the sky with just a slight upward glance.

When you're in a fully open car, you want to feel that sense of exhilaration. This is a design that skillfully satisfies that desire.

Wind buffeting is effectively minimized. Personally, I enjoy the wind when driving fully open, but it's true that many drivers want both the open-air ambiance and comfort without being disturbed by the wind. With the side windows up, you can enjoy a comfortable full-open drive within Japanese speed limits.

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Wind Deflector Included as Standard

The four side windows can be raised or lowered with a single switch. The opening and closing speed is surprisingly fast, likely due to the appropriate gear ratios used in the opening and closing system for the electric soft top. People unconsciously perceive quality in such mechanisms.

When driving with only two occupants, a wind deflector can be fitted behind the front seats. "While wind deflectors are often an optional extra on many cabriolet models, the Golf Cabriolet includes it as standard equipment," Volkswagen's PR representative proudly states.

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Test Drive: The New Golf Cabriolet Returns After a Long Hiatus (4)

Beautiful Body Design by Karmann

As Volkswagen states that the Golf Cabriolet "targets sophisticated adults," its styling and high-quality feel leave a strong impression.

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Stylistically, beyond the special feeling when the soft top is down, the design is superb when it's up, looking like a stylish coupe. It's beautifully sculpted. This is the high-quality work of Karmann (which has manufactured the bodies for previous Golf Cabriolets) and has been under the Volkswagen umbrella since 2010.

When the top is down, the chrome accent trim, forming a semi-circle from the top of the doors to the trunk, stands out.

A Harmonious Blend of Interior and Exterior Features

To fully leverage this visual effect, driving with the side windows fully down enhances the stylishness.

In Europe and America, there's often a convention where cabriolets are fine with side windows up, but roadsters must have them down. This Golf is an exception to that rule.

The standard leather seats feel relatively soft. Although they are bucket-shaped, the side bolstering is not so obstructive as to make entry and exit difficult. The car is available in five body colors and four interior colors, offering a variety of combinations.

Given that it's a cabriolet, and considering the dramatic effect when the top is down, a combination of a subdued body color with a vibrant interior might be appealing. Perhaps driving should be a dramatic experience. The Golf Cabriolet makes that possible.