No, you can’t have one—not for a while. The seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf will reach European dealers next month in a total of 32 markets where they drive on the right (i.e. correct) side of the road. British-type places where they don’t will get the car next year. But in the unfortunate U.S., the car won’t be here until mid-2014, likely as an early 2015 model. (The same timeline holds for the next-gen GTI, by the way.)

That’s a shame, because this is an excellent car. Photos don’t do justice to its good looks. Inside, you’d swear it was an Audi. VW claims it’s the lightest Golf since the third generation, the one that came out when many of us were in college. If only we could make a similar boast when stepping off the scale.

Radio Silence

What else can we tell you? Officially, not much. Volkswagen of America will be selling the current MkVI Golf for at least another 18 months, so it isn’t in any hurry to provide specifics about our MkVII model. Sure, they’ll cop to some already-known facts: The new Golf will share the corporate MQB platform with the latest Audi A3; it will be about two inches longer, roughly as wide, and about an inch lower than the old model; and the wheelbase will grow by 2.3 inches to deliver a roomier cabin. But VWoA balks when asked about specific powertrains, equipment, or other details.

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