VOLKSWAGEN has launched a fresh new trim level for the Golf range - the Match - promising greater value and more standard equipment than the SE model it replaces. On sale now, the Match is packed with useful functional and aesthetic additions and costs from £14,995 on the road - a saving of £380 over the outgoing SE.

Leading the changes are 15-inch Canberra' ten-spoke alloy wheels joined by body-coloured bumpers, side rubbing strips and door handles.

The interior benefits from a three-spoke, leather trimmed steering wheel incorporating controls for the new multifunction computer and stereo. Owners of iPod, MP3 or USB music storage devices benefit from a handy link cable hidden in the new centre armrest to mate the portable players to the eight-speaker CD stereo system.

To specify these items on an SE model would have cost upwards of £720. Combined with the £380 price reduction, this means the Match customer gains £1,100 of extra value. This is on top of the Golf's already extensive list of standard equipment which includes anti-lock brakes, electronic stabilisation programme, twin front, side and curtain airbags and remote central locking with alarm.

Powering the Golf Match is a choice of petrol or diesel engines. The 1.6-litre FSI petrol engine developing 115 horsepower can be mated to six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes, while the 1.9-litre TDI diesel unit is coupled to a five-speed manual or six-speed, DSG gearbox.