Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Volkswagen Golf 5-seater hatchback and the more practical Volkswagen Golf Estate spin-off model, including all of the performance variants therein (GTE, GTI, GTD and R) as well as the Alltrack off-roading version of the Estate, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour.
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There are 11 main paint options for the Volkswagen Golf, comprising 3 solid paints, 4 metallic paints, 1 pearlescent paint, 2 premium metallic paints and 1 ‘mother-of-pearl’ paint. Beyond this, Volkswagen offers a choice of 4 2-tone paint combinations, using some of the colours from the main 11-strong palette, which are exclusively available for the Golf GTI Clubsport hatchback. Then, besides these exterior hues, we also outline the various interior upholsteries that go with these paint finishes.
Paint Types
Solid = a simple body colour with no additives in the paint. Usually comprises 3 coats, these being a primer, then the paint, then a clear, protective lacquer. Solid paints aren’t particularly shiny and are normally the only standard/no-cost colours offered by manufacturers.
Metallic = same application process as above but the paint now has powdered metal mixed into it, which reflects more light to give the car a shinier appearance. Metallic finishes usually cost more than solid paints.
Pearlescent/Mica = as above, only instead of metal, ceramic crystals (known as ‘mica’) are added to the paint. These not only reflect light but refract it too, giving one colour different appearances in different levels of light. They’re normally as expensive as or pricier than metallic paints.
Matte = uses special ‘flattening’ agents in the paint/layering make-up to give the car a non-reflective appearance, and sometimes an unusual texture too. These are normally the most expensive and rarest of paint options, and are not offered on many new car models.
Volkswagen Golf Exterior Paint Colours
Urano Grey
Type: Solid
Cost: No cost (default colour on 4 lowest trim levels)
Available On: Life, Style, R-Line, Alltrack
As a free colour, Urano Grey is unexpectedly stylish. It’s also the darkest grey of 4 colours in the silver/grey tonal range offered on the Golf, being a dark charcoal finish. This means it will show up winter road dirt a little more than the other grey and silver options, but it should look splendid when it’s clean and shiny. Urano Grey is only available on the 3 lower specifications of the hatchback, which are Life, Style and R-Line, as well as the same 3 trims for the Estate plus its Alltrack bespoke model. It is not offered at all on any of the accepted performance Golfs – the GTE, GTI and GTD hatchbacks, and either the hatch or Estate versions of the flagship R.
Pure White
Type: Solid
Cost: No cost (default colour on GTE, GTI, GTD and R), or £405 (Life, Style, R-Line and Alltrack models)
Available On: All models
As Urano Grey isn’t offered on any of the 4 faster VW Golfs, then the standard no-cost colour for those cars is this one, Pure White solid. It is also provided as a cost option (£405) on the more basic specs of Life, Style, R-Line and the Estate-specific Alltrack. Pure White is a crisp, expensive-looking shade of the colour, given it is a solid finish, and while it will need lots of cleaning, it suits the lines of the Golf well – whether that be a lowly Life model on small alloys, or the stonking R hatchback which sits at the other end of the product range. Incidentally, Pure White is 1 of only 2 colours in the Volkswagen Golf palette which is available on all 8 specifications provided for both hatch and Estate formats (Life, Style, R-Line, Alltrack, GTE, GTI, GTD and R) of the car. The other is Deep Black pearl.
Moonstone Grey
Type: Solid
Cost: £405
Available On: All models bar R
The lightest of the 3 officially named greys in the palette is Moonstone, and it’s also the last of the 3 solid finishes for the Golf. This colour is not quite as widespread as Pure White, as it cannot be specified on the 320hp Golf R, but otherwise it’s a decent choice – albeit it costs £405 at ordering time. You could almost call Moonstone a very dark silver, but it’s a fine, classy paint for the Golf which should hide plenty of accumulated road grime throughout the year.
Reflex Silver
Type: Metallic
Cost: £685
Available On: All models bar R
A classic silver in the traditional sense. Reflex Silver is bright and shiny, and it will be chosen by many because it’s relatively classless – you could spec this on a low-powered Life as much as on a 300hp GTI Clubsport and it would look equally expensive on either. It costs £685 as the first of the metallic and pearlescent paints in the line-up, and you still can’t have it on the Golf R no matter how much cash you throw at the ‘problem’, but otherwise Reflex is going to be a common sight on a lot of these Volkswagens. An extra bonus: silvers are 1 of the easiest car colours to deal with throughout the year, because they hide the accumulated crud of both summer and winter daily driving very well.
