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Wednesday, October 6, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER D6 Does Your Vehicle Need a Physical? _ CAA Authorized Inspection Centres 2345 Fairview St. 632-8151 CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT! 4121 Monis Dr. 6344211 Automotive To advertise in this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 YOU WOULDN'T TRUST JUST ANYONE TO DRIVE YOUR CAR, SO WHY TRUST JUST ANY COMPANY TO MSURim Wayne McGill 2345 W yamk Rd. #21, Odcville 847-5671 you hit the big leagues of main-stream making, you need to make an impression By Malcolm Gunn SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Your nearest Volkswagen dealer­ship has been a busy spot for the last couple of years. Very busy, indeed. Few companies, after all, change their entire lineup in just two years. Unfortunately for the Golf -- one of Volkswagen's latest roll-outs -- it's tough to get a lot of attention when you're drowning in the hoopla still sur­ rounding the funky New Beetle, breath­ taking new Passat and thoroughly splen­ did Jetta, also remade for 1999. So, what's a poor little Golf to do? Keep in mind that when you're as good as the new Golf, you don't need to do a lot of hollerin' to be heard. This lat­ est version has been significantly improvement in the areas of styling and content, while keeping essentially the. same powerplants from the previous generation. Classic car designs have a way of remaining popular for a long time. The Golfs shape has actually been around since 1974 when the Rabbit officially replaced the original Bug. Then, as now, the Rabbit (it's always been referred to as a Golf in Europe) came with front- wheel drive, two, or four doors and a wide-mouthed liftgate in the rear. Four generations later, the same basic shape is still a major Volkswagen staple. But this version is clearly the best-look­ ing, best-equipped Golf yet. Visually, the Golf receives some smoothing and rounding, which now accounts for a very slick 0.31 drag coef­ ficient. As well, most of the Golf's pro­ portions have been enlarged. Length is up about seven centimetres, width by about four cm, height by about one cm and wheelbase by about four cm. Interior space benefits from these new dimensions, providing one cubic foot of additional volume. The entire chassis, which is shared with both the Jetta and New Beetle, has been considerably strengthened to deliver improved road manners. The result of this tinkering and stretching is a shape that is as appealing as it is practical. The new Golf now looks grown-up and the added wheel­ base and newly-standard standard 15- inch wheels give the car a wider, 'plant­ ed' stance. Volkswagen long ago shed the Golf's 'econobox' label, and you'll find nothing reassembling a stripped-down-every- thing-costs-extra-bargain-basement-car here. The base GL two-door comes com­ plete with air conditioning, pollen/odor filter, power door locks, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, eight-speaker AM/FM/cassette sound system, split­ folding rear seat and anti-theft alarm sys­ tem. To this impressive list the four-door GLS adds power windows, power heat­ ed outside mirrors, cruise control and upgraded seat coverings. Both GL and GLS models are pow­ ered by a 2.0-litre SOHC four-cylinder engine that produces 115 horsepower, also used in the New Beetle and Jetta. Optional is a thrifty 1.9-litre SOHC turbo-diesel. Don't let the 90-horsepow­ er rating fool you. This little baby has nearly 150 lb-feet of torque on tap. Both engines can be mated to a five- speed manual, or optional four-speed automatic transmission. If a road-devouring sports/GT coupe is on your must-have list, the Golf's slick, performance-oriented GTI option returns for 1999 in GLS and GLX vari­ ants. The GLS comes with the 2.0-litre gas engine, while the hot GLX gets VW's famed 2.8-litre DOHC narrow-angle V6 that chums out 174 horsepower. The GLX also comes with such luxury items as climate control, leather seats, 16-inch wheels, dark wood interior trim, self- dimming mirrors and wipers that auto­ matically turn on when it begins to rain. Both GTIs give you a sport suspension setup that's been adjusted for aggressive driving. All told, Volkswagen has done a superb job transforming the Golf's basic box shape into an attractive, well- equipped package than can either be easy on your wallet, or hard on the asphalt. Hug if? Drive if? Hug it? Drive if? In stock! \ No wait! Drivers wanted! e (@) Oakville Volkswagen 557 Kerr Street, Oakville (905) 844-3285 Does Your Vehicle Need a Physical? _ CAA Authorized Inspection Centres 2345 Fairview St. 4121 Monis Dr. To advertise in this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 YOU WOULDN'T TRUST JUST ANYONE TO DRIVE YOUR CAR, you hit the big leagues of main-stream making, you need to make an impression By Malcolm Gunn Hug if? Drive if? Hug it? Drive if? In stock! No wait!