The Volkswagen Golf produced by the German automotive giant Volkswagen that has been popular since its debut in 1974 is categorized as a compact family car that has maintained its market position across eight generations. The car, since its debut has been offered under a variety of body variations and nameplates such as the Volkswagen Rabbit that made waves in the United States (Mk18888) and Canada (Mk5) or in Mexico where the MK1 was badged as the Volkswagen Caribe.
Originally the Volkswagen MK 1 Golf Mk1 carried its engine under the front hood and forward wheel drive before being replaced for the later version which had its engine fitted to the rear and was rear wheel drive. This was the all-popular Volkswagen Beetle and from a historical perspective the Golf is Volkswagen’s best-selling model and until this day, the Beetle remains as the three top selling models of all time with approximately thirty million Beetles produced up to 2013.
Prior to moving on to the other variants of the Golf, the first series came in the form of the 3-door hatchback along with the 5-door hatchback, the estate which was introduced in 1993, the Cabriolet and Cabrio from 1979 to 2002 which were convertibles, before the Cabrio was phased out leaving the Cabriolet to stand alone till this day.
A Golf saloon that was marketed as the Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Vento and Volkswagen Bora were introduced within these years allowing the Golf to make its way from an economic vehicle segment and into the high-performance segment. In 2009, the Golf won the World Car of the Year award for the first time, and did so again in 2013 with the Volkswagen Golf Mk6 and Volkswagen Golf Mk7. The Golf’s rival at that time was Renault Clio and Vauxhall Astra.
Other notable awards were the coveted European Car of the Year Award which the Golf won twice (1992 & 2013) making it one among three other brands to win the award twice. Annual Car and Driver Magazine listed the Volkswagen Golf as their top 10 multiple times. Other awards included Motor Trend Car of the Year award (Golf Mk7) in 2015, and The Golf Mk4 was declared as Europe’s best-selling car in 2001. Workshop service manuals for the Volkswagen Golf can be found here.
The first generation of the Volkswagen Golf made its debut in May 1974 replacing the Volkswagen Beetle quite effectively from an economic perspective. Within just two years after its debut, the Golf GTI was introduced in mid-1976 that boasted a 1.6-litre fuel-injected engine that was capable of hitting speeds of up to 180 km/h (110 mph)). A diesel version introduces towards the last quarter of 76’ (Jetta notchback) did not bode well with the market and was quickly phased out and replaced with the Cabriolet and Volkswagen Caddy which was a Van.
The MK2 was the second-generation Golf that maintained the ‘rounded’ look despite being built wider and did well in the market for nearly a decade before being replaced by the 3rd Gen MK2 which was even bigger than the MK1, but still maintaining the still popular ‘rounded’ style.
