SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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We try VW’s cool minivan: the 2015 Golf SV 1.