Living under the shadow of the Golf

I was reminded today when I glanced in the rear view mirror at a new Astra, of how car makers try to emulate the appeal of the VW Golf.

The obvious one, being VW themselves, who are so scared of ruining the image, that each iteration of Golf looks painfully similar to the last, for fear of alienating their VW badge worshiping cult.

Ford seems to have avoided it to some degree (although the Asbo era Focus was a bit VW ish). The first Focus was a complete breath of fresh air compared to the tired old Escort, and each new Focus is markedly different to the last. Now, Ford are emulating Aston Martin with their gaping grille. Almost trying to avoid VW-ness entirely.

Vauxhall have done ok (albeit in their own dowdy way) avoiding the Golf template until the new facelift model Astra, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the latest gen golf.

Even Fiat succumbed in the (IMO) with the Stilo, having a more Coulthard square jawed VW image, which was completely at odds with the feminine lines of the outgoing Bravo.

Then there is the way that VW, Ford and Vauxhall (GM) have arm wrestled over handing, quality, speed and desirability. The MK1 Focus set the standard for handling and brave design, Vauxhall took their time, but focussed (excuse the pun) on interior quality and all roundness... eventually matching the handling, and VW started fixing the handling after the MkIV era Golf, which was made of granite, but handled like a barge. The surprise, is that the new Astra (according to the mags) is better than the Golf and the Focus. Yet for me, the Astra has gone so Golfy, they look dull.

Any views?

How did that 2016 Astra get Car of the Year.....I will never know..Pure Dull.

VX always playing catch up, never lead the field.

How was a mk2 focus golf-ish?? It had the mondeos face and the arse of a volvo!

Anyway, don't think vx have been on it since the legendary redtop died (and that was all urban myth, and hear-say. Crap gutless thing in real life). The car's are mediocre to say the least, even the vxr's didn't take off like the St.
I'm also not up on the mid sized hatch market so not sure if it is pinicled by the golf, A3 or something else but if I was to question emulation then the Koreans are doing a good job of creating a cheap golf wanna be in looks. Although I'm sure the quality of plastic might be lacking they seem to be pretty darn reliable.

Not sure which Volvo you're talking about there But yes, I wasn't suggesting they looked like a Golf as such, but the MK2 was more bland with a solid looking interior... Much like a Golf. This was a departure from the brave design of the MK1.

VX have been playing catch up for years. I'm not keen on the looks of the latest Astra, but according to the press it is now shoulder to shoulder with the others.

You can't say a bland solid car is trying to be a golf, a bland solid looking car is a car for the masses, I was thinking volvo estate at th arse end, it feels very v40 in shape (ignoring the lights).
The mk1 focus is superior in every way to the contemporary golf. This is a fact. More reliable, cheaper, easier to fix etc... The mk1 focus is 10 times the car the 2001 golf gti was. You're comparing 'marketing' with real life - although most of the populus of the UK does the same. VAG'S are not as good as they were, ford's are far superior to what they were. Plus a 1986 Sierra can cost 80k. The market speaks! (I am a Ford fan boy with 2 jags - one pre ford, one post)

Hey Muzz

I think my arguments are getting misconstrued. I am not saying the Golf is the best car. But I am saying that other car makers have used the Golf as a benchmark for certain qualities. Other cars are also used for their qualities.... Italian flair for example.

I completely agree that the Mk1 Focus is a great car. In fact I called it a "breath of fresh air." I'm not sure I agree it was 10 times the Mk4 Golf though (apart from handling). For a start, the PD 1.9 TDi is a legendary engine, which I would argue was better than the Ford TDCi of at the time. The Golf handled like a barge, but the interior was a nicer place to be than the Focus IMO.

I've never said that Golfs are more reliable either. If I thought that, I wouldn't be driving a Fiat, an Alfa and a 20 year old Bongo. So marketing doesn't influence my car purchasing decisions... at least not much.

I do think though, that the Mk2 Focus was trying to become more Germanic, and as a result was more dull than the Mk1. Would you agree? Perhaps they've gone back to their roots in later models.

