The 2019 VW Golf looked smart and practical as a zippy GTI hatchback when we first got to see it from a closer range at the most popular showroom of a VW dealer near Riverside. The 2019 Volkswagen Golf is the best recommendation for the rational people, who prefer utility over fantasies. But overall it carries a charming personality about its demeanor that gets hard to ignore. This year, as an unpleasant surprise to many, VW has downgraded the Golf hatchback and its front-wheel-drive versions to a 1.4-liter turbo-4 engine that is now rated at 147 horsepower, which is a significant drop of 23-hp from its last year’s 1.8-liter capacity engine, and the reason is still unknown.

To compensate VW has introduced a new GTI Rabbit Edition trim package to spice up the appearance of the sporty version while all the GTI models are now given a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission to achieve better grip on the road. Finally, VW did consider making available the manual transmission on its Alltrack trim models.

The All-wheel-drive SportWagen models and the Alltrack are however being equipped with a 168-hp generating 1.8-liter turbo-4 while the Golf GTI get a 2.0-liter turbo-4 rated engine that raises the horsepower to 228 hp and is able to render a firmer ride, thanks to the responsive suspension that got to work in tune with the uprated brakes.

Does it Give a Thrilling Performance?

From being frugal to fire-breathing, the 2019 VW Golf has a model ready to drive with every driving spirit and is dedicated to satisfy every desire that any driving enthusiast can think of. For 2019, as VW has installed a 1.4-liter turbo-4 rated engine to crank a 147 horsepower in all Golf hatchbacks, a 6-speed manual transmission can be observed to be coming as a standard feature on most models while there is also an option to pair the same engine with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The 168-hp generating 1.8-liter turbo-4 engine that was made standard in the 2018 year models is now been relegated to the models configured as all-wheel-drive SportWagens and on all the Alltrack models. The engine is strategically mated to either a slick-shifting 6-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The 1.8-liter on the other hand delivers a great thrusting performance from a dead stop. Thanks to the easy-shifting manual transmission, that gives the driver total control on the vehicle, though some may prefer to choose the automatic transmission which behaves equally well on the tough roads.

The Last Word of Advice

The sales team serving at the Riverside VW dealership and some experienced drivers we met there all agreed unanimously that for them the Golf GTI trim proved to be the best choice among the entire lineup of the 2019 VW Golf as it runs modestly with the power boost of 228 hp derived from the 2.0-liter turbo-4 engine that delivers excellent thrust and acceleration with minimal lag. All the trims in the lineup hence make a wonderful choice for those who are looking for a practical vehicle that is thrilling to drive as well.