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Production 1983-1993
Assembly Wolfsburg, Germany
TAS, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
New Stanton, Pennsylvania
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Body style(s) 3-door hatchback
5-door hatchback
Layout Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Platform Volkswagen A2 platform
Engine(s) 1.3L 55 hp I4
1.6L 75 hp I4
1.8L 90 hp I4
1.8L 112 hp I4
1.8L 139 hp I4 16V
1.8L 160 hp G60 I4
2.0L 134 hp I4 16V
1.6L 55 hp I4 diesel
1.6L 70 hp I4 turbo diesel
1.6L 82 hp I4 turbo-intercooler diesel
Transmission(s) 3-speed automatic
4-speed/5-speed manual
Wheelbase 97.3 in (2471 mm)
Length 1984-88: 158.0 in (4013 mm)
1989-1993: 159.1 in (4041 mm)
Width 5-Door: 66.1 in (1679 mm)
3-Door: 65.5 in (1664 mm)
Height 55.7 in (1415 mm)
Related Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Corrado
SEAT Toledo
The second-generation Golf (also known as the Typ 19 until the 1989 model year, or Typ 1G thereafter) was launched in Europe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1983 (it debuted in 1984 in the UK, and it was introduced as a 1985 model in the US), and it featured a larger bodyshell and a wider range of engine options, including a GTD (In Euro markets, using the 1.6 "umwelt" diesel engine), a DOHC 1781 cc (1.Cool 16-valve version of the straight-four GTI (as well as the tried and tested 1781 cc (1.Cool 8v GTI), the supercharged 8v "G60" with front- and four-wheel drive options, and a racing homologated variant of this, the "Rallye".
This Golf was marketed for the first time with that name in the United States and Canada. The Rabbit name used on the Mark 1 was meant to give a car a cuddly image, but with the eighties redesign of the car, Carl Hahn, the former Volkswagen of America president who was now chairman of the whole company, dictated that Volkswagen model names be standardised globally. James Fuller, head of the Volkswagen brand in North America, concurred in using the Golf name to stress the car's Teutonic character. The GTI body kit became available on a non-injection Golf and was sold as the "Driver" trim level in Europe. While the GTI remained a trim level in the Golf lineup in Europe, in North America it was (and continues to be) marketed as a separate model line.
A very limited edition hand-built Golf Mark 2 variant exists, including all of the best features available at the time. Designed and built by the Volkswagen Motorsport division, only 71 of these "G60 Limited" models exist; featuring a unique number and plaque, the G60 supercharger was combined with the 16-valve GTI engine, mated to a sports transmission and Syncro four wheel drive mechanism. All of these special edition models came in black, with four doors (except two, built with three doors), a plain two-headlight grille (not the usual GTI quad-headlights) and a unique blue grille detail (not red, as the GTI) and motorsport badges. It is rumored that two examples were built with air conditioning. In 1989, these cars cost in the region of £25,000 (about US$41,250 at the time) each and were primarily sold to Volkswagen-Audi Group executives and management, although a few were known to survive in Britain, as of 2005. These cars produced 212 bhp, making them the most powerful VW Golfs ever produced up until then.
Volkswagen Golf CountryThere was also a version called Golf Country, designed for light off-road driving. It had more suspension travel, four-wheel drive, bullbars (generally over a single headlight grill), a skidplate for protecting the engine area, and a spare wheel mounted externally on the back. In Europe it was offered with the acclaimed 114 bhp 1.8 8v petrol engine, and in smaller numbers, the 75 hp 1.6 GTD turbo diesel engine. The Golf Country was particularly popular in Alpine regions in central Europe. [citation needed]
During the life of the Golf 2, there were a number of external style revisions. The most notable was the introduction of so called "Big Bumpers", which were introduced in the European market with an August 1989 facelift. Other notable changes to the looks of the Golf 2 include the removal of quarterlight windows in the front doors, and the introduction of larger grill slats with the August 1987 facelift.
A 2.0 litre engine producing 134hp replaced the 1.8 in 1990 - 1992 North American 16V models. This version included 15" 2pc BBS RM wheels & the quad-round headlight grill w/ red trim. In the interior, the Recaro seats no longer had vinyl bolsters of earlier GTI's.
