Auto Trader Ten Point Test: VW Golf Plus

Model tested: Golf Plus 1.4-litre Sport TSI
Price as tested: £17,215
Price range: £12,995 - £19,890
Insurance group as tested: 5
Insurance group range: 4-13
Tested: December 2006
Road tester: Adrian Higgins

Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 76%

Your heart says Golf but your head says Touran? According to VW, that means you’ll be needing a Golf Plus.

But does the Plus give you the best of both worlds or fail to deliver on either front?

Read the full review below or simply hit the links you’re interested in.

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor | Rivals

1. Looks

Unsurprisingly the Golf Plus looks pretty similar to its phenomenally successful little brother. Tinkering with a classic to create a new niche market of grown-up Golf fans should have burnt someone’s fingers. It didn’t. The VW Golf Plus is as good looking as its sibling. Standing nine-and-a-half centimetres taller it has a more imposing road presence as well as nifty design cues including neat roofline spoiler, alloys and wing mirrors with integrated indicators. The colour of the model we drove – New River Blue Metallic – is a refreshing, liveable alternative to the usual silvers and blues.

8/10

2. Looks inside

Step inside the Golf Plus and you immediately become aware of the welcome increase in space. As well as a 95mm height increase, the car also benefits from greater interior space. The display is in keeping with the VW range with its blue dial displays and red needles while the central console houses the CD player or sat-nav depending on trim. Everything is simple, smart and has a feeling of quality. The “look at me” dashboards are great for a week’s loan but this is the kind of finish which seems durable, both in terms of quality and style. Only the cheap-looking tray tables for rear seat passengers let it down.

8/10

3. Practicality

This will be one of the big draws for those who love the standard Golf but realise their life requirements have rendered that model unsuitable. Interior space is decent. You can seat four in comfort and five shouldn’t be too much of a squeeze. A split-level boot offers 395 to 505 litres while lowering the rear seats creates up to 1,450 litres of storage capacity. A total of 43 storage spaces should give you plenty of choices while the front seatbacks come with tray tables (which seem a bit flimsy) and pockets. Our model featured a CD multi-changer stowed in the central armrest. Still, to point out the obvious, you’d get more room from a full-sized MPV.

7/10

4. Ride and Handling

That extra height does make a differece  but the Golf Plus is still a Golf at heart. As such it handles well though is likely to fall short of committed Golf fans’ expectations. However, given this is aimed at people seriously considering an MPV the Golf Plus is likely to shine in this category. However, We found the ride a little rough, with every bump from a roadworks-blighted street in London finding its way through to the driver’s seat.

7/10

5. Performance

Basically buyers have to be prepared to miss a bit of the regular Golf’s fizz for the increased space of what is a slightly heavier car. Choose from six engines, three petrol and three diesel, pretty much the same line-up as the normal Golf. We drove the 1.4-litre Sport TSI and found it more than adequate (it’s the engine from the regular 1.4-litre Golf GT – which is turbocharged and supercharged for extra engine power from a small engine) for town driving although it has to work a little harder to carry that extra weight. It takes 9.3 seconds to hit 62mph from a standing start before topping out at 125mph. Motorway cruisers would probably be better off with one of the diesel models.

7/10

6. Running Costs

Once again the slightly heavier Golf Plus means a slightly bigger fuel bill than the standard Golf. It will averagely return 38.2 mpg, rising to 46.3mpg once you get out of town. Insurance groups start at an economical 4 with the livelier-engined models warranting a 13 category. VWs hold their value well so depreciation will be less of an issue than on other models. Buyers get a three year mechanical and paint warranty plus a 12 year anti-perforation guarantee. Also included is a year’s membership of VW Assistance.

7/10

7. Reliability

VW is a brand with a well-deserved reputation for reliability and though the Golf Plus hasn’t been around for long the Golf has and that fares well in Auto Trader’s Reliability Index. Repairs are reasonably cheap and mostly concern electrical problems.

8/10

8. Safety

VW is still waiting on its EuroNCAP safety rating but is expecting it to match the top, five star award picked up by the regular model. Twin front airbags, driver and front passenger side airbags and curtain airbags for all should help.

8/10

9. Equipment

There are three trim levels: Luna, SE and Sport. Go for the entry model and you will get a decent amount of equipment including anti-lock brakes, and drivers’ aids ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme), EDL (Electronic Differential Lock), traction control and Hydraulic Brake Assist, plus automatic lights and wipers, air conditioning, CD player and 15”alloys. Go for the SE and you get all that plus 16” alloys, cruise control and eight speakers for your CD rather than four. The Sport model adds lowered sports suspension and leather-trimmed steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake grip. Our model also featured optional extras: sat-nav with six CD multichanger, leather, heated seats and 17” alloys.

8/10

10. X-Factor

It’s a Golf and they haven’t ruined it. OK, it doesn’t sound that positive but its meant too. The Golf is a modern classic of Britain’s roads and mucking about with it to achieve a bit more space could have ended in tears. It hasn’t. Good work VW.

8/10

Rivals

You might also want to consider:

Nissan Note

Mazda 5

Vauxhall Zafira

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