Cars

Volkswagen Golf estate brings practical benefits

Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
Volkswagen Golf estate
Volkswagen Golf estate Volkswagen Golf estate

THE most pragmatic Golf of them all, the sleek but straightforward estate, has gone on sale as Volkswagen continues to roll out the full range of the new eighth generation car.

Estate prices start at £24,575 and the car can be ordered with a typically wide variety of engine and specifications, though a simpler trim set-up means there are now just three to choose between - Life, Style and R-Line.

However, should you want your Golf estate with a bit of attitude, the Alltrack model returns.

It gets a full-house of a 197bhp diesel engine, all-wheel-drive and seven-speed automatic gearbox.

The Alltrack has a rugged exterior look, with silver roof rails and the illuminated front grille also found on sportier Golf models. It is priced from £35,560.

Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

The new Golf estate is longer than the model it replaces, yielding a little more interior space than that found in the model it replaces.

There is six litres more volume in the boot, giving a total of 611 litres; drop the rear seats and this increases to 1,642 litres.

Entry-level Life-specification cars come with LED headlamps, 16-inch alloy wheels and a full satellite navigation system with 10-inch colour touchscreen. Bluetooth connectivity is included too, alongside a 'digital cockpit' dashboard which puts a 10.25-inch display in front of the driver.

Move up to Style - priced from £26,765 - and you'll find larger 17-inch wheels, sport seats and three-zone climate control air conditioning. Side assist, traffic jam assist and lane change assist are included too.

Volkswagen Golf estate
Volkswagen Golf estate Volkswagen Golf estate

R-Line-specification cars meanwhile also get 17-inch alloy wheels and add a sportier bodykit and tinted rear glass. Sport suspension is also fitted, and R-Line models start at £28,075.

The estate arrives with a choice of engines, starting with a 109bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a six-speed manual, though it's also available as a mild-hybrid with a seven-speed double-clutch automatic transmission.

There is also a 1.5-litre petrol - in standard and mild-hybrid guises - with 128bhp or 148bhp and a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel with 113bhp or 148bhp.

Volkswagen Golf estate
Volkswagen Golf estate Volkswagen Golf estate
Volkswagen Golf estate
Volkswagen Golf estate Volkswagen Golf estate
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Volkswagen Golf Alltrack