Volkswagen unveiled a new Golf Estate in
Geneva - dubbed the Variant in most European markets. The Golf Estate has been absent on our shores for some time, but the new version promises to make an appearance on dealer forecourts in the very near future.
Both new and classic styling elements distinguish the new Estate from the Golf hatchback. A new front-end design, featuring a chrome grille section framed by a set of deep front air dams, lend the new Golf Variant a refined look, but the major changes are at the rear. The elegant tail lamps, fully integrated into the rear panel on either side of the boot lid, greatly differentiate the car from its hatchback siblings and denote the wide storage ability of the new model.
The Golf Variant features a capacious 690 litre boot when the cargo net is installed and the rear seats are occupied, and can stow 1550 litres of cargo with the rear bench seat folded. Even when loaded up to the load sill at window level the rear cargo space can still hold up to 505 litres of cargo with five occupants on board. This will certainly make the Variant very popular with families that require extra boot space.
At its market introduction, Volkswagen will offer the Golf Variant with one petrol and two diesel engine options. The petrol version is claimed to create 101bhp while the two diesel units for the Variant deliver 104bhp and 138bhp respectively. Volkswagen claims the smaller diesel powerplant is among the most fuel-efficient engines ever produced, consuming just 5.2 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres. This low consumption also translates to an environmentally friendly CO
2 rating of 148 g/km.
The list of standard equipment for the new Estate will include a total of six airbags, alloy wheels, 'Climatic' semi-automatic air conditioning, ABS, a radio/CD player and a three-year/60,000-mile warranty.
The first Golf Variants will be delivered in early summer, with pricing announced closer to the launch date. It is likely to marketed as the Golf Estate in Britain.
Eric Gallina - 14 Mar 2007