As with the North American Rabbit, the second-generation Golf was produced for North America in Pennsylvania. When sales in North America failed to live up to expectations and with increasing productions costs, the Westmoreland plant was closed in July 1988. Subsequent Golfs sold in North America came from Germany and Mexico. The Mark 2 Golf was discontinued in Europe in 1991, but Mexican-made Mark 2 models remained available in North America for another year.
In its first year on sale in North America, 1985, the Golf 2 maintained sealed-beam square headlights, while the GTI bore flush headlights. All Golfs gained flush "aerolamps" in 1987 after a design freshening to move it more upscale in the wake of the introduction of the Brazilian-built Fox (Voyage in Brazil) in North America. The 1985 U.S. models are easy to distinguish from subsequent models due to the absence of a high-mounted brakelight; these became required of all cars sold in the U.S. for 1986.
The GTI was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1985, as well as VWVortex's "Best Golf of all time". The Mark 2 GTI failed to make the same waves as the Mark 1, and failed to win back the Golf GTI's fanbase which had adopted the Peugeot 205 GTI. In North America, where Peugeot did not sell the 205 in any guise, Volkswagen faced tough competition from the Honda Civic S (later Si).
In its first year on sale in the U.S., Golf sales were eight percent below those of the 1984 Rabbit. Sales of the all-new 1985 Jetta, by contrast, sky-rocketed compared with the 1984 model. In 1986, the Jetta became VW's bestseller in North America, a position it has held ever since.
As with the Mark 1, there was a "warm hatch" version known as the Golf Driver. Introduced in 1988, it featured the GTI's exterior styling, namely the twin front headlamps, and wheelarch spoilers but with a standard 1.6 L engine. For the last year of production, the Driver was given a carburetted version of the GTI's 1781 cc engine. A Golf "GT" model was also briefly available in North America.
Sales in the UK were strong; though it never quite made the top 10 for sales in any of the eight years in sale, it came close. In 1990, it was the UK's 12th most popular car with almost 50,000 sales. As of 2007, 16 years after the MK2 Golf's demise, it is still a very common sight on British roads, quite unlike many other similar-sized cars of its generation, namely the Austin Maestro
Assembly Wolfsburg, Germany
TAS, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
New Stanton, Pennsylvania
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Body style(s) 3-door hatchback
5-door hatchback
Layout Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Platform Volkswagen A2 platform
Engine(s) 1.3L 55 hp I4
1.6L 75 hp I4
1.8L 90 hp I4
1.8L 112 hp I4
1.8L 139 hp I4 16V
1.8L 160 hp G60 I4
2.0L 134 hp I4 16V
1.6L 55 hp I4 diesel
1.6L 70 hp I4 turbo diesel
1.6L 82 hp I4 turbo-intercooler diesel
Transmission(s) 3-speed automatic
4-speed/5-speed manual
Wheelbase 97.3 in (2471 mm)
Length 1984-88: 158.0 in (4013 mm)
1989-1993: 159.1 in (4041 mm)
Width 5-Door: 66.1 in (1679 mm)
3-Door: 65.5 in (1664 mm)
Height 55.7 in (1415 mm)
Related Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Corrado
SEAT Toledo
The second-generation Golf (also known as the Typ 19 until the 1989 model year, or Typ 1G thereafter) was launched in Europe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1983 (it debuted in 1984 in the UK, and it was introduced as a 1985 model in the US), and it featured a larger bodyshell and a wider range of engine options, including a GTD (In Euro markets, using the 1.6 "umwelt" diesel engine), a DOHC 1781 cc (1.Cool 16-valve version of the straight-four GTI (as well as the tried and tested 1781 cc (1.Cool 8v GTI), the supercharged 8v "G60" with front- and four-wheel drive options, and a racing homologated variant of this, the "Rallye".
This Golf was marketed for the first time with that name in the United States and Canada. The Rabbit name used on the Mark 1 was meant to give a car a cuddly image, but with the eighties redesign of the car, Carl Hahn, the former Volkswagen of America president who was now chairman of the whole company, dictated that Volkswagen model names be standardised globally. James Fuller, head of the Volkswagen brand in North America, concurred in using the Golf name to stress the car's Teutonic character. The GTI body kit became available on a non-injection Golf and was sold as the "Driver" trim level in Europe. While the GTI remained a trim level in the Golf lineup in Europe, in North America it was (and continues to be) marketed as a separate model line.
