Volkswagen in Germany has just opened its order books for the facelifted Golf fitted with the all-new 1,5-litre TSI Evo engine. But the Wolfsburg brand’s local arm has confirmed that the 110 kW turbocharged four-cylinder mill will not be offered in South Africa.
Featuring common rail direct injection, active cylinder management and a turbocharger boasting variable turbine geometry, the 1,5 TSI Evo unit – which VW bills as its “most modern engine generation” – develops 250 N.m from as low as 1 500 r/min. The brand claims that the manual version sips at just 5,0 L/100 km, while fitting the optional seven-speed DSG transmission sees this figure fall to 4,9 L/100 km.
So, why won’t this low-emission EA211 Evo engine (which will later this year be available in Europe in 96 kW guise, too) be offered locally when the facelifted range arrives in South African showrooms in May? Well, a VW SA spokesperson told CARmag.co.za that the 1,5-litre engine “has not been released to South Africa as yet”.
When asked for clarification, he explained that the new powerplant “has not been released for hot countries”, adding that the fact that it is a Euro 6 engine “is a problem for South Africa because of [the country’s poor] fuel quality”.
Interestingly, the new engine will also not be offered in Australia, with that country’s VW division citing “cost barriers” and slack emissions regulations.
Still, when the facelifted Golf range does arrive in South Africa, there will be one new engine. This 81 kW 1,0-litre TSI variant will serve as the base model, and will be available in either Trendline or Comfortline trim, with pricing expected to start at about R290 000.
