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Mark 5
Also called Volkswagen Rabbit
Production 2003–present
Assembly Wolfsburg, Germany
Uitenhage, South Africa
Body style(s) 3-door hatchback
5-door hatchback
Layout FF layout
Platform Volkswagen A5 platform
Engine(s) 1.6L 102 hp I4
1.6L 115 hp FSI I4
1.4L 140 hp TSI I4
2.0L 150 hp FSI I4
2.5L 150 hp I5 (USA)
1.4L 170 hp TSI I4
2.0L 200 hp Turbo FSI I4
2.0L 230 hp Turbo FSI I4
3.2L 250 hp VR6
Transmission(s) 5-speed manual
6-speed manual
6-speed Tiptronic
6-speed DSG
Wheelbase 101.5 in (2578 mm)
Length 165.8 in (4211 mm)
Width 69.3 in (1760 mm)
Height Rabbit: 58.2 in (1478 mm)
GTI: 58.4 in (1483 mm)
The fifth generation Golf (VW Typ 1K) was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October of 2003 and went on sale in Europe one month later. To commemorate this, Wolfsburg was renamed "Golfsburg" for a week. It reached North American markets in June 2006 rebadged with the revived Rabbit nameplate.[2] Most print ads for the Rabbit show the old badge (a running rabbit) with the phrase "It's back, at $14,990." TV ads show Rabbits chasing after each other with their numbers increasing until they fill the streets of a city, a take on the cliche "multiplying like rabbits". In North America, where SEAT and Skoda are not marketed, Volkswagen sought to revive their image on that continent as a value brand, and the pricing of the new Rabbit was a part of that strategy. The mk5 is due to be replaced in 2008 by the mk6 in Europe and the UK. The US may expect to see the mk6 by 2009/10.
Design and Engineering
While the interior quality of the previous model startled rivals and led most of them to up their game in revised/replacement models, the astonishing chassis and all round ability of the Mark 1 Ford Focus startled Volkswagen (and indeed other rivals). In order to counter criticisms of the average dynamics of the previous model, it is widely reputed that Volkswagen poached from Ford the engineering team who designed the multi-link 'control blade' rear suspension system, widely regarded as the class benchmark for ride and handling. The suspension changes, along with careful tuning of the chassis, led to the Mark 5 Golf delivering better road manners.
The bulletproof interior quality of the previous generation appears to have been lost, and although still of a very high standard and ahead of other rivals the Golf no longer matches its in-house rival, the Audi A3. Many believe the reason for this step back in quality, also seen in the Mark 5 Passat of 2005, is to allow daylight between the marketing and price positioning of Audi and Volkswagen products. The previous generation Volkswagens were on a par with their Audi cousins.
The Golf 5 has proven expensive to build - largely due to its uncommonly long 50-hour build time. According to multiple reports in the European press, its replacement is thus likely to be rolled out in 2008, a good two years earlier than originally scheduled. This means that the production run of the U.S. version of the Mark 5, introduced only in 2006 two years after its world debut - is likely to have an uncommonly short production run.
Engines
Options for engines and transmissions vary from country to country, but the Golf is available with a gasoline 4-cylinder and a new PD diesel unit-injector TDI engine. Transmission options include manual, automatic, Tiptronic, and direct-shift gearbox (DSG).
North American-spec Rabbits use the same 150-hp 2.5L five-cylinder gasoline engine that powers the Jetta and New Beetle in these markets (however, for 2008 this engine receives a power increase of 20-hp and 7 lb-ft of torque, bringing the numbers to 170 and 177, respectively). The GTI comes with VW's 2.0L turbo 4 which makes 200HP and 207 lb/torque. North American transmission choices include a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic for the Rabbit. North American GTIs receive a 6-Speed manual or 6-speed DSG. Diesel engines have been unavailable on Rabbits, though they were offered through 2006 on the Jetta until tightening emissions regulations in the U.S. led to their temporary unavailability.
All of the Golf's engines, including the VR6, have the engine mounting points in the same place, making it possible to remove one engine and replace it with another while making few other modifications to the car.
In September 2005, the Golf mk5 GT was announced, which featured a choice of either 1.4 L petrol engine in twincharger configuration or a 2.0 liter Turbo Diesel. Both are available as 125 kW (170 PS, 168 bhp) versions; while the diesel also is available as a 140 PS variant in the UK. The 170 PS diesel has 350 Nm (258 lb ft) of torque which is more than the range topping R32. The gasoline offering contains the new TSI engine, which is based on the recent FSI, but with a pair of chargers forcing the induction of the air. The chargers are a single supercharger that disengages after a specified rev-range, at which point charging of the air is handled by a single turbocharger. This system could benefit from both of the efficiency of the supercharger in the lower rev ranges, with the longevity of the turbocharger higher in the rev range. This results in no turbo lag, constant power delivery along the rev range, and better fuel efficiency than similarly powered V6 2.4 L due to its small size. Both petrol and diesel versions are also available with DSG (direct-shift gearbox). Performance figures for the petrol vehicle are 0-100km/h (62mph) in 7.9s (6 speed) and 7.7s (DSG) with the diesel taking 8.2s, and both reaching top speed of 220km/h (137mph). Volkswagen has no plans to sell it as the Rabbit GT in the US and Canada.