A very limited edition hand-built Golf Mark 2 variant exists, including all of the best features available at the time. Designed and built by the Volkswagen Motorsport division, only 71 of these "G60 Limited" models exist; featuring a unique number and plaque, the G60 supercharger was combined with the 16-valve GTI engine, mated to a sports transmission and Syncro four wheel drive mechanism. All of these special edition models came in black, with four doors (except two, built with three doors), a plain two-headlight grille (not the usual GTI quad-headlights) and a unique blue grille detail (not red, as the GTI) and motorsport badges. It is rumored that two examples were built with air conditioning. In 1989, these cars cost in the region of £25,000 (about US$41,250 at the time) each and were primarily sold to Volkswagen-Audi Group executives and management, although a few were known to survive in Britain, as of 2005. These cars produced 212 bhp, making them the most powerful VW Golfs ever produced up until then.
Volkswagen Golf CountryThere was also a version called Golf Country, designed for light off-road driving. It had more suspension travel, four-wheel drive, bullbars (generally over a single headlight grill), a skidplate for protecting the engine area, and a spare wheel mounted externally on the back. In Europe it was offered with the acclaimed 114 bhp 1.8 8v petrol engine, and in smaller numbers, the 75 hp 1.6 GTD turbo diesel engine. The Golf Country was particularly popular in Alpine regions in central Europe. [citation needed]
During the life of the Golf 2, there were a number of external style revisions. The most notable was the introduction of so called "Big Bumpers", which were introduced in the European market with an August 1989 facelift. Other notable changes to the looks of the Golf 2 include the removal of quarterlight windows in the front doors, and the introduction of larger grill slats with the August 1987 facelift.
A 2.0 litre engine producing 134hp replaced the 1.8 in 1990 - 1992 North American 16V models. This version included 15" 2pc BBS RM wheels & the quad-round headlight grill w/ red trim. In the interior, the Recaro seats no longer had vinyl bolsters of earlier GTI's.
As with the North American Rabbit, the second-generation Golf was produced for North America in Pennsylvania. When sales in North America failed to live up to expectations and with increasing productions costs, the Westmoreland plant was closed in July 1988. Subsequent Golfs sold in North America came from Germany and Mexico. The Mark 2 Golf was discontinued in Europe in 1991, but Mexican-made Mark 2 models remained available in North America for another year.
In its first year on sale in North America, 1985, the Golf 2 maintained sealed-beam square headlights, while the GTI bore flush headlights. All Golfs gained flush "aerolamps" in 1987 after a design freshening to move it more upscale in the wake of the introduction of the Brazilian-built Fox (Voyage in Brazil) in North America. The 1985 U.S. models are easy to distinguish from subsequent models due to the absence of a high-mounted brakelight; these became required of all cars sold in the U.S. for 1986.
The GTI was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1985, as well as VWVortex's "Best Golf of all time". The Mark 2 GTI failed to make the same waves as the Mark 1, and failed to win back the Golf GTI's fanbase which had adopted the Peugeot 205 GTI. In North America, where Peugeot did not sell the 205 in any guise, Volkswagen faced tough competition from the Honda Civic S (later Si).
In its first year on sale in the U.S., Golf sales were eight percent below those of the 1984 Rabbit. Sales of the all-new 1985 Jetta, by contrast, sky-rocketed compared with the 1984 model. In 1986, the Jetta became VW's bestseller in North America, a position it has held ever since.
As with the Mark 1, there was a "warm hatch" version known as the Golf Driver. Introduced in 1988, it featured the GTI's exterior styling, namely the twin front headlamps, and wheelarch spoilers but with a standard 1.6 L engine. For the last year of production, the Driver was given a carburetted version of the GTI's 1781 cc engine. A Golf "GT" model was also briefly available in North America.
Sales in the UK were strong; though it never quite made the top 10 for sales in any of the eight years in sale, it came close. In 1990, it was the UK's 12th most popular car with almost 50,000 sales. As of 2007, 16 years after the MK2 Golf's demise, it is still a very common sight on British roads, quite unlike many other similar-sized cars of its generation, namely the Austin Maestro
