Review: Volkswagen Golf Sound & Style Edition - If Music Be The Food Of Love...

If you've ever had the chance to test drive a Volkswagen Golf TSI, you'll know what an impressive machine it is. The model has been in our market across two and a half generations, and the current Golf TSI is arguably the most refined and well rounded. 

For those unfamiliar, the powertrain is a turbocharged, direct injection 1.4-litre petrol engine that pushes out a healthy 150 PS and 250 Nm of torque. It feels a lot quicker than the outright numbers, thanks to how responsive the engine is and how much of that torque is available from just off idle. Paired with a 7-speed dry-clutch DSG gearbox and it's a sleeper hit when sprinting between traffic lights.

But this particular Golf TSI is a little special, as it is the Sound & Style edition. You can't buy one of these anymore as they were limited edition, but due to overwhelming demand Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) has made all the items available as additional options for any Mk 6, Mk 7, or Mk 7.5 Golf model.

The Sound & Style items are only three in number, with the smaller pieces being the Volkswagen tint and a small emblem on the boot. But the party piece, so to speak, is a 300 watt Helix sound bar that’s enclosed in a casing and mounted in the boot of the car, which vastly improves the sound quality and helps to reproduce audio in a more true-to-form fashion.

While it does eat a little bit of your boot space, it is by far a deal breaker in terms of practicality – after all, people have been adding amps and subwoofers to their cars for decades all in the pursuit of better audio quality, and the upside is that this piece is fitted professionally to your car, without voiding any of your factory warranties.

What’s it going to cost you? Well, the sound bar alone costs RM 2,604 regardless of what model you’re installing it in – and yes, the price includes labour for installation. If you want the VW Tint, it will run you RM 2,200 for your Golf Mk 7.5 TSI – other models may vary in price. The sound bar and tint are also available for the Passat and the Tiguan.

As a whole, the sound bar is a nice complement for the overall package of the Golf. Most in-car audio systems leave a lot to be desired – but it’s understandable as the car is a very difficult place to engineer an entertainment system for. In addition to various road noises and wind noises, there are restrictions on where one can place a speaker or a tweeter for proper sound staging.

By adding the sound bar, you close the gap between the mass market and the ultra luxury. It may not be as absolutely mind blowing as the Mark Levinson setup in a Lexus, but it’s a noticeable improvement over your standard eight speaker setup.

To find the best deals on Volkswagen models, click here.