Golf Plus
In December 2004, Volkswagen announced the Golf Plus variant of the Golf 5. It is 9.5 cm taller than the standard Golf, but 15 cm shorter than the other compact MPV of the marque, the seven-seater Touran.
Mark V GTI
MK5 GTI 5-door in RomeThe Golf 5 GTI is hailed as a return-to-form for the progenitor of the genre. The Golf GTI features a 2.0 litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine with FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection) direct-injection technology, which produces 200 bhp. It is available in both 3-door and 5-door hatchback body shapes, and comes with a choice of either 6-speed manual or a 6-speed DSG gearbox which greatly reduces shift time to only 8ms.[1] The concept GTI was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003. The first production model was initially unveiled at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris in September 2004 and went on sale around the world shortly thereafter. At the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006 the GTI made its long awaited North American debut in 3-door guise (a 5-door variant has since become available), where it is marketed solely under the 'GTI' moniker, with no reference to the Rabbit. The new GTI has a considerable price increase over the previous model, mainly due to the features mentioned above and the fact that the exterior itself had not seen such a dramatic design change in years. The price is further raised due to the fact that it is built in Germany, unlike the MK4 which was built in Brazil. The innovative DSG transmission and the 200bhp engine all helped raise the retail price of the car. The Mark V GTI named Automobile of the Year by Automobile Magazine, in December 2006. The initial American ad campaign for the GTI featured the "fast", which Volkswagen says is the feeling and force inside you that likes driving and encourages your driving passion, with the tagline "Make friends with your fast". However, recently those ads were replaced with a series of ads starring Peter Stormare as a "German engineer" hired to "un-pimp ze auto" by taking tuner cars and smashing them, giving their owners a GTI instead. The slogan for the campaign is "Pre-tuned by German engineers", however it has been Stormare's lines of "VDub: representing Deutschland!" and "V-Dub: German, engineering, in da haus!", delivered with a stilted German accent and coupled with a "VDub" hand motion, that have popularised the ads.
Also called Volkswagen Rabbit
Production 2003–present
Assembly Wolfsburg, Germany
Uitenhage, South Africa
Body style(s) 3-door hatchback
5-door hatchback
Layout FF layout
Platform Volkswagen A5 platform
Engine(s) 1.6L 102 hp I4
1.6L 115 hp FSI I4
1.4L 140 hp TSI I4
2.0L 150 hp FSI I4
2.5L 150 hp I5 (USA)
1.4L 170 hp TSI I4
2.0L 200 hp Turbo FSI I4
2.0L 230 hp Turbo FSI I4
3.2L 250 hp VR6
Transmission(s) 5-speed manual
6-speed manual
6-speed Tiptronic
6-speed DSG
Wheelbase 101.5 in (2578 mm)
Length 165.8 in (4211 mm)
Width 69.3 in (1760 mm)
Height Rabbit: 58.2 in (1478 mm)
GTI: 58.4 in (1483 mm)
The fifth generation Golf (VW Typ 1K) was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October of 2003 and went on sale in Europe one month later. To commemorate this, Wolfsburg was renamed "Golfsburg" for a week. It reached North American markets in June 2006 rebadged with the revived Rabbit nameplate.[2] Most print ads for the Rabbit show the old badge (a running rabbit) with the phrase "It's back, at $14,990." TV ads show Rabbits chasing after each other with their numbers increasing until they fill the streets of a city, a take on the cliche "multiplying like rabbits". In North America, where SEAT and Skoda are not marketed, Volkswagen sought to revive their image on that continent as a value brand, and the pricing of the new Rabbit was a part of that strategy. The mk5 is due to be replaced in 2008 by the mk6 in Europe and the UK. The US may expect to see the mk6 by 2009/10.
Design and Engineering
While the interior quality of the previous model startled rivals and led most of them to up their game in revised/replacement models, the astonishing chassis and all round ability of the Mark 1 Ford Focus startled Volkswagen (and indeed other rivals). In order to counter criticisms of the average dynamics of the previous model, it is widely reputed that Volkswagen poached from Ford the engineering team who designed the multi-link 'control blade' rear suspension system, widely regarded as the class benchmark for ride and handling. The suspension changes, along with careful tuning of the chassis, led to the Mark 5 Golf delivering better road manners.
