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BusinessCar Office Blog: 3 April 2009 - Modern Golf Love

Date: 03 April 2009   |   Author:

BusinessCar Office, yesterday

I was given the chance to drive a first generation, 1970s Golf GTi this week as part of VW's launch of the mk6 version.

For anyone growing up a car nut, it's on the list of things I've wanted to try, but that's not the reason for this blog. As much fun as it was to take the old-timer, which spends its days on VW's heritage fleet in Germany, for a spin, it made me think how little credit the auto industry receives for the monumental strides it has taken in the past 30 years. Compare the progress in new cars with aeroplanes, trains, busses or anything else we us in our daily life.

This car, cutting edge in the late 1970s, had no rear seatbelts, obviously no airbags, chronic brakes, no power steering and the smallest glovebox I've ever seen. Big hands need not apply. It didn't even have door pockets. Or a tape player (remember those!). Or power steering, so our twisty hill route was enough to leave me aching.

And that's not to mention the fact that a new Golf is more than 50% heavier thanks to the increased size and kit, yet 3.4mpg more economical despite having almost double the power.

Yes, it was refreshing to sample a car as prestigious as an original Golf GTi, but it makes you glad that things have moved so far so fast. It was fun for a while, but given the choice for which one I would take on the 60-mile run home and it would be the new one every time on comfort, safety, refinement and in-car features and entertainment grounds.

Modern drivers should stop to think about how good they've got it. And the anti-car lobby should realise what's been achieved over the past three decades and imagine how the industry will react over the next 30.



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