At long last, the Volkswagen IQ. Drive advanced driver assistance suite is now available in Malaysia. The feature will be introduced first on the updated 2023 model-year Volkswagen Golf GTI, now priced at RM246,012 on-the-road, without insurance.
Included in the price is a five-year unlimited-mileage warranty, three-year free maintenance programme, as well as five years of free roadside assistance.
By the way, if you’re looking to renew your insurance, you can get a 10% rebate and cash back at the end of your policy if you renew with MotorTakaful by Etiqa. Just log on to www.motortakaful.com.
The Volkswagen IQ. Drive ADAS suite consists of several features, including:
- Adaptive Cruise Control (Travel assist)
- Lane departure prevention with Adaptive Lane Guidance (Lane assist)
- Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist support(Front assist)
- blind-spot monitor (Side assist)
- Rear cross-traffic alert
The most interesting feature on the list is the Adaptive Lane Guidance function, which keeps the car within its own lane “on an ideal line learned from the driver’s driving characteristics” – perhaps in terms of how closely the car sticks to the lane markers, or even providing a smoother cornering line at the bends.
Aside from the new ADAS kit, the new 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI has also been given a slight update to its equipment list both inside and out. On the former, there’s now a new wireless charging pad on the centre console, new ‘GTI’ embroidery on the front seats, as well as an additional centre airbag, bringing the total number up to seven.
As for the exterior, the new 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI now comes equipped with new fog lights on the front bumper’s honeycomb mesh inserts, alongside new heating and (finally) folding functionality for the wing mirrors.
Otherwise, the signature hot hatch remains unchanged from the model that was launched here in Malaysia back in February last year. Underneath the bonnet is still the same 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine, making 245 hp and 370 Nm. Here in Malaysia, the Golf GTI can only be had with a seven-speed DSG (wet) dual-clutch transmission, with power sent to the front wheels as usual.
The new price does represent roughly a RM20k increase over the outgoing model, although we think that the price increase is at least justified with an updated equipment list.
In related news, the good ol’ regular Volkswagen Golf R-Line has now been discontinued here in Malaysia. So if you want a VW Golf here in Malaysia, you’ll now have to spring at least RM246k for the Golf GTI.
