The new Golf, unveiled last September at the Paris Motor Show, is lighter than its predecessor and offers more features, improved safety, and better performance than the outgoing vehicle.
The c's program managers were thus obliged to dial back to the previous generation's 1.5-liter engine (the Gen III Prius uses a 1.8-liter), a smaller traction motor (60 hp vs. 80 hp) and a lighter, cheaper nickel-metal hydride battery (19.3 kilowatts vs. 27 kW).