Volkswagen Golf (Mk8) Interior Layout & Technology | Top Gear

AdvertisementClose advertisement

• Home
• Car Reviews
• Volkswagen
• Golf
• Interior

• Overview
• Driving
• Interior
• Buying
• Specs & Prices

Car ReviewVolkswagen Golf (Mk8) reviewPrices from£27,515 - £44,665 Leasing offers from

£223 p/m

External link towith Leasing.com8TopGear.comPublished: 24 Jul 2024

Read why you can trust our independent reviews

• Overview
• Driving
• Interior
• Buying
• Specs & Prices

Skip 26 photos in the image carousel and continue reading3 / 26Advertisement

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

The Mk8 Golf wasn’t all small evolutions. There were huge changes in the dash, infotainment, and the level of connectedness. And not for the better, we might add. Hence Volkswagen attempting to right its wrongs with Mk8.5.

So, all Golfs now get VW’s latest MIB4 infotainment system, paired with a 12.9-inch screen as standard. It’s the same unit you find in the Passat and Tiguan, and with its revised menu structure and faster processor a big improvement on before.

Advertisement - Page continues below

There’s still a severe lack of physical buttons, and only capacitive sliders to control temperature and volume (which don't always respond to your fingertip). But these are now finally illuminated at night, whereas before you were left fumbling around cursing under your breath.

We do however like the row of customisable shortcut buttons at the top: for example, we had a shortcut button to take us to the driver assist functions – meaning we could quickly turn off the annoying speed limit warning – while the aircon and heated seat controls are permanently displayed down below.

What else has changed?

All Golfs also now get a steering wheel complete with proper buttons in place of the previous (and useless) capacitive ones, ChatGPT to control the vehicle’s functions and answer any general knowledge questions (though, in our experience, not very effectively), plus Car2X.

Before long cars of all brands will be able to use this hazard warning swarm intelligence. Say a car around the corner ahead of you activates its hazards, or airbag, or ESP, or fog lights... you’ll get a message if it’s relevant. Infrastructure – the same info that feeds motorway gantry signs – will also knit into the system.

Advertisement - Page continues below

Is it comfortable?

As usual for a Golf, the front seats and driving position are just fine, and in the back you can get rear climate controls. Boot space amounts to 318 litres with seats up and 1,270 litres with them folded down, but be aware that the plug-in hybrids can only muster 273 litres back there on account of the battery. Something to ponder if you’re tempted by the idea of electric-only commuting.

Still not enough space for you? Get the Golf Estate: its 611-litre boot will be enough to get you and your family’s stuff from one side of the country to another comfortably.

Previous: DrivingContinue reading: BuyingAdvertisement

96 per cent of Ford Fiesta owners ‘oblivious’ to existence of third gear

F1 to replace Italian Grand Prix at Monza with street race in Venice

Exclusive: VW to build ID. Buzz that breaks down constantly

UK ambassador summoned after Brit firm adds Rover V8 into Italian supercar

Advertisement

96 per cent of Ford Fiesta owners ‘oblivious’ to existence of third gear

F1 to replace Italian Grand Prix at Monza with street race in Venice

Exclusive: VW to build ID. Buzz that breaks down constantly

UK ambassador summoned after Brit firm adds Rover V8 into Italian supercar

96 per cent of Ford Fiesta owners ‘oblivious’ to existence of third gear

F1 to replace Italian Grand Prix at Monza with street race in Venice

Exclusive: VW to build ID. Buzz that breaks down constantly

UK ambassador summoned after Brit firm adds Rover V8 into Italian supercar

1. Supercars

   20 new cars to be excited for in 2026

2. Supercars

   Here are 13 of Top Gear's best ever performance cars

3. Retro

   Meet your heroes: the Seat Leon Cupra R was raw, analogue, and old school

4. Interview

   Parts master: meet Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia, the founder of Euro Car Parts

5. Retro

   We built Mattel’s new 1,600-piece Merc 300 SL and lived to tell the tale

6. Opinion

   Hot or not: what does Frank Stephenson think of the Polestar 5?

Subscribe to the Top Gear Newsletter

Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.

SuccessYour Email*Country*Please select your countryUnited KingdomAfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCaribbean NetherlandsCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongo (Brazzaville)Congo (Kinshasa)Cook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong Kong S.A.R., ChinaHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacao S.A.R., ChinaMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorth KoreaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinian TerritoryPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluU.S. Virgin IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVaticanVenezuelaVietnamWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

By clicking subscribe, you agree to receive news, promotions and offers by email from Top Gear and BBC Studios. Your information will be used in accordance with our privacy policy.

Sorry, something went wrong

Please try againSubscribemagazine

Subscribe to BBC Top Gear Magazine

find out more