Mother Proof's view
With a base price of just $17,620, the 2010 Volkswagen Golf seems like a car designed for money-strapped college kids living on ramen noodles, but it also fits a small family living on bulk ramen noodles from Sam’s Club. My test car was priced at $21,165, but it was functional, fun and zippy enough to seem like it cost much more than that.
During my weeklong test drive, I got a comment from a fellow Twitter user about how much she enjoyed driving the VW Golf TDI in its turbo diesel form, which is new for 2010. My test car used regular unleaded gasoline and got an EPA-estimated 23/30 mpg city/highway. It was neither turbo nor diesel, but it sure was a blast to tool around in. It had super responsive brakes and plenty of pep to get up to speed quickly from a stop sign. While the suspension was definitely more sporty than soft, it wasn’t uncomfortable or jarring.
Its cute hatchback shape and small size contributed to a turning radius that was friendly enough for even the most compact urban streets. Although it looks little on the outside, the inside is deceptively large.
EXTERIOR
The restyled 2010 VW Golf is as cute as a little ladybug, but much sportier. It’s more like a ladybug decked out in Under Armour.
The butt of the Golf is rounded off, giving it the slight buglike appearance. The hatchback that ensues from this design contributes to fabulous cargo area usability and much more cargo space than you’d think just by looking at it from the outside. Opening the hatch made me smile every time, since you press the top of the VW logo to open it. It made me feel like I was in a secret club with a secret handshake (or cargo-door mechanism) to go along with it.
The low ground level and step-in height of the Golf means that little kiddos can open the rear doors on their own and climb in without needing a tissue for their issue. It also means that parents with newborns can easily set the infant-safety seat into the installed base without having to heft it up high. Every little bit helps when you’re a new parent.
The Golf has a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder engine. Not that I typically care about horsepower, but I do care about how the car feels to drive, and the Golf feels perfectly powered for its size and typical usage.
SENSE AND STYLE
Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair-Great
Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Good Times
INTERIOR
As a single mom to two petite school-age girls in booster seats, the Golf fit us remarkably well. However, I urge you to take your family’s size and growth potential into consideration before buying one. A family with a full-size dad and gangly teens would most likely be uncomfortable in the Golf.
The Golf’s backseat doesn’t slide back and forth, so what you see is what you get in terms of legroom. It doesn’t recline either. It does, however, split 60/40 and fold flat with a quick lever release, easily turning the already large cargo space into something worthy of a monthly Sam’s Club trip.
Up front, I had access to two cupholders in the center console area, but what I really loved was the open compartment behind the cupholders, which was just perfect for storing a small notepad and pens without them rolling around. I organize my life with Sharpies and 3-by-5 notecards, and I loved having them at the ready all the time. Some people might miss having a cavernous closed center storage bin and armrest, but I was quite fine without them.
A center armrest in the rear seat folds down and houses two more cupholders, placed perfectly for little backseat test drivers to access. One extra large cupholder at the rear of the center console was just the right size to store a canister of wipes for quick cleanups.
There were plenty of cleanups with the Titan Black upholstery — as in it shows every spec of dust, dirt, snack remnants and more — that my test car came decked out in; it’s also the only interior color for this car. It was a nightmare for a clean freak like myself. At least the standard sunroof helped shine some light on the situation.
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT
Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair
Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample
SAFETY
The compact size and limited rear legroom of the Golf is definitely constricting to families with babies in rear-facing convertible child-safety seats. You’ll have to move the front seat forward to make enough space for the car seat. However, I was able to get a rear-facing infant-safety seat to fit in the backseat without moving the front passenger seat forward. Admittedly, it was a tight fit, but it worked.
For families with kids in forward-facing convertible seats, the lack of seat recline in the Golf may require you to work a little harder to customize the fit of your car seat (rolled up towels or foam swim noodles work great). However, for families with kids in booster seats or just past boosters and in the pre-gangly-teen stage, the Golf will work perfectly. The rear seat belt receptors are on stable bases, making for quick buckling by independent kiddos.
The Latch system in the Golf really shines. The lower anchors are housed in open plastic compartments in the seat, making for very simple access. The outboard tether anchors are placed in the middle of the seatback, which is easy to reach, and the middle seat’s tether anchor is directly behind the head restraint.
The 2010 Golf has been named a Top Safety Pick for 2010 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. To earn this safety award, a car must receive the top score of Good in frontal-offset, side-impact, rear and roof-strength crash tests. It also must have standard stability control.
The Golf also has standard traction control and antilock brakes. It has six airbags, including side curtains for both rows. Rear side-impact airbags are available for $350.
Get more safety information about the 2010 VW Golf here.
