Volkswagen World

You may have recently seen this advert running in national newspapers, magazines or on poster sites around the country and are wondering how we calculated this rather “unbelievable” figure. Well it’s time to believe, the average Golf really is up to 10% cheaper to run over 3 years or 36,000 miles.

In order to make this a fair comparison we chose one of the most popular specifications of Golf, in this instance the Golf S TSI 85 5dr 1.2L and compared it with equivalent models from Ford, Toyota, Honda and Vauxhall. In order to be fair we have chosen models that have engines with a similar engine capacity and power output, where possible we have also tried to match equal levels of specifications across the models we compare. (The Ford Focus Edge 105 5dr 1.6L, Toyota Auris Edition 5dr 1.3L, Honda Civic i-VTEC SE 5dr 1.4L and Vauxhall Astra Exclusiv 5dr 1.4L)

We then use an Independent data source: KeeResources KWIKCarCost  to analyse the results. In this calculation we have used the independent data source to forecast the likely depreciation and running costs of the vehicles over the course of 3 years and with an average annual mileage of 12,000. The running costs calculation is based on the likely service, maintenance and repair bills as well as fuel costs (calculated using an average price per litre), we have also included the cost of registering the vehicle and the vehicle excise duty. The last step is to compare the models total running costs with each other and then work out the percentage difference. In this instance the Golf is up to 14.678% cheaper to run than its competitors but, in the interests of presenting the most accurate figure we have averaged the results of all 4 competitors  which results in the Golf being 9.54% cheaper to run than its competitors, which we have rounded up to 10% to achieve a whole number.

The exact figures are:
Volkswagen Golf S TSI 85 5dr 1.2L costs £14,160 to run over 3 years
Honda Civic i-VTEC SE 5dr 1.4L costs £15,479 to run over 3 years (8.521% more)
Ford Focus Edge 105 5dr 1.6L costs £14,975 to run over 3 years (5.442% more)
Toyota Auris Edition 5dr 1.3L costs £15,558 to run over 3 years (8.985% more)
Vauxhall Astra Exclusiv 5dr 1.4L costs £16,596 to run over 3 years (14.678 % more)

To compare any of our models against any competitor  for yourself please visit our comparison tool which uses data supplied by KeeResources KWIKCarCost . http://www.volkswagencomparison.co.uk/VWComparator.html

Details: Data supplied by KeeResources Kwik Car Cost June, 2011. Based on a comparison of equivalent models from Honda (Civic i-VTEC SE 5-door 1.4), Vauxhall (Astra Esclusiv 5-door 1.4), Ford (Focus Edge 105 5-door 1.6) and Toyota (Auris Edition 5-door 1.3) to the Volkswagen (Golf S TSI 85 5-door 1.2T). Assumes vehicles cover 36,000 miles over 36 months and cost includes depreciation, fuel costs and road tax over 3 years. Official fuel consumption for the Golf S 1.2 85 PS 5-speed, 3-door manual mpg (litres/100km): urban 40.4 (7.0); extra urban 61.4 (4.6); combined 51.4 (5.5). CO2 emissions 129g/km.