Compact stationwagons are doing well recently Granted, it took some tax benefits But, now the Focus Wagon and Mégane Estate are selling in serious numbers And now, there’s a new variant, or rather THE Variant This one, the Golf-based stationwagon But, whereas the Mégane and Focus stationwagons are doing well The Golf always seems to sell better in hatchback form Why is that? It could have something to do with styling Because while its competitors look attractive, this one is mostly… functional The seventh generation is about 30 centimeters longer than the hatchback And while they’ve tried to make it look sharper, it still looks like a hatchback with an added 30 centimeters It does make it very practical, you can stow 605 litres in the luggage compartment Which is considerably more than you get in the other two If you fold down the rear seats that grows to more than 1.600 litres So it may not look exciting, but it is very spacious Inside, you get the same interior as the hatchback May seem logical, but the previous generation still had Golf V-bits Not so the new one, which is completely Golf VII The engine line-up is similar tot the hatchback as well Aside from the GTI and GTD, the engine-options are the same Petrol ranges from 85 to 140 hp, diesel from 105 to 150 hp Later this year there will be an extra frugal Bluemotion Which has the same tax benefits as the Mégane and Focus We’re driving the 1.4 TSi with 140 hp Which is a relatively new engine, but it feels decisively TSI Very smooth, lots of low-end torque And it feels like it has a lot of reserve But if you keep the throttle on, there’s a lot of extra noise, but little extra go Still, it is more than enough for everyday driving It is mated to a DSG-gearbox, which makes it even more relaxed So this drivetrain is really all you need in a stationwagon You might think the stationwagon drives the same as the hatchback And it does Seriously though, it has the same decisive handling No matter what the road surface, the Golf tackles it with apparent ease It is relatively comfortable, but body movement is well controlled It moves up and down and settles quickly This makes it safe and predictable, which is a good thing when carrying loads Only when you go really fast do you notice the extra 100 kg compared tot the hatch When driving normally, it feels identical, which is fine Will this new Golf Variant finally succeed in our country? Well, rationally this is a very good car
It is spacious, has good engines and nobody will take offense But then, it is VERY rational, very pragmatic This car is as Dutch as going on holiday to France Or stew So looking at it that way, it should be an enormous succes here in the Netherlands
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