The bulletproof interior quality of the previous generation appears to have been lost, and although still of a very high standard and ahead of other rivals the Golf no longer matches its in-house rival, the Audi A3. Many believe the reason for this step back in quality, also seen in the Mark 5 Passat of 2005, is to allow daylight between the marketing and price positioning of Audi and Volkswagen products. The previous generation Volkswagens were on a par with their Audi cousins.
The Golf 5 has proven expensive to build - largely due to its uncommonly long 50-hour build time. According to multiple reports in the European press, its replacement is thus likely to be rolled out in 2008, a good two years earlier than originally scheduled. This means that the production run of the U.S. version of the Mark 5, introduced only in 2006 two years after its world debut - is likely to have an uncommonly short production run.
Engines
Options for engines and transmissions vary from country to country, but the Golf is available with a gasoline 4-cylinder and a new PD diesel unit-injector TDI engine. Transmission options include manual, automatic, Tiptronic, and direct-shift gearbox (DSG).
North American-spec Rabbits use the same 150-hp 2.5L five-cylinder gasoline engine that powers the Jetta and New Beetle in these markets (however, for 2008 this engine receives a power increase of 20-hp and 7 lb-ft of torque, bringing the numbers to 170 and 177, respectively). The GTI comes with VW's 2.0L turbo 4 which makes 200HP and 207 lb/torque. North American transmission choices include a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic for the Rabbit. North American GTIs receive a 6-Speed manual or 6-speed DSG. Diesel engines have been unavailable on Rabbits, though they were offered through 2006 on the Jetta until tightening emissions regulations in the U.S. led to their temporary unavailability.
All of the Golf's engines, including the VR6, have the engine mounting points in the same place, making it possible to remove one engine and replace it with another while making few other modifications to the car.
In September 2005, the Golf mk5 GT was announced, which featured a choice of either 1.4 L petrol engine in twincharger configuration or a 2.0 liter Turbo Diesel. Both are available as 125 kW (170 PS, 168 bhp) versions; while the diesel also is available as a 140 PS variant in the UK. The 170 PS diesel has 350 Nm (258 lb ft) of torque which is more than the range topping R32. The gasoline offering contains the new TSI engine, which is based on the recent FSI, but with a pair of chargers forcing the induction of the air. The chargers are a single supercharger that disengages after a specified rev-range, at which point charging of the air is handled by a single turbocharger. This system could benefit from both of the efficiency of the supercharger in the lower rev ranges, with the longevity of the turbocharger higher in the rev range. This results in no turbo lag, constant power delivery along the rev range, and better fuel efficiency than similarly powered V6 2.4 L due to its small size. Both petrol and diesel versions are also available with DSG (direct-shift gearbox). Performance figures for the petrol vehicle are 0-100km/h (62mph) in 7.9s (6 speed) and 7.7s (DSG) with the diesel taking 8.2s, and both reaching top speed of 220km/h (137mph). Volkswagen has no plans to sell it as the Rabbit GT in the US and Canada.
Golf Plus
In December 2004, Volkswagen announced the Golf Plus variant of the Golf 5. It is 9.5 cm taller than the standard Golf, but 15 cm shorter than the other compact MPV of the marque, the seven-seater Touran.
Mark V GTI
MK5 GTI 5-door in RomeThe Golf 5 GTI is hailed as a return-to-form for the progenitor of the genre. The Golf GTI features a 2.0 litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine with FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection) direct-injection technology, which produces 200 bhp. It is available in both 3-door and 5-door hatchback body shapes, and comes with a choice of either 6-speed manual or a 6-speed DSG gearbox which greatly reduces shift time to only 8ms.[1] The concept GTI was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003. The first production model was initially unveiled at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris in September 2004 and went on sale around the world shortly thereafter. At the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006 the GTI made its long awaited North American debut in 3-door guise (a 5-door variant has since become available), where it is marketed solely under the 'GTI' moniker, with no reference to the Rabbit. The new GTI has a considerable price increase over the previous model, mainly due to the features mentioned above and the fact that the exterior itself had not seen such a dramatic design change in years. The price is further raised due to the fact that it is built in Germany, unlike the MK4 which was built in Brazil. The innovative DSG transmission and the 200bhp engine all helped raise the retail price of the car. The Mark V GTI named Automobile of the Year by Automobile Magazine, in December 2006. The initial American ad campaign for the GTI featured the "fast", which Volkswagen says is the feeling and force inside you that likes driving and encourages your driving passion, with the tagline "Make friends with your fast". However, recently those ads were replaced with a series of ads starring Peter Stormare as a "German engineer" hired to "un-pimp ze auto" by taking tuner cars and smashing them, giving their owners a GTI instead. The slogan for the campaign is "Pre-tuned by German engineers", however it has been Stormare's lines of "VDub: representing Deutschland!" and "V-Dub: German, engineering, in da haus!", delivered with a stilted German accent and coupled with a "VDub" hand motion, that have popularised the ads.
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