Volkswagen Golf Estate 2.0 TDI 2021 UK road test Car News

The Golf Estate is one of those cars that people forget about. It wasn’t until the R version appeared and brought the almost irresistible reality of an extra-spacious but still manageable-sized hatch with 300 hp and four-wheel drive that most remember it.

The larger Passat Estate is much more popular, and while you can find alternatives to the Golf Estate in its own class (Ford, Seat, Skoda, and Toyota all make one), premium offerings are non-existent. Audi, BMW and Mercedes don’t bother, perhaps in an effort to entice buyers to turn to their larger and more expensive models, which offer station wagon versions.

So what does the Golf Estate buyer get that the Golf hatchback owner doesn’t? Much more trunk space, of course: 611 liters versus 380. That beats the Focus (575 liters) and the Corolla (598) but not the Leon (620) or the cavernous Octavia (640), which precisely matches the capacity. charge of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Note, however, that the Passat Estate trumps the lot, with 650 liters, even if you opt for the plug-in hybrid.

The Golf Estate also has a height adjustable boot floor, which can be aligned with the low lip and flat enough for easy loading, and under that floor you’ll find additional space in the vacant spare tire well.

The backs of the rear seats then fold almost perfectly flat via zippers near the tailgate, inflating the hold to more than 1,640 liters. However, you might not need to go that far. With the rear longer, the ski hatch means this car could really take a set of boards from Matti Nykänen (if you could tolerate their tips hovering over the DSG gear selector).

Elsewhere, it’s the standard Golf. The interior is nice, except for the mediocre touchscreen infotainment system, and the driving experience is harmless, but far from the Focus’s calm and satisfying feel.

Unless you go for the raised Alltrack, which also has all-wheel drive, the most powerful engines are the 1.5-liter turbo petrol and 2.0-liter diesel tested here (both make 148bhp).

And if you’re looking for long haul tasks and load hauling, the 60mpg diesel is still the way to go. Diesel engines might be hopelessly out of fashion in 2021, but it’s a great unit: refined, responsive, and, at 266 lb-ft, easily quite punchy.