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Revolutionary Golf 7 is in town

Revolutionary Golf 7 is in townCourtesy of Zimmermann Garage, I recently had the privilege of test driving the new Golf 7 before its launch to the public, and what an experience it was.
I fell in love with the Golf 7 from the moment I stepped inside its cabin – from the touch screen radio, to the adjustable steering wheel and the electronic parking handbrake – everything about this car is just a marvel.
While the car can clock up to 260, I deliberately travelled at a speed of 120km/hr for fear of getting on the wrong side of City Police. The traction of the car is amazing.
The seventh generation Golf features a new range of standard and optional assistance systems in its class. The weight of the new Golf has been reduced by up to 100 kg from its predecessor, the Golf  6 and this has resulted in improved fuel economy of almost 23%.
The new Golf has been enhanced in all areas compared to the previous model. It comes standard with a number of new technologies, some of which are available for the first time in a compact car class. In spite of the enhancements, the launch price of the base model of the new Golf is cheaper compared to the Golf 6 entry-level model.
Norbert Zimmermann, a director at Zimmermann Garage, describes the Golf 7 as a Quatum Leap in automotion technology. He told the Economist: “It is fantastic to have an affordable car (N$235 800) with the Blue-motion technology that saves on fuel. The car becomes available at a price where Golf 6 has left us. It is longer, larger, lighter – its a Golf with premium attributes.”
The Golf 7 is equipped with a touch-screen with proximity sensor display as standard that  automatically switches to operating mode as the hand approaches. As soon as the driver or front passenger moves a finger near to the touch-screen, the system automatically switches from display mode to input mode. The display mode shows a screen that is reduced to just the essentials. In the operating mode, on the other hand, the elements that can be activated by touch are specially highlighted to simplify intuitive operation. The displays also have a function that lets users scroll through music lists in the media library with a wipe of the hand.
What I also like about the new Golf is the multi-collision brake system. The Volkswagen Group is the only car maker in the world to implement such a system as standard in a compact car. The multi-collision brake system automatically brakes the vehicle when it is involved in an accident preventing it from hitting another car in front. The triggering of the multi-collision brake system is based on detection of a primary collision by the air-bag sensors.
The electronic parking handbrake is a standard feature in Volkswagen premium models such as Touareg, Volkswagen CC and Tiguan. The handbrake has made its way to the new Golf. Instead of a handbrake lever, a control switch plus an auto hold switch are located on the centre console. The electronic parking brake offers numerous advantages such as freeing up more space on the centre console. The brake is automatically released when driving off, making hill starts easier.
The new optional climatronic air conditioner system regulates the interior temperature  automatically via a two-zone temperature control creating a “temperature wall” between driver and front passenger.
The new Golf model range comes standard with a 5 year/90 000km Service Plan, 3 year/120 000km warranty and a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty.
Zimmermann Garage, which last year  had a record year selling 623 passenger cars and 100 commercial units, expects this trend to continue with the launch of the Golf 7 and the launch of the new GTI later in the year. Two days after the launch of the Golf 7, Zimmermann Garage had already sold four units. The company said it still has 7 more units in stock.

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