What makes the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf special? From what we hear it’s a lot of things like a combination of new manufacturing processes, the all new Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) platform, a range of upgraded engines and of course VW’s new line of NVIDIA-powered modular infotainment systems and also radar- and camera-based adaptive cruise control, parking assist, auto-dimming headlights, an electronic parking brake and a Mercedes-like fatigue detection system.

Engines will range from 1.4- to 2.0-liters, but in the U.S., the turbo’d 1.4 will not arrive for a few more years. Not just lighter but also faster and stronger the VW Golf will be unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show and hit dealerships across Europe this fall and is to be introduced as a 2013 model in the U.S. The GTI variant is likely to be limited to around 230-240 hp, but torque will be up to nearly 260 pound-feet. With a reworked suspension and all-new electric steering rack that will work along with a new type of electronically-controlled mechanical limited-slip differential that nixes the much-maligned brake-based system on current GTIs it’s already been tested at the Nürburgring and VW claims is 8.5 seconds quicker around Green Hell than its standard counterpart. Expect the next Golf to be less expensive than the current model but more powerful and with even better handling.

via autoblog