RAY MASSEY: Volkswagen unveils the latest incarnation of its best-selling Golf – without a hitch

Volkswagen has unveiled the latest incarnation of its best-selling Golf – promising that in the best-selling car’s 50th anniversary year it has eradicated the dismal digital glitches that made its predecessor such a dog’s dinner.

The facelifted version of the eighth-generation Golf – called ‘8.5’ and led by a sporty GTI hot-hatch model – will also be the last version to offer a petrol and diesel variant before switching to fully electric.

The model promises more power, simplified touchscreen menus and styling tweaks including more angular LED headlights and an illuminated badge on the nose. You can even park your Golf remotely with your smartphone.

But these technical improvements were desperately needed. When the latest version launched in 2019, I thought I was going crazy. The much-hyped digital touchscreen dash and infotainment system, especially the annoying fingertip sliders, drove me quite crazy.

I thought it was just me until I compared notes with those present who were equally stunned. But the good news is that VW insists it has resolved these issues.

Controversial touch-sensitive sliders for temperature and volume control (sadly still present) are at least backlit, so you can now see them in the dark. And good, physical buttons on the steering wheel – including for volume – have replaced the very annoying and barely functioning sliders there.

Three Golf models have been unveiled – GTE and sporty GTI hatchbacks, and an elongated Golf Estate with a large boot – with up to nine powertrains between them. A performance Golf R will follow next year. The GTE plug-in hybrid version promises a pure electric range of 100 kilometers and a combined range of 1000 kilometers.

Prices will range from around £30,000 for the Golf GTE and £40,000 for the GTI. They will arrive in Great Britain from April. Since its launch in 1974, approximately 37 million Golfs have been sold.

Female drivers still face sexism

Women visiting garages still face sexism, according to new research from ‘no-hassle’ online repair and service company Fixter (fixter.co.uk), which offers door-to-door collection.

Six in ten female drivers feel stressed when visiting a mechanic, three-quarters believe that mechanics take them less seriously than male drivers, and almost half have experienced ‘casual sexism’ from garage staff, such as speaking out of darling, love or sweetheart.

Sexism: Six in ten female drivers worry about going to a mechanic

Six in ten have asked a male partner, friend or family member to accompany them to the garage.

A total of 69 percent of motorists believe that mechanics behave differently towards men and women, the research shows.

Chancellor’s call to action on VAT on electric cars

Under pressure: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt should halve VAT on new electric cars to prevent electric vehicle ‘flat-lining’, British dealers and manufacturers say.

Lowering the rate to 10 percent for three years would encourage sluggish sales to private buyers, save customers thousands of pounds and provide a powerful incentive to switch, they say.

It would also bring them into line with the lucrative tax breaks for commercial vehicle drivers.

Without this, the government’s ambitious targets for EV ownership will stagnate, they warn ahead of the Spring Budget on March 6 and the looming general election.

A survey of National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) members found that only 27 percent of dealers expected EV sales in 2024 to be better than last year, although 4 percent predicted sales would be ‘much better’ would be.

Fear of range, lack of chargers and costs were the main reasons keeping people from going electric.