The One To Have If You're Only Having One: The 2020 Volkswagen Golf TSI

The 2020 Volkswagen Golf TSI.

If you could only buy one new car to do everything you do in your life, what would it be?

A lot of people---Americans, especially, would default to the biggest, most capable all-weather machine they could afford and figure if it can handle that, it can handle the rest.  Something like that, in my mid-30s, possessed me to buy a Suburban with four-wheel drive.  I owned it seven years.  It never left two-wheel drive mode.  I never had eight people in it at once and never filled the cargo area.

The truth is, the one car for most Americans is a German car that has simply been evolving over 45 years.

The Rabbit Lives: The 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0T Rabbit Edition

The 2019 Volkswagen GTI 2.0 T Rabbit Edition.

We've sung the praises of the Volkswagen GTI here at TireKicker before---in fact, just last year, when we drove the fully loaded 2018 Volkswagen GTI Autobahn and were not the least bit deterred from our admiration by the sticker price which read $37,020 as tested.

So imagine how we feel about the same usefulness, a shade more performance and very nearly the same fuel economy for about six grand less.

Last Chance? The 2019 Volkswagen Golf 1.4T SE

The 2019 Volkswagen Golf.

There's a rumor going around that when the next Volkswagen Golf arrives in the United States,  it might be minus the base Golf itself.  Word is that VW would import the new Golf R and GTI performance models, but not the economy sedan those cars are based on.

Andrew Krok at CNET's Roadshow got a VW spokesperson to confirm---on the record---that the next-gen Golf R and GTI are confirmed for North America, but that "other Golf models are under consideration".

Yes, "under consideration" means there could still be a green light, but it's not quite as reassuring as having the entire Golf line approved at the same time as the Golf R and the GTI (also in limbo---the Golf Alltrack and the Golf Sportwagen).

The reason?  Less than stellar sales.

Wagens Ho: The 2019 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen SE

The 2019 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen SE.

The station wagon lives!  Left for dead 30-some years ago as minivans, then SUVs and now crossovers gobbled up the share of the market devoted to family haulers, a handful of wagons survive.  And, as Darwin would have it, they are the fittest members of the breed.

Among those, the 2019 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, which may stand the best chance of any of them of convincing Millennials in their child-bearing years that crossovers aren't necessarily the best choice.

For A Few Dollars More: The 2018 Volkswagen Golf R

The 2018 Volkswagen Golf R.

Two months ago, I wrote in glowing terms about the 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI Autobahn.  I stand by every word.  But what if you want more?   Say...72 more horsepower?

The Original Hot Hatch: The 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI Autobahn

The 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Thirty-five years ago, a co-worker of mine was dating a very rich man who also knew, liked and had good taste in cars.  Dude could have bought anything on four wheels.  He bought one of the first Volkswagen Rabbit GTIs. 

At a time when BMW 3-series were managing 11-second 0-60 runs and the SAAB 900 Turbo was considered blistering fast at 10 seconds flat, the GTI did it in 10.6, for a fraction of the price (roughly $8,500 at the time).  And it handled like it was on rails.  The GTI was a revelation in 1983.

How Do You Say "Subaru" in German? The 2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SEL

The 2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack.

Since The Great Unpleasantness, Volkswagen has been trying to identify its way forward.  Given that it's a rough road, why not a raised wagon with four-wheel drive?

Blazing A New Path: The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack TSI SEL w/4Motion

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack TSI SEL .

Plato said necessity is the mother of invention.  And a diesel scandal that stays on the TV, internet and newspaper pages for two years has created necessity for Volkswagen.  Namely, a plan.  One that keeps Volkswagen in the sweet spot of active young carbuyers who want to explore Mother Nature without inflicting damage.

The plan:  Target Subaru.  And if the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack TSI is any indication, Subaru has cause for concern.

Fahrvergnugen: The 2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI S 4-Door

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI.

The early 1980s were a dreary time for people who love to drive.  Emissions regulations had resulted in low-horsepower engines.  Gasoline prices and overall inflation were prompting many people to buy cars they really didn't enjoy, in the name of economy.

And then came the Volkswagen GTI.

The Real Deal: 2016 Volkswagen Golf TSI SEL

The 2016 Volkswagen Golf TSI SEL.

With Volkswagen's green image in tatters from a very nearly year-long diesel emissions cheating scandal that continues to make headlines as VW tries to come up with an owner compensation plan regulators will agree to, automotive journalists, industry analysts and especially dealers are asking "So what is Volkswagen, now?"

It's not the current Beetle,  a niche product that appeals to a shrinking fan base.  Nor is it the Passat or the CC, never strong contenders in the now-evaporating midsize sedan market. SUVs and especially crossovers are hot, but the Touraeg and Tiguan aren't.

Truth be told, at this moment, Volkswagen is the Golf and its sedan sister, the Jetta.

High Performance, High Style: The 2015 Volkswagen Golf R

The 2015 Volkswagen Golf R.

Bags packed, car loaded, Navigator and I were only a few minutes into our latest adventure when she said "This (car) is nice.  How much?"

"Thirty-nine thousand dollars", I replied, inadvertently leaving 90 bucks off the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R's base price.

"Why would a VW Golf cost $39,000?"  she asked.

With a smile, I pressed my right foot to the floor.

The Gold Standard Of Compact Cars: The 2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI SEL

The 2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI.

If you have not noticed it, there is a game of follow-the-leader that's been going on in small cars for exactly 40 years now.  It began with the original Volkswagen Rabbit (which was the Golf in Europe). Each time a new generation of the Golf is introduced, it is so right, so clearly focused, that it becomes the template for a contemporary compact.  And then, over the next five years, competitors catch up. Thankfully, five years is the product cycle for the Golf.  The previous generation came along in 2010. Now, in 2015, we have a new Golf.

Volkswagen Golf Review

35 years ago, Volkswagen revolutionized the concept of the small car with the original Golf (sold here for many years as the Rabbit). The basic shape and proportions are still recognizable, but the changes have been evolutionary, and it's easy to write off each generation as not having changed that much from the one before.

Big mistake.

It's impossible to overstate the refinements the 2010 Golf brings to the game....the leap forward it represents from last year's model, and how much better it is than virtually everything in its size and price class.