....Final judgement has to depend on seeing one in the flesh and driving it.
I agree. And I think like Toph and Gulf said, it will probably grow on us, especially when we start to see 'em on the roads.

However, personally I don't like the front styling because it's too like the Scirocco and I hate all the overall 'corporate' look which destroys individuality. I also think that the new facelift front will date very quickly and already looks like several other 'Euro cars'.
Are you sure? I personally think that "timeless" styling is where the Golf, and German marques in general, really do have that licked. You can look at all five generations of Golf, and see clear "Golf DNA" through the evolutions, and they all look good. However, look at Seats, and even the previous gen Leon looks as ugly as sin, and when you put the two (previous and current Leon) side by side, you really struggle to find any common traits.
When Audi bought out their trapezoidal "single frame grill", most "commentators" reckoned that was fugly, but now it is an accepted part of Audis' corporate family design, and it works well, and looks good on all their models.
But the worst cars for dating are rice burning jap cars. Look at the Honda Civic, from the original to the current. The early ones are horrendous, and even the second from current is uglier than an ugly ba$tard at the gurning world championships!

But the bottom line is that I have very little interest in any Golf other than the GTI (and R32 which now no longer will exist), and so the jury is still out.
Fussy bu&&er!

The new Golf has all sorts of improvements but inevitably some I intensely dislike such as Automatic Distance Control, pointless suspension settings, and even more cabin soundproofing.
Ahhh - but things like the ADC will have to have an on-off switch, just like todays cruise control. Afterall, isn't cruise control illegal to use in Switzerland?

And as for suspension and cabin noise, well I doub't they'd fox you for long.

A Milltek and a set of KoniFSDs will soon sort that!