Lime Yellow
Type: Metallic
Cost: £685
Available On: All models bar R
From the subtleties of Reflex to the eye-popping Lime Yellow next. Now this is a colour Volkswagen used a lot in the promotional and press materials for the Golf 8’s launch, so you’ll have seen it in plenty of pictures and features if you read various car mags and websites. It’s therefore something of a ‘signature’ colour for the Golf and it’s actually a really likeable shade of yellow, even if we’re of the unshakeable opinion that limes are green. Anyway, Lime Yellow will look absolutely spectacular when it’s spotlessly clean and sitting in direct sunlight, especially if you’ve optioned it up on a hot Golf like a GTE or a GTI Clubsport, but we reckon it’ll show up grubby marks fairly easily so it might need plenty of cleaning throughout the year to stay looking its best.
Dolphin Grey
Type: Metallic
Cost: £685
Available On: All models bar R
Dolphin Grey is just a few shades lighter than the basic Urano solid, so on the Life, Style, R-Line and Alltrack models, you might be better off saving £685 and sticking with that ‘free’ colour. However, if you really want a dark grey GTE, GTI, GTD or GTI Clubsport, then as Urano is a closed avenue to you, Dolphin is going to be the way. It’s a nice, strong take on metallic grey, which will need a fair bit of cleaning during the year, but overall it’s a sensible option for the Golf. Bad news for R buyers, though, as this is another paint denied to the 320hp halo model.
Atlantic Blue
Type: Metallic
Cost: £685
Available On: All models bar R
If you’re NOT buying an R and you want a blue VW Golf, this is the only choice for you. Atlantic Blue is a lovely, deep, almost purplish shade of the colour and while it will show up encrusted-on winter road salts relatively easily, by the same token it’s 1 of the paints in the palette which will get away with a thin film (or ‘patina’, if you wish) of dust and grime better than some of the others. It should also look fabulous when it’s properly clean and shiny.
Deep Black
Type: Pearlescent
Cost: £685
Available On: All models
The solitary ‘regular’ pearlescent in the palette and the only actual black is this one. As we say so many times with this colour of car, Deep Black will not hide year-round dirt as well as you think it might, but when it’s clean it’s a really special-looking finish. Admittedly, Deep Black pearl will hide a lot of the otherwise-contrast detailing on the sportier models of the Golf, but it will still be a popular choice across the VW’s range. Also, Deep Black is 1 of only 2 colours in the Volkswagen Golf palette which is available on all 8 specifications of the car, in both its hatch and Estate formats, along with Pure White solid.
Kings Red
Type: Premium metallic
Cost: £825
Available On: All models bar R
Despite the egregious dearth of an apostrophe in the first part of its name, Kings Red is 1 of our favourite colours for the Golf. It’s carried over from the smaller Polo and, as with that car, it’s a premium metallic on the Golf so the asking price increases from £685 for the other metallics to £825 here. It’s a smashing finish, though, and it will be particularly popular on the hatchback-only Golf GTI, which has a lot of red pinstripe exterior detailing and an interior with a red theme as well. However, for those items Tornado Red is used, which used to be almost the default Golf GTI colour. Nevertheless, Kings is a more than decent substitute for Tornado.
Oryx White
Type: Mother-of-pearl
Cost: £1140
Available On: All models bar R
An intriguing paint here, as this is the single most costly of the monotone body colour options for the Golf range. It’s Oryx White and it is listed as a ‘mother-of-pearl’ finish, which we presume means a multicoat pearlescent. Whatever – the fact of the matter is that Oryx is a very nice, very elegant pearlescent white that is nevertheless £1140 a go and which doesn’t look much different at all to Pure White; the latter will, may we remind you, at most cost you £405 and at best will be a free standard paint. Therefore, choosing Oryx will very much be a status thing, although you might have to explicitly explain to your car-knowledgeable friends that you’ve gone for the much pricier Oryx rather than Pure, even if they ostensibly look the same. This is like the car equivalent of getting a needlessly pricey Farrow & Ball tin of magnolia emulsion (probably called ‘Wheaty Morning’ or something equally daft), instead of just plumping for Dulux.
