Over the 40-plus years that the Golf has been in production and nudging hatchback benchmarks higher, one thing that hasn't changed is Volkswagen's “evolution over revolution” approach to keeping the car fresh and ahead of the pack.
And despite the hype over the last month coming from VW's press department about how each subsequent generation of the little car has had a big impact, the latest generation model, revealed at a special event in Germany today is a subtle roll forward aesthetically rather than a giant stylistic leap.
The interior has been heavily overhauled and there are some new engines including a potent technology-heavy 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit that can deliver up to 148bhp.
But from the outside at least, the only real clues that the 2017 Golf is different from the current model are new front and rear bumpers, a choice of new alloy wheel designs and some interesting new exterior paint finishes.
Still, there is plenty of difference once you step inside. The biggest change is the digital console with its 12.3-inch high definition display in lieu of traditional knobs and dials that forms the heart of an equally up-to-the-minute infotainment system complete with gesture control recognition.
VW has also decided to imbue the new car with some of the latest active driver safety systems including traffic jam assist, pedestrian monitoring and trailer assist so that reversing or guiding a caravan or horsebox is no longer a stressful rolling exercise in spatial awareness.
On top of that it is also the first car in its class to offer a park assist system that can control the braking and steering when maneuvering into a parallel or perpendicular space.
There's also good news for keen drivers that want fewer rather than more digital toys when it comes to their cars. The flagship GTi hot hatch will also be a little hotter come 2017. VW is retuning the engine for an extra 10hp and is throwing in a seven-speed dual-clutch paddle-operated transmission too.
