Volkswagen Golf Plus road tests and consumer car reviews

Volkswagen Golf Plus 1.6 TDI SE 2009

We love this car. Have had Golfs before and almost chose a Golf again this time but then saw the Plus in the showroom, took it for a test drive and fell in love. The extra height is great, it is easier to get in and out, gives you a feeling of security because you are up higher than the normal Golf, has so many refinements I’ve not yet worked out what they all after a year :) I don’t care that people say it costs more than a standard Golf and won’t hold it’s value as well. I want the comfort and pleasure now, not a few hundred quid extra in 3 years time :) Lovely car, lots of room and the sliding rear seats are great, more room for the hounds.

Volkswagen Golf Plus 2.0 TDI SE 2010

This is the 2nd one I have owned, the new common rail engine is much quieter and refined and more economical, I now get an average of 55 mpg. The car is great on the long journeys, comfortable and a good cruiser. People who have been in the car with me think it it a really nice car. I know the standard Golf is sexier but I think more people would be better with the Plus with its extra room and flexiblity. I do not need 7 seats in the bigger MPVs this is about right but one thing I would do; why don’t VW make the boot bigger say 4" on the length? This would differentiate it more from the golf and make it a better proposition.

Volkswagen Golf Plus SE Blue motion 1.6TDI 2010

I have just ordered one after driving it. I tested the Golf but the Plus suited us better. I am 69 years old and most cars are too low and the doors too small for us to easily get in and out of. A SUV is too high and large and an expensive run. I wanted an economical car, small enough to drive and park but with an automatic gearbox and rear view camera. It has a good seat height to see in front of me without having to use cushions or hit my head on the roof. As you get older they become important. Automatic lights and wipers make it easier to concentrate on driving. It parks itself too! Turning around to see behind you is a thing of the past. I highly recommend this car to all drivers over 60.

Responses to this review

I couldn’t agree more with what Carole has to say, other than I do feel the rear camera is a little excessive. The camera inflates the price, as you have to have a suitable audio unit and screen if you are getting the basic S model. Rear sensors I thought would be sufficient on a vehicle of this size, although on the S model these are not an option - Paul Jordan from Surrey

