The Golf feels roomier than it looks, and it is, actually, equaling or at least competitive with the other major players in its niche.   This includes, interestingly, the Chevrolet Cobalt, a car generally perceived to be larger than the Golf, which it betters everywhere, including trunk space by a smidgen more than one 1 foot square cardboard box; about the same holds true for the Focus, while the Civic's trunk holds three fewer foot-square boxes.   Other notable differences are that the Ford Focus offers more rear seat legroom than the Golf, by a tick more than a half inch, while the Honda Civic coupe trails the Golf coupe in rear seat headroom by more than three inches.  

Front seats are comfortable and easy on the ingress and egress, despite their sport appellations.   That latter, though, is welcome when exploring the Golf's relatively high handling limits, as is the grippy cloth upholstery.   The eight way adjustable driver's seat works well with the tilt and telescope steering wheel to allow all but the tallest and the most stout drivers a nearly perfect triangulation with steering wheel, pedals and shift lever.   Gravy, and much appreciated by the front seat passenger, is the eight way adjustability in that seat, too.  

Air conditioning and sound system controls are comfortably basic in shape, size and duty.   Knobs and buttons handle the essential operations.   Selections the nav system's touch screen permits while the car is in motion appear in large, finger friendly, virtual buttons that require only a flash glance by the driver to identify their assigned duties and then can be manipulated in the driver's peripheral field of vision.  

As for visibility generally, that aforementioned C-pillar is about the only negative.   It's just thick enough to catch the driver's eye in those last fleeting moments before a quick lane change.   Otherwise, the rear quarter vision is on par with visibility out front and out back, which is excellent for a car this size.