2017 Volkswagen Golf Trims Comparison

Standard features for the Golf S include 15-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors, a rearview camera, air-conditioning, cruise control, a driver information display, height-adjustable manual front seats (with power recline and manual lumbar adjustment), a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, 60/40-split folding rear seats with a center pass-through, a cooled glovebox, a 6.5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, and an eight-speaker sound system with a CD player, auxiliary audio input, a USB port, HD and satellite radio and smartphone integration (VW's Car-Net App-Connect that features Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink). Opting for the automatic transmission adds steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Upgrading to the Wolfsburg Edition model adds 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights and wipers, a sunroof, keyless entry and ignition, heated front seats, imitation leather (premium vinyl) upholstery, a forward collision warning system with automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

The only option is a set of 18-inch wheels, available for either trim.

Powering the 2017 VW Golf is a turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that drives the front wheels through either a standard five-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed automatic. Rated power output is 170 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque with the automatic. On manual-equipped Golfs, engine torque is limited to 184 lb-ft.

The EPA estimates for this engine are 29 mpg combined (25 city/35 highway) with the automatic. The manual-transmission model also gets 29 mpg combined. These are decent figures, though some top rival hatchbacks do even better. On our mixed driving evaluation route, we managed to achieve an impressive 32 mpg from a loaded Golf with the automatic.

In Edmunds testing, this same Golf accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, making it one of the quicker cars in the small sedan/hatchback class with a base engine.