Geneva show: Golf wagon sheds the kilos

VOLKSWAGEN has shed the weight equivalent of a large adult from the next version of its Golf wagon, and fuel economy is the winner.

The 105kg weight saving announced for the next-generation family load-lugger, announced at the Geneva motor show today, means the German premium car-maker can launch a version of the Golf in Europe that uses only 3.3 litres per 100km – 0.6L/100km better than Toyota’s environmental hero, the Prius hybrid.

The Golf wagon also introduces all-wheel-drive underpinnings for the first time, a feature that should be handy for ice-covered European roads, but also alludes to the possibility of an R-badged version of the dog-friendly fare.

Details on the new wagon are sketchy at best, although the new model is 307mm longer than the seventh generation of the Golf hatchback that we’ve already sighted, with an overall length of 4562mm making it slightly shorter than the current model.

Left: 2013 Volkswagen Golf Estate

The extra stretch over the hatch has yielded more room in the boot, growing from 505 litres to 605 litres compared with the last generation that has only been on sale in Australia since 2010.

Rear seats down, and the Golf will swallow a bigger 1620L load, 125L more than the model it will replace.

The load-lugging Golf is the same as the hatchback only as far as the trailing edge of the driver’s door. Beyond that, the shape of the hatchback’s rear pillar has been pushed back to the rear quarters of the wagon, with the rear quarter windows forming part of the pillar.

This helps the new Estate, as the wagon version is called, look longer and sleeker than it is.

Inside, the show car features a dash and front seats that mirror that of the Golf 7 hatchback.

No information is given on how much extra space is handed over to the rear seats, but a 60:40 split-fold seatback that folds almost flat provides much-needed interior versatility.

The rear tailgate appears to open conventionally, although the wrap-around rear pillars eat into its width.

Volkswagen Australia said it was too early to talk about when the new Golf wagon was due in Australia.