Repair-It

The auto-equipped oil-burner doesn’t just feel quicker than the manual, it is quicker thanks to a wider-ratio gearbox with shorter gearing in the lower cogs. Accelerating from zero to 60 mph, the manual takes 8.3 seconds to the automatic’s 7.8 seconds

According to the EPA, the manual diesel is rated at 31 mpg in the city and 45 on the highway (automatics nab an estimated 43 on the highway). Gas-turbo Golfs are EPA-rated at 25 mpg city and 37 highway with a manual and 25/36 with the six-speed automatic.

In 240 miles of highway and city driving, we managed 32 mpg, 2 mpg short of the number we hit with the automatic. The trip computer reported 38.9 mpg in the same period of time, but trip computers are usually very optimistic, which is why we perform an odometer calibration and measure fuel economy by how many gallons go into the car. Still, go easier on the acceleration than we did and the Golf’s fuel economy should rise into the mid-to-high-30s.

Standing ¼-mile: 16.6 sec @ 84 mph