Golf Plus – It’s Exactly What it Says
It is time to talk about Golf, but not about “trying to get a little ball into a little hole with implements ill-designed for the task” which, somebody told me, was a quote made by Winston Churchill. This time, it is the Golf Plus, thanks again to Volkwagen Group Malaysia, who kindly let us have one for a review.
The Golf Plus is exactly what the name says it is. It is a Golf, but is more than a Golf! Why the Plus? Well, the Golf Plus is a slightly larger vehicle than the standard Golf, although both are built on the same platform. It is 135 kilos heavier, and stands taller by 101mm (about 4 inches), while width and length is the same, unless you want me to be really precise and mention that the Golf Plus is 2mm longer at 4,206mm. It shares the same 1.6 litre, 102PS engine as the standard Golf, and the same 6-speed automatic gearbox, which incidentally, has a ‘S’ button for sporty gear changes, and a manual change option.
Interior dimensions, however, have been revamped, the Golf Plus being a vehicle made to cater to those who want more room to maneuver in. Entry to the front of the car is made easier by increasing the entry width by 10mm, while the entry height is increased by 91mm. This means good news for tall people, especially those who have difficulty bending down. Translated to the average-sized individual, it simply means more headroom, good for those who are claustrophobic.
At the rear, entry width is increased from 816mm to 900mm, an increase of 84mm, while the entry height has correspondingly been increased by 91mm. Boot space has been increased by 45 litres.
From what I can see of the specifications, it appears to me that the Golf Plus is a special variant of the golf family, and it is made to cater for lanky people. I suppose that in Malaysia, there are quite a few people over 72 inches tall, but the average height, the last time I checked, was around five feet two. I would have thought a standard Golf would have been a better bet, because at least it looks more like the very hot Golf GTi, and those who cannot afford it can fall back on the Golf.
In terms of looks, the Golf Plus is visibly taller than the standard Golf, and these proportions take some getting used to; the standard Golf’s width to height ratio makes it more aggressive-looking, whilst the Golf Plus starts to look a little like a station wagon. It doesn’t look bad, but it is not as handsome as the Golf, if you can get my drift.
Inside, though, the Golf Plus is well appointed, with full leather all the way, with enough airbags for you to start your air bag shop, and climatic air control air conditioning that has left and right side temperature controls. The seats are mechanically adjustable for height in addition to the normal fore, aft, and rake adjustability. Likewise, the steering wheel is also mechanically adjustable for height and reach. This makes the Golf Plus extremely flexible when it comes to finding the right sitting position; it will take anything from gorillas with short legs and long arms, to very tall people with short arms. As mentioned earlier, the headroom is excellent, and the legroom is pretty decent too.
Anyway, we got on with the job of reviewing the Golf Plus. It was collected by one of our team members, and he had first go at it, followed by yet another tester. Reaction was mixed; one thought it was very ordinary, while the other seemed to like it very much, not for the power, but for the excellent driving feel. I tend to agree with the latter on the driving feel bit. The Golf Plus feels very planted on the road, and the isolation of road shock from the cabin and the steering wheel is so good that you feel almost like you are driving the car remote control. The caster angle of the front suspension is obviously set high, the result being a very stable and secure feeling at the steering wheel when you are at speed.
In terms of driving dynamics, I would rate the Golf Plus as excellent. It rides on the firm side of comfortable, a point that you would appreciate on a long journey. Around the long sweepers, and some of the sharper bends, the Golf Plus is confidence inspiring.
The engine power, all of 102 PS is not one of the Golf’s strong points, but if you are one to whom fuel economy is important, then this is something you might want to consider. With a final drive ratio that gives a little over 40 km/h per 1000 rpm in top gear, the Golf Plus will return reasonable fuel economy. We got 420 kilometres from the 55-litre fuel tank, and that was with some exuberant driving.
The strong point of the Golf Plus, is its 6-speed auto, with having excellent ratios, a sports mode and a manual shift option. Pushing the gear lever to the left activates the manual shift; push it forward to go up the box and backward to go down the box. Whilst in manual mode, pushing hard on the throttle pedal will make it shift down in response, but it will not shift up automatically after that, giving the driver some measure of control.
Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h is achieved in 13.8 seconds with the air-conditioner on, and top speed (indicated) is 180 km/hr, with the needle licking the 185 km/h mark on long downhill stretches.
The hardest thing to get over when it comes to the Golf Plus is the price. Priced on-the-road (excluding insurance), at RM166, 778.00, the Golf Plus moves into the territory where the Camry and the Honda reign supreme. At a very similar price, the Camry and Honda offer bigger engine capacities, a larger size, in addition to a larger population of cars, and very stable resale values. But, after all is said and done, the choice is yours to make.
