The Golf Plus becomes a Sportsvan

Volkswagen has given its Golf Plus a facelift. Visually and technically redesigned, the model will now be called the Sportsvan and is intended primarily to appeal to young families.

Photo: VW

One Golf, two Golfs? Linguistically, everyone balks at the idea, and the Duden dictionary is of little help. There's no plural for the game there; the standard language for the straits offers "Golfe." Wikipedia agrees, including "Golfe" as the plural for the car. Be that as it may – the Wolfsburg-based company demonstrates linguistic creativity not only with the plural of Golf, but also with the name, which has changed. The Golf presented here is new in name, but not really: It's called the Sportsvan, is based on the current Golf generation, and is known as the Golf Plus.

The Golf genealogy now spans seven generations in its 40-year history, with 30 million units sold worldwide, 900.000 of them as the Golf Plus, the future Sportsvan. Visually and technically rejuvenated, and almost 90 kilograms lighter, the facelift was reflected in the name, and so the Golf Plus has now become the Golf Sportsvan. Volkswagen wants to reposition the model, do away with the old-school Golf image, but without alienating the older generation. They should continue to order the model, but especially young families.

Families as target group

The emotional component is intended to help entice young families to choose the Sportsvan, especially if they want a minivan in the compact class or are undecided between the Variant, as the station wagon version is called at VW, and the Sportsvan. "The Variant is functional, the Sportsvan is emotional: The first stands for simple transportation, the second for excursions," says Torsten Volkmer, Head of Marketing for the Golf. "Or to put it another way: I would transport a wheelbarrow in the Variant, but not in the Sportsvan."

This is, of course, also due to the equipment. After all, the test cars are the most exclusive editions, including almost all options. Outside, chrome accents lend a more elegant and noticeably sportier appearance, while inside, the fine leather upholstery invites you to sit down and breathes luxury into the car. In addition to the previous classic features such as a high entry, the rear seat is now also sliding, a feature especially for young families. It can be moved 18 centimeters, either as a whole or in a 1/3 or 2/3 split. And because a young family needs a lot of space, the 4,34-meter-long Golf has a trunk capacity of 560 liters, 70 liters more than the old Golf Plus. With the rear seat folded down, it even fits 1.560 liters.

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Blind Spot Assistant

Photo: VW

Otherwise, everything that applies to the still-new, seventh generation of the VW icon applies to the Sportsvan. All the latest assistance systems are present, and the model is the first to feature Blind Spot Assist, which warns of other road users in the blind spot. Also new is the Rear Traffic Alert, which scans the road for 40 meters when reversing out of a parking space and automatically stops the car as soon as another vehicle approaches.

And of course, the car also features the latest generation of engines, which consume up to 20 percent less fuel than the previous generation. VW offers the model with turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engines. The TSI engines produce 63 kW/85 hp, 81 kW/110 hp, 92 kW/125 hp, and 110 kW/150 hp. On the diesel side, there are two turbodiesel direct-injection engines in two power outputs: 81 kW/110 hp and 110 kW/150 hp.

Economical in consumption

We start directly with the large diesel engine, which produces 110 kW, combined with the automatic transmission. And because families tend to prefer a more restrained, rather than sporty driving style, we set the suspension to economical. This feature is also found in the Sportsvan: the choice of driving mode. Normal, Comfortable, Sporty, Economical, and Individual are available. At the touch of a button, the software adjusts the selection according to the choice, determining when the automatic transmission shifts up, how quickly the car accelerates when the accelerator pedal is pressed, and how high the car revs. After 110 kilometers in a mix of city driving, winding roads, and country roads, fuel consumption is a respectable 5,6 liters per 100 km. The gasoline equivalent with 110 kW, a six-speed manual transmission, and "normal" driving mode consumes one liter more.

If you believe the technical data, even lower fuel consumption is possible. The best value is achieved by the Sportsvan in the TDI BlueMotion version, for which the Wolfsburg-based company lists a fuel consumption of 3,6 liters per 100 kilometers in its technical data.

Conclusion

The new Sportsvan preserves the positive qualities of the Golf Plus and complements them sensibly with sporty and elegant components from the Golf family. Whether the model can shed its pensioner image remains to be seen, but VW has certainly done everything to achieve this, both visually and technically. And because price is not entirely unimportant for young families: the Sportsvan starts at €19.625 including VAT. For that price, you can get the TSI with 63 kW/85 hp.

Photos: © VW