I could re-word my main premise.

For perceived quality, car companies have used the Golf as the benchmark. I would argue that Ford have taken notice of the Golf and VAG in general to compete in this market.

But, for handling, Ford set the benchmark with the Mk1 Focus (magazines always used it as the test). As a result, VW improved the handling of the Golf Mk5 onwards.

VX have played catch up; never quite matching the handling or quality of either car. However, the odd situation has arisen, where the new Astra has matched both - at least according to the press.

As for prices of old cars, yes Ford has the racing pedigree and classic Fords fetch healthy prices. But then, have you seen the price of VW campers??

All cars have come on leaps and bounds since the 1990's. I remember when I wouldn't touch a Kia with a barge pole, but since Hyundai took them over, the Ceed is a proper contender.

As for perceived quality, remember when Clarkson had a series of Mercs, and they spent more time in the garage than on the road ?

Merc is a classic example, of where they WERE the epitome of quality, but for some reason have taken their eye of the ball.

Let the debate continue. At least it's more interesting than the EU.

I missed a bit the mk1 focus rs is 10 times the car ANY golf is.

I understand what you're saying, I'm just not a big fan of vag! Please never compare a camper van to an rs500... That hurts!

Agreed.

Ha, I remember a time when I wouldn't have touched a Fiat with that self same pole... and then I bought one, and then another (Bravo = Big Mistake) and finally another (Grande Punto = thus far a faultless 100,000 miles).

Not sure I will ever venture again though. And before you say it the 124 is a Mazda

With the beating heart ripped bleeding out of a Fiat...

The Golf sector (sorry, the mid-size hatchback sector) is all about shifting units to the mainstream customer. Excluding the extreme versions offered by any of the manufacturers, that sector is for "car X", for consumers that want reliable, economical, inoffensive transport from A-B. You could argue that the Mondeo sector (hmmm, Ford wins that one - by quantity alone, perhaps?) is the same, but I'd say that is more fleet sales and thus more about deals for quantity.

So, once VW managed to elbow the Strada (and possibly the Citroen Visa) out of the picture for "the first hatchback" and began to construct their (largely unwarranted for some years) brand reputation for the ultimate (and "original") hatchback, it was always going to be an uphill task for Ford to reclaim the throne, regardless of the quality/value of its product. Same for Vauxhall, just a bit further back.

There aren't many cars in that sector with pretensions to true volume sales that don't abide by the identikit conventions and proportions. After that, it's all different shaped lights and body-mouldings.

You could argue that Honda were the bravest manufacturer with the Civic, especially given that the average Honda customer would have a slightly more mature profile!

I haven't driven a Golf or Focus for years, though I had an Astra hire car last year that I thought was appalling.

Incidentally, I think Merc had quality issues for a while (something to do with the price of steel, IIRC), but have largely addressed them.

I'd say there's more a3's than golf's (round these parts anyway) and yes, it's the same platform...

I also wouldn't say that all cars in the sector are the same, there are some vast differences in cabin and boot space.

I do agree with most of your points Jim, boring cars for utilitarian usage and bread and butter profits.

As you say, it's the same platform, so VAG aren't going to complain if it's a Golf, A3, Octavia or Léon...

The Germans are very good at engineering to a spec, VW particularly good. They will produce a product that meets all the basic test criteria and so are in the best position to win group tests. Critics are unwilling to stick their necks out so the same cars keep being given the nod. The rest have to sell on price in segments where only volume guarantees success. People are sheep-like and buy what is recommended to them, hence such a boring motoring landscape these days.

And why is it that the Germans can platform-share and they are lauded for it. If anyone else does it, they are branded as lazy, cheapskates selling a poor product at elevated prices?

Basically....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njuGmIs_a4k

Yep - that's certainly the marketing using the "Cult of the Golf"

Remember the woman with the squeaky earing commercial?

Oh, here it is ! I remember the old bloke laughing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF-KJ5-KNQk