The New VW Golf 8 Can Talk to Other Cars And a Key Is Optional, Among Other Features
By Grant Cox
The legendary Golf has always had some innovative tech for its time, and one of the newly announced Golf 8’s new features confirms that. Coming as a standard feature, all new Golfs will have Car2x technology which allows Volkswagen cars to communicate with and alert other cars with Car2x. Except in this Golf, thanks to an online connectivity unit (OCU), it can share information with other cars that don’t have Car2x tech. Information like speed, direction, and any road detected obstacles will be shared with any other car within 800 meters, or about half a mile. It doesn’t stop there as the new Golf can also sense road information like stop signs and other signals from road infrastructure, which will be shown to the driver via a display.
What other tech does the new Golf have? Well for starters, a completely digital cockpit: a digital gauge cluster paired with an infotainment touch screen. Dubbed the “Innovision Cockpit” by Volkswagen, who seem to be very proud of it. Rightfully so, as this is by far the cheapest car to feature a digital driver’s display.
Now that analog dials are obsolete, is the key next? Volkswagen is taking the first step in making a key-less world a reality by giving people with Samsung compatible smartphones the option to make their phone the key. To start your new Golf, all you have to do is put your phone in the center console.
Additionally, the new Golf will have Amazon’s Alexa integrated into it as well as a head-up display for the windshield and three-zone climate control. Not bad for a car that’s expected to come in at under $25,000. In fact, all of the technology that is packed into this new Golf generation could rival some luxury car models. Hopefully the US will get the Golf 8!