Volkswagen Golf Plus SE Blue Motion. 1.6 TDI 105PS 2010

Today’s sophisticated, ecologically conscious motorist is becoming more demanding. Not satisfied with the straightforward virtues of swift, secure and comfortable transportation, the twenty first century driver insists upon giving the planet a helping hand. If journeys have to be undertaken, the environment must not, as a consequence, suffer. Deleterious by-products of motoring must be pared to the bare minimum. VW’s engineers - renowned for their ’blue sky’ thinking - have come up with a package of innovations labelled Blue Motion, which runs through much of the VW range. The term is redolent of open space, freedom from inhibition: of pure natural existential progress. And talking of space, that’s just what the Golf Plus is about. Lofty and cavernous and with more flexibility than the standard Golf, the Golf Plus sits between the Golf and Touran, but is still a five door hatchback and not an MPV. Its main competitors are Focus C-Max and Renault Scenic. The Golf Plus is likely to attract those without families - or with a small family - but who need more room and versatility than the traditional hatchback. There’s higher seating, cavernous stowage and loadspace and more legroom, despite retaining the Golf hatchbacks qualities of excellent driving dynamics and top levels of safety. There’s a choice from two petrol and three diesel engines and just two trim levels are available - S and SE. Both offer a most comprehensive range of equipment. Tested with 1.6 105PS diesel power and in SE trim at £20,575, this is a car that whispers along the road thanks to low rolling resistance tyres, mechanical refinement and splendid aerodynamic efficiency - all the way to 116 mph, should you wish. All this was a constant reassurance to me that the right thing was being done in the right place at the right time. Handling, ride comfort and overall driveability are not noticeably compromised by the technological manipulations in the quest for eco-econo. happiness. It would take harsh testing (just the sort of ungentlemanly behaviour that is so inappropriate in a car like this) to bring to light any weaknesses. Once in a blue moon such a motor revelation occurs. Here we have a decent size ’do-all-you-need’ car that you will love for its versatility, smooth sophistication, robustness and economy. (55+ mpg is easily attainable). While other marques experiment with nuclear power, photon beam warp drives, see-through windows and balsa wood bodies, Volkswagen apply Occam’s razor and hone what is logical and practical. This is a ’real world’ machine with a jolly good diesel engine - not some dreamed up spaceship powered by catapult elastic. Clever chaps these Germans with their many and multi-various systems. They even manage to retrieve some of the energy from braking via the ’brake regeneration system’. Sadly this was not wired to your aged correspondent who could do with a bit of regeneration himself. So - if life is a journey, every trip under Blue Motion technology enhances the quotidian aspects of life, making the journey worthwhile. One of these splendid machines in your garage would banish blue Mondays forever. Here is a podule that makes driving so like an extension of modern living. Obviously packed with microchip technology, I approached the Golf Plus Blue Motion with the attitude of Lenny the Luddite - suspicious of new bells and whistles. Would I be instantly at home and not require the services of my eighty year old grandmother computer whizzkid. Well, all was as reassuring as the 1926 edition of The Children’s Encyclopaedia: unlike some current models that are as complex as something found abandoned in a used mobile phone warehouse. Casting eyes around the comfy and airy cabin I looked suspiciously for signs of blue - but there was just a tastefully well-appointed interior that is one of the best in the business. Big seats, excellent visibility and a wonderfully cohesive air of understatement about its overall design make this car an excellent travel accessory. Bigger than the standard Golf, but there’s no inflation here. Everything is functionally contrived to maximise utility and enhance a sense of opulent comfort. Space galore for passengers and space aplenty for storage. VW have also seen to it that the car is safer than houses and more secure than unit trusts. The whole Golf Plus Blue Motion package offers motion slickness from the established maestros of movement. A rhapsody in blue without a Rattle means that VW are determined to serenade their customers once more with true automotive harmony. A sensible refinement of automotive engineering with the purpose of extracting maximum benefit with minimal disruption to Gaea’s Garden.

Responses to this review

What a well written review - brilliant and I can ditto all that is said. I love my Golf 1.6 TDI SE. Its a wonderful car and the most comfortable I’ve ever driven - Heather Jones from England

Many thanks for your report. But I would like to know how many miles on the clock you had to reach, to average 55mpg, as I have brand new car with 2,500 mile (bluemotion 1.6) on the clock and can only get 51mpg on a 150 mile motorway drive. And that’s driving very steady. P.S. I had the garage check it out, no fault found - John Cope from Warwickshire

I have seen quite a few reviews with poor mpg from the 1.6 BlueMotion. I have a 2.0tdi 140. At over 12k miles, the mpg has gone up from 50 to 54 which includes quite a few trailer miles, so they do improve. I find driving style a big influence as they are heavy cars, so if you have many stop/starts from traffic lights or roundabouts, they do tend to destroy the average. A lovely car though with bags of power for overtaking on country roads and effortless motorway cruising. Being 6’2", I find most modern cars with sloping windscreens difficult to get in and out of which makes the Plus ideal. Excellent legroom for rear passengers with adjustable seat - Philip from Shropshire

Volkswagen Golf Plus 1.6 TDI 105 SE DSG 2009

Although I have not done a huge mileage yet, I am very pleased with it. Drives very well, comfortable, quiet and very economical. Quality of build is excellent, and has loads of extra headroom for a tall person like myself, and the rear sliding seats are very handy. Was almost put off by critical remarks on Top Gear etc, who could not see the point of it, but for someone who wants the quality of a Golf and not the size of a Touran it’s ideal, can’t fault it.

Volkswagen Golf Plus 1.9 TDI 105 SE 2007

This is the best car that I have ever owned. Everything about the Golf Plus is spot on, quality personified. The Plus is slightly bigger than the normal Golf ( a car I have also owned ) and this means increased head and leg room plus more room in the back. The economy is fabulous and safety features are all that is required and more. This is the choice for those looking for more room without wanting to buy an MPV.

Volkswagen Golf Plus

The Golf Plus has easier access than the Golf hatch, drives well & is great for families. Very comfortable, safe & versatile.