► Life with a VW Golf GTI Clubsport
► Is VW’s infotainment finally getting better?
► Read month 2
I’m getting on well with the facelifted Golf’s revised infotainment, which replaces infuriations like touch-sensitive steering-wheel controls that were too easy to accidentally trigger with physical controls, and introduces temperature controls that can now actually be seen at night.
The new 12.9-inch screen has an easy to navigate homescreen, easy shortcuts to knock off the lane-keeping assist, and a car-shaped graphic to fast-track you to previously buried functions, such as the ESP Sport mode.
Infotainment foibles have not been entirely banished. Steering wheel volume controls do not work when the ignition is on but the engine off; touch-sensitive drive modes and assist shortcuts are right next door to the hazard warning lights. And voice control is inconsistent (struggling with ‘play BBC Radio 6 Music’, for instance, meaning I rarely interact with it).
But crucially I no longer feel like the Golf is wilfully obstructing me, and find this a perfectly usable system.
Logbook
Price: £43,215 (£47,830 as tested)
Performance: 1984cc four-cylinder turbo, 296bhp, 5.6sec 0-62mph, 168mph
Efficiency: 37.4mpg (official), 37.4mpg (tested), 168g/km CO2
Energy cost: 16.4p per mile
Miles this month: 1190
Total miles: 3212
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