Many motorists mistakenly think that the Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Golf Plus are almost the same car. But this is not so. If you look closely, it will become clear that the plus version was created for family people who do not care about power and drive, but, on the contrary, safety, reliability and spaciousness. Let’s take a closer look at what Plus is all about.
Story
Volkswagen Golf Plus was first announced in 2004, shortly after the birth of the 5th generation Golf . Actually, the new model was built on the basis of the five, only in appearance it was significantly different. Plus was a little longer and taller than a regular Golf, but in size it did not reach another VW model - Touran.
Mass production was launched in 2005 and continued until 2014. During this period, the car was restyled and it happened in 2008. The exact number of cars sold for the entire period is difficult to name, but the fact that the figure will not be impressive is a fact.
2014 was the last year for the Volkswagen Golf Plus, as the company decided to modernize, and instead a completely new Golf Sportsvan model appeared. The novelty is built on the basis of the 7th generation Golf and has little in common with its predecessor. Nevertheless, Plus can still be found in the secondary market, where they, due to their not very large popularity, are relatively inexpensive.
Differences Golf from Golf Plus
As mentioned above, Volkswagen Golf Plus looks significantly different from the usual "Golf". The body design has undergone changes, aerodynamics, dimensions and much more have changed dramatically.
Compared to the regular Golf, the front of the Golf Plus is completely different. The wings, hood, optics, front bumper and even the radiator grille have changed. The only thing that unites 2 cars is the chrome badge of the VW company. Golf Plus got more smooth lines and extra straight edges.
At the rear of the Golf Plus are LED headlights, which also differ from the regular Golf. The tailgate also changed - it became a little bigger and slightly changed its shape. The rear bumper has become more rounded. As for the exhaust system, it is the same as a regular Golf.
In the restyled version of the Golf Plus, little has changed. Appearance remained almost the same, the only daytime running lights appeared on the front bumper, the body shape became a little more expressive, and that's all.
Specifications
It's time to move on to the specifications of the Volkswagen Golf Plus. From the moment of release to restyling, only 3 types of engines were installed on the car: 1.6, 1.9 and 2 liters. In addition to gasoline, there were diesel, but they were more popular in Europe.
Gasoline units 1.6 and 2 liters had a capacity of 102 and 150 liters. from. We worked in tandem with both a manual gearbox and an automatic one. But diesel engines in addition to this were equipped with a DSG-7 robotic seven-speed gearbox and a turbine. Naturally, they were inferior in terms of diesel power to gasoline “brothers”: 1.6 l - 102 l. s., 1.9 - 105 l. with and 2 liters - 140 liters. from.
After restyling, the range of motors was replenished and cut at the same time. Engines with a volume of 2 liters and 1 disappeared. 9. Instead of them, new 1.2 and 1.4 appeared. But 1.6, in fact, remained virtually unchanged. As for horsepower, then 1.2 - 105 liters. S., 1.4 - 80 and 122 liters. s, a 1.6. - the previous 102 "horses". In pair with the new motors was either a manual transmission or a robotic DSG. By the way, Volkswagen Golf Plus 1.4 and 1.2 engines were the first in Russia to be equipped with turbines.
The undercarriage in the Plyusik remained almost the same as the original Golf. McPherson independent suspension was on the front, and multi-link on the rear. In addition, the entire undercarriage has been reinforced to provide better handling and ride. In particular, there was a rear subframe made of strong steel, which took upon itself the bulk of all body vibrations.
In terms of safety, the car was equipped with four airbags in the most budget configuration. Also present were ABS, ESP and traction control TCS. For child seats, the IsoFIx mount is provided.
In models after 2008, a few more airbags and very useful functions were added: an elevator assistance system, EBD, an auxiliary braking system, cruise control, tire pressure check, etc. Rear parking sensors also appeared, which were greatly lacking.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the fuel consumption and the amount of luggage. For engines 1.6 and 2.0, the consumption is 11-12 liters in the city and from 6.5 to 7 when driving on the highway. On 1.2 engines, these figures are 7.5 and 5 liters, for 1.4 - 5 and 8 (9) liters, and finally, modernized 1.6 consume 5.5 (6) - 9 (10.5) liters.
The boot volume of the car is 395 liters, but if you add a number of rear seats, you can get all 1450.
Modifications
Now that the technical specifications for the Volkswagen Golf Plus are over, you can move on to the car. Before restyling, according to the data, there were 3 of them: Trendline, Sportline and Comfortline. After 2008, Sportline and Comfortline disappeared, and instead new ones appeared - Match and CrossGolf.
There were no special differences between the modifications. The main difference was in the individual elements of the car, for example, chrome on the bumpers or a leather steering wheel in the passenger compartment. There are no differences at all with the set of safety options - the set of airbags was the same. The exceptions are individual options, such as “Take Me Home,” adaptive lighting, climate control and more.
In addition, the differences in the configurations were the upholstery. For example, at Trendline, the interior was exclusively fabric, at CrossGolf, in addition to fabric, it could also be leather, but Match was equipped only with combined upholstery (leather + fabric).
The only significant difference between the three modifications was the clearance and size of the wheels. CrossGolf's ground clearance was 180 mm and the wheels were 17 inches in diameter. As for Trendline and Match, they had a clearance of 160 mm and a wheel size of 15 inches.
Owner reviews
Volkswagen Golf Plus reviews are mostly positive, although the car has some disadvantages. In particular, drivers note an extremely low resource on the timing chain, slow acceleration, long warm-up of the car in winter, a weak engine and a slightly small trunk, like for a family car. Otherwise, no one has any complaints.
By the way, many owners note the extremely low cost of spare parts and car maintenance, which in fact covers most of the minuses.
Price
Well, the last point of the article is the cost of the Volkswagen Golf Plus in the secondary market. Due to the fact that the car is considered illiquid and rather poorly sold, the average price of a car is 2007-2008. currently stands at about 340-360 thousand rubles. Version 2012-2013 It will cost a little more - 420-450 thousand rubles, and in the maximum configuration about 500-550 thousand.