With the all-new 2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI going on sale in North America this month, we recently got our first impressions behind the wheel. Redesigned from the ground up, the 2015 Golf TDI has an all-new engine as well as its new MQB chassis architecture.

For 2015, the new Golf TDI will only be available with four doors. It has grown in size but comes in about 80 lbs lighter than before. This is remarkable since the new Golf TDI will have more available features than ever before.

While the new MQB architecture allows for a more cab-backward design, notice the A-pillar has moved forward a bit relative to the front doors. This gives more space inside the cabin, for a feeling of a much larger car.

Despite the Golf’s lower overall height, interior space has indeed grown in all directions. The materials and fit are top notch as expected from Volkswagen, but I have to say is yet improved more from the current generation.

While the base Volkswagen Golf TDI will now come a bit simpler to a price, the higher end trim grades get more feature availability than ever before. Standard is a 5.8” touch screen with a capacitive touch sensor which enables gesture controls like swiping and even pinch-zooming.

A panoramic tilt and slide sunroof becomes available as well as a new Fender audio system which has many of the features we have missed from Volkswagen in recent tests. The new infotainment system has better menus, touch screen performance as well as increased applications and connectivity options.

Under the hood is Volkswagen’s new EA288 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injection four-cylinder TDI Clean Diesel. Our tester had the six-speed manual but you can also option a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic.

Despite the similar specifications, this is an all-new engine from the current EA189. The new engine produces 150 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque and I found to rev much smoother when rowing through the gears and it was noticeably quieter than the current TDI engine.

With ten more horsepower than before, the new Golf TDI Volkswagen says will achieve 31 mpg in the city and 35 mpg combined. In our short drive however the average mpg readout on the instrument cluster was reading in the mid-40’s. We’ll have to wait till we have one for a test to get hard numbers obviously.

Aside all the new design, big news is that the price of the base TDI model has been reduced by more than the $3,000. This is in part because the TDI engine is now manufactured in a new plant in Mexico, but also due to feature packaging for the base model.

Contributing to the new 2015 Golf TDI earning the IIHS Top Safety Pick + rating is a new available driver assistance package that adds a forward collision warning and front and rear park distance control systems.

A notable new standard feature is an automatic post-collision braking system which applies the brakes when a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, reducing the risk that the car will keep moving into secondary collisions.

The new 2015 Golf TDI arrives in dealerships this month with a starting price of $21,995 for the S trim grade, and up to $27,995 for the SEL. We’ll bring you a more detailed review when we get behind the wheel for an extended test. For more news and test drives of diesel cars, SUV’s and trucks see our partner channel DieselDig.com.