Lapiz Blue
Type: Premium metallic
Cost: £825
Available On: R only
Ah, here’s 1 of the best colours for the Volkswagen Golf… and it’s only offered on 1 model in the range. Lapiz Blue is entirely exclusive to the Golf R alone and is 1 of only 3 colours provided for Volkswagen’s 320hp, all-wheel-drive flagship model of this long-serving car, alongside Pure White solid and Deep Black pearl. Lapiz Blue has been offered on the Golf R for a long time now, which is why – even in the preceding Mk7 family – if you see a Golf R on the roads, it’s almost certainly finished in Lapiz Blue; it’s the defining colour for this AWD hot hatch (and, er, rapid Estate). Let us tell you that Lapiz is a superb colour for the Golf R and one which can wear road dirt as easily as it looks a million dollars when it’s clean. Interestingly, as a premium metallic and not a mother-of-pearl (nacre?) paint, and despite its status as an exclusive colour for the hottest Golf, Lapiz Blue is £315 cheaper than Oryx White at £825.
Pure White With Deep Black Roof
Type: 2-tone solid and pearlescent combination
Cost: £335
Available On: GTI Clubsport only
The GTI Clubsport is a hatch-only model which represents arguably the keen driver’s preferred choice in the Golf range. Sure, it’s not quite as powerful as the 320hp/420Nm Golf R, and it also lacks for that car’s AWD system, but the Clubsport has an uprated version of the regular Golf GTI’s 245hp 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. This develops 300hp and 400Nm, all of which is sent through the front wheels alone – hence why it is probably the most exciting Golf 8 of the lot to drive. As a result, Volkswagen seems to recognise that fact and therefore you could say the GTI Clubsport has an even more outlandish appearance than the R, which is why it is the only model in the entire Golf range which has the option of a 2-tone finish. These 4 colour schemes top the car off with Deep Black pearl paint on the roof panel, a process which ostensibly adds £335 to the price of the basic colour which sits on the lower parts of the bodywork. Therefore, as Pure White solid is the free colour for the GTI Clubsport, pairing it to the Deep Black roof costs £335.
Moonstone Grey With Deep Black Roof
Type: 2-tone solid and pearlescent combination
Cost: £740
Available On: GTI Clubsport only
Moonstone Grey solid costs £405 on its own on the Golf GTI Clubsport, so with a Deep Black roof up top the cost for this 2-tone option is £740 all-in. It’s a nice combination and reasonably priced, as the final 2 choices below are well beyond a grand apiece.
Kings Red With Deep Black Roof
Type: 2-tone premium metallic and pearlescent combination
Cost: £1160
Available On: GTI Clubsport only
A great combination and 1 which makes the most of the GTI Clubsport’s black decals lower down on the body. Kings Red is obviously a premium metallic paint, so with the £335 cost of the Deep Black pearl roof this 2-tone colour scheme tots up to a not-insignificant £1160.
Oryx White With Deep Black Roof
Type: 2-tone mother-of-pearl and pearlescent combination
Cost: £1475
Available On: GTI Clubsport only
This is the most expensive paint option of them all for the Golf family, even more than Oryx White on its own (£1140) or the combination of Kings Red with a Deep Black pearl roof (£1160). Oryx White plus the £335 dark roof treatment adds up to a colour combination that’ll set you back almost £1500, save for 25 quid. This would make total sense if VW didn’t offer Pure White with Deep Black pearl as 1 of the 2-tone options… but it does, so our advice here would be if you want a white-and-black VW Golf GTI Clubsport, stick with the £335 Pure White-based combo.
Volkswagen Golf Interior Options
Soul Black
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: Life and Style
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
The basic interior for any Volkswagen Golf can be found on the Life and Style models of both the hatch and the Estate. In both trim grades, the non-sports seats are Soul Black, the instrument cluster is Soul Black, the carpets are Black and the headlining is light Storm Grey. There is no alternative to this on the Life models of the Golf, while the only difference between the 2 cabins is that the Life models have very bright silver trim finishers in the dashboard and door cards, while the Style cars have a darker grey metal-effect insert in their place. However, Style owners have another choice open to them when it comes to the cabin…
Storm Grey
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (free alternative interior to Soul Black)
Available On: Style
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
…which is this Storm Grey interior. Everything is as above in the Soul Black cabin, except that the seats are rendered in light Storm Grey cloth and the same colour is repeated in the middle of the door cards. This really lifts the ambience of the Golf’s interior and, furthermore, it is the only cabin of the entire range of models which has light-coloured upholstery. Better still, it costs nothing to switch the inside of a Style-spec Golf from Soul Black to Storm Grey. You know it makes sense, even if the seats will show up grubby marks far easier than the Soul Black items would.
