New 2018 Volkswagen Golf Mk 7.5 To Be Launched In Malaysia In H1 2018

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) has confirmed today that the new Golf Mk 7.5 family will be heading to Malaysia within the first half of this year.

As before, the new Golf facelift’s family will include the front-wheel drive GTI and all-wheel drive Golf R, on top of the regular TSI variants.

Speaking at a Media Roundtable session earlier today, VPCM has also confirmed that the new Golf TSI will be offered with the highest R-Line trim, and will come with a very high list of features, but stopped short of giving any specifics.

In Europe, the new Mk 7.5 Golf gets a new 1.5-litre turbocharged TSI Evo engine. Despite having a larger displacement, the engine will continue to use the same EA211 designation as the 1.4-litre TSI engine that it replaces. The larger engine now produces 150 PS and 250 Nm from 1,500 Nm, identical to the outgoing engine but fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 0.2-litre/100 km. 

However, it is unlikely that we will be getting this new engine, as all major right-hand drive markets including Japan and Australia are continuing with the existing 1.4-litre TSI unit from the pre-facelift model.

In Europe, the engine comes equipped with Active Cylinder Management, which shuts down the second and third cylinder when driving under low load conditions, contributing a claimed fuel consumption as low as 4.8-litre/100 km (depending on specifications) when tested under the European combined driving cycle.

The Golf GTI’s 2.0-litre turbocharged engine has also been updated. Depending on variant, power outputs now range from 230 PS/350 Nm to 245 PS/370 Nm. The previous DQ250 6-speed dual-clutch transmission has also been replaced with a new DQ 381 7-speed dual-clutch unit.

As for the all-wheel drive Golf R, the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine now pushes up to 310 PS and 400 Nm of torque, 10 PS more power and 20 Nm more torque than before.

Aside from the obvious visual cues differentiating the new Golf Mk 7.5 from the pre-facelift Mk 7 model, the new Golf will also come with the optional full-colour LCD Active Info Display. Although specifications for Malaysia have yet to be revealed, we think it’s quite likely for the feature to be offered in Malaysia as it’s already available in Passat and Tiguan.

The infotainment system has also been upgraded to Volkswagen’s latest Modular Infotainment Matrix (MIB) unit, with a larger and higher definition 800x480 resolution 6.5-inch screen, equipped with gesture control.

Also available is an even larger 8.0-inch Discover Pro and 9.2-inch Discover Pro system. The latter is available with both touch- and voice-command operation with gesture control in addition to proximity sensors – a world premiere in the compact car segment.

Other highlights include advanced driving aids like Lane Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Front Assist with City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring, and Emergency Assist. The latter takes over the control of the vehicle if the driver is, for whatever medical reason, is incapacitated and fails to respond to repeated warnings from the vehicle. When activated, Emergency Assist turns on the hazard lights, intentionally executes gentle steering moves to warn other road users, and gently slows down the car to a stop.  

Last year, Volkswagen registered an 8.1 percent increase in sales, deliver 6,536 vehicles, 95 percent of which were locally-assembled at its assembly facility within the DRB-Hicom plant in Pekan, Pahang. After-sales have also been improved, with internal data showing that the ghost of the infamous DSG recall that once plagued the brand has been buried for good. 

Related: Volkswagen Grew 8.1 Percent In 2017, Scores Massive Improvement After-Sales Experience