| A VW Golf is a VW Rabbit is a VW Golf.
Save for rounding off once squared fenders and roof lines and tweaking the grille styling and the brake light arrangement, Volkswagen has shown remarkable, some might argue unremarkable, fealty to the model's styling cues though all of its six generations.
Body proportions, for instance, have remained stoically the same, which, while perhaps boring, isn't necessarily bad, as it ensures a continuum of recognition for the marque's price leader.
Still, a little inspiration here and there might not terminally damage the Golf's legacy.
Headlights are rounder than the car's previous iteration, the 2008 Rabbit, and bookend a wider, thinner, two bar grille sans any separating sheetmetal.
The grille is blacked out, where the predecessor's was painted body color.
Likewise, the lower air intake spans the width of the car, with a fuller, richer looking bumper no longer demeaned by low ball black rubber protector strips scarring the corners of that earlier model's fascia.
Side body panels are more sculpted, with a sharply creased rocker panel outline across the lower portion.
The stylists did a decent job of giving the C pillar (the body panel behind the rear most side window) a consistent shape and proportion on the 2 door and 4 door, given the reality of both cars sharing the same wheelbase (distance between front and rear tires) and being equal in overall length.
A clearly defined character line tracks rearward from the top of the front fender blister all the way to the upper taillight element, giving the rear fenders a hint of a shoulder.
Wheelwells encircle the tires leaving the barest of gaps, visually pulling the car down onto the pavement.
Minimalist door handles are snug for hands wearing anything larger than medium size gloves.
Gaps between body panels are pencil thin, which suggest high-quality construction.
The rear of the new 2010 Golf keeps the faith, avoiding anything new or striking in its styling.
It is a hatchback, after all, and there's little in the way of excitement that can be done within that limitation.
Taillight housings mirror the ovoid shape of the headlights, boosting the rear fenders' shoulder look the aforementioned side body panel character line establishes.
The wrap around rear window glass fills the top of the lift gate.
An outsized, round VW logo parked in the middle between the taillights doubles as the lever for opening the liftgate.
The TDI is distinguished from the 2.5-liter gas model by an eponymous chrome logo beneath the right taillight, balancing the chrome GOLF logo both cars wear below the left taillight.
An indent in the rear bumper houses the license plate.
A flat black extractor like panel minimizes the visual mass of the rear bumper. |