2017 Volkswagen Golf facelift revealed with titivated looks and new technology

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The Volkswagen Golf Mk 7 gets an evolutionary cosmetic makeover for 2017, but with an emphasis on new technology and new interior.

The Volkswagen Golf has always been the benchmark against which its sector’s competitors are judged, so and new Golf – including this 2017 VW Golf facelift – needs to be well-judged.

What Volkswagen has done with the Mk 7’s facelift is to give it some mild and evolutionary cosmetic tweaks, but concentrate on the technology improvements ahead of an all new Golf Mk 8 in a couple of years time.

That means the usual facelift fodder with new bumpers front and back, new grille, new lights and new wheels; enough to look fresh and appealing.

But it’s the interior and the Golf’s technology which come in for the biggest changes.

The interior will be available with the digital Virtual Cockpit already seen on the Passat, with the 12.5″ display offering a variety of layouts to suite mood and purpose. But the virtual cockpit isn’t standard across the Golf range.

Also available are new infotainment systems,  with a 9.2″ touchscreen display at the top end which reacts to gesture control, as well as much of the driver assist stuff from the Passat including Traffic Jam Assist with a degree of autonomous driving ability, Lane Assist and Park Assist

Under the bonnet looks to be a bit of a moveable feats at the moment, with VW only revealing some of the engine options.

There’s a new 1.5 litre petrol engine on offer, although no sign of the new 1.5 litre diesel (or any diesel details), which offers 148bhp in the new Golf 1.5 TSI Evo and 128bhp in the Golf 1.5 TSI Evo BlueMotion.

The Golf GTI’s 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine remains but with tweaks for an extra 10bhp so 226bhp for the regular GTI and 242bhp for the GTI Performance), as does the Golf GTE’s setup with its 1.4 litre petrol mated to an electric motor.

The facelifted Golf will get its debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show later this month, when we should get further details including a new electric Golf and details on the new Golf R.