Review
/5
- Pros:
- Spacious luggage compartment
- Ease of use and comfort inside
- Excellent economy
- Cons:
- Plain looks
- Rivals are more fun to drive
- Lacklustre performance from entry-level engines
pictured: Volkswagen Golf estate 2011 5 door
reviewed by Carbuyer
"The VW Golf Estate offers the comfort and quality of the standard hatchback, but boosts appeal further with a spacious and stylish boot."
At a glance
- The greenest
- SE 1.6 TDI 105PS BlueMotion Tech 5dr
£21,100 - The cheapest
- S 1.2TSI 105PS 6Spd Man 5dr
£18,070 - The fastest
- Sportline 2.0TDI 140PS 6Spd Man 5dr
£23,225 - Top of the range
- Sportline 2.0TDI 140PS 6Spd DSG 5dr
£24,840
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Volkswagen produces the Golf Estate for those who want the classy looks, solid build and comfort of the Golf hatchback in a simple, yet more practical package. The spacious boot increases the carrying capacity of the Golf significantly, the loading area growing from 350 litres in the hatch to 505 litres in the Estate. Fold down the rear seats for maximum carrying capacity and the estate boasts 1,495 litres of luggage space. That's not quite as generous as the Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra, but the Golf feels like a classier proposition with its upmarket interior and smart looks.
Drive
Steering is accurate and brakes are strong
The Golf Estate has the same looks as the latest hatchback model, but it's actually a clever update of the previous generation, Mk V Golf. As a result, the Estate struggles to match the latest hatchback's impressive balance of handling and comfort, but still serves up accurate steering and strong brakes. Diesel engines make more sense in the Golf Estate, given the likelihood it’ll be used as a workhorse. The 1.6 TDI offers the best blend of performance and economy, returning 62.8mpg on the official combined consumption cycle.
Comfort
Seats are firm and supportive
It might not quite have the measure of the Mk VI hatchback Golf for outright quality, but the Estate still impresses when it comes to comfort. The seats are firm and supportive, while the suspension allows the Golf to ride over our cracked and rippled roads with real finesse. The cabin is a demonstration of clarity and simplicity, while the chunky controls are all easy to use.
Reliability
The neatly trimmed interior feels robustly built
Volkswagen's have a reputation for quality, and the Golf Estate shows why. It's neatly trimmed interior feels robustly built, while the major controls all feel hard wearing. Cars all get driver and passenger airbags as standard, as well as ISOfix child seat fittings.
Practicality
Filling that spacious boot is easy
The large and easy to access boot makes the Golf Estate a perfect choice for those with the need to carry larger loads. The flat loading area, lack of a boot lip and large hatchback make filling that spacious boot easy, although the sloping rear roofline does make carrying larger items a bit tricky. The maximum capacity of the boot with the seats folded is 1,495-litres, which is around 40-50 litres less than the Ford Focus Estate or Vauxhall Astra Estate.
Value for money
The Golf Estate is surprising value for money
The Golf Estate doesn’t quite deliver the high resale values of its hatchback relative. That's thanks to less demand for small estate cars rather than any reflection of its quality and usefulness. The Golf used to be considered expensive compared to rivals, but Volkswagen has been very aggressive with its pricing, and the Golf is actually now one of the better value propositions in the small estate car class.
Running costs
BlueMotion cars will help keep your visits to the fuel pumps to a minimum
Pick the 1.6 TDI diesel in BlueMotion guise and you’ll get 67.3mpg capability, just 109g/km of emissions and ample performance. That’ll help keep your visits to the fuel pumps to a minimum and your annual tax bill low. Servicing and insurance costs should be sensible too, with Volkswagen offering a three-year, one-off payment on servicing for all cars its sells in 2010.
*Our monthly finance prices are updated on a regular basis, but due to the dynamic nature of the market are not guaranteed accurate. You can always confirm the monthly finance price with FinanceAcar.
