Following Manual

This is the last year for the fourth-generation Golf. So as a consequence, it gets no changes except for a software upgrade for its engine-control computer. A fifth-generation Golf went on sale in Europe in 2004, but we Americans will have to wait until 2006 to get it. There are two engine choices in the Golf. There’s the 1.9-liter turbo-diesel that makes 100 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque-available in the GL and GLS-and there’s also the familiar 2.0-liter that makes 115 hp. TheGolf is a bit more expensive than its Japanese competition but offers a luxurious interior, the utility of a hatch, and a decent fun-to-drive rating. The structure is stiff, and although its engines are on the weak side, it goes down the road well enough. Since this is the currentGolf’s last year, be sure to deal hard. Otherwise, wait a year for the entirely new, and more sophisticated, fifth-generation Golf. After a mostly fallow 2005, VW is on a new-model rush, starting with a sixth-generation Passat.

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