Anthracite
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: R-Line
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
The R-Line specification of the Golf gets a predominantly dark interior like the basic Life cars do, but there are key differences in here. For starters, the seats have deeper side bolsters and their Anthracite upholstery has an interesting cross-hatch pattern on the centres, which looks suitably upmarket. The carpets are still Black, while the dash-trim inserts are the same dark grey as on the Style cars, but the instrument panel is now glossier Titanium Black, while the headlining switches from Storm Grey to Soul Black. It’s a sporty-looking cabin for the pseudo-sporty Golfs.
Titan Black And Raven Grey
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: Alltrack
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
The Golf Alltrack is only sold as an Estate and it’s all about giving people the impression that you enjoy lifestyle-y adventures way off the beaten track. So not only does it look markedly different on the outside, the Alltrack gets one of the more visually interesting interiors of the whole Golf 8 family, as its Titan Black and Raven Grey cloth upholstery has a tasteful striped pattern on it. Like the Life and Style models, the Alltrack is also the only other Golf cabin which comes with the lighter Storm Grey headlining and, furthermore, it has a lighter-grey trim insert running horizontally around the dashboard’s midriff than the one found in the Style and R-Line cars.
Soul Black And Blue Check
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: GTE
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
There is, from now on, a pattern to all the remaining interiors. The GT‘x’-badged Golfs are all classed as fast cars and while they take their inspiration from the long-serving, petrol-powered GTI, they have different motive systems – the GTE is a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid, while the GTD has a punchy turbodiesel motor. So while all of the GTE, GTI and GTD look broadly similar in style and build, there are subtle differences between them all… and a colour-coding system enacted on all 3 by Volkswagen: the GTE has blue pinstriping, the GTI red and the GTD grey. This then carries over into the cabins of the respective cars, so the GTE has a Soul Black and Blue ‘tartan’ check to its deeply sculpted sports seats.
Soul Black And Tornado Red Check
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: GTI
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Following on from the above, the difference between the GTE and GTI is that where the former has Blue mixed in with Soul Black, the latter uses Tornado Red – a classic Golf GTI colour. This means the GTI still has the sportiest cabin of all of the 3 GT‘x’-badged cars, as is befitting as it is the quickest of the trio as well, because we all know red is the fastest colour, right?
Soul Black And Crystal Grey Check
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: GTD
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
You can probably, by now, guess the difference here. Yep, to go with its grey exterior detailing, the GTD has a Soul Black and Crystal Grey checked-cloth interior, with this fabric once again clothing sports seats.
Soul Black And Tornado Red
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: GTI Clubsport
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Nope, we’ve not gone mad and repeated ourselves with the regular GTI’s cabin – look again carefully at this interior’s title and you’ll see the word ‘Check’ is missing. That’s because the hotter 300hp GTI Clubsport has different seats to the regular 245hp GTI, despite the fact it still heavily relies on Tornado Red for the detailing. However, instead of forming part of a tartan pattern in here, the Clubsport has red piping on the seat’s contours, as well as large red panel details higher up on the side of the front seats. It does make the Clubsport’s cabin feel that bit more special than the standard GTI’s, we have to say.
Blue Soul And Black
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: R
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
If Lapiz Blue is the absolute default warpaint for the body of the Golf R, Volkswagen has reinforced the message completely with the cabin of its 320hp range-topper. There’s a checked pattern in here, as on the GTE/GTI/GTD Golfs, but the colour scheme is inverted so Blue Soul is the predominant colour, both in the upholstery on the seats and for much of the detailing – including the digital screens. The R also has lots of ‘R’ logos dotted about the place and its cabin is, as a result, arguably the plushest of the standard interiors available. It is, however, still very dark inside, with a Soul Black headlining sitting up top.
Vienna Leather
Type: Leather
Cost: £2380
Available On: GTE
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
The only model in the Golf family which can have a full ‘Vienna’ leather interior is, oddly enough, the GTE plug-in hybrid. It does get rid of the GTE’s trademark blue-tinged cabin for Crystal Grey stitching to contrast the black hide, and this option also costs a fairly chunky £2380, but as recompense it also equips heated front seats for an added touch of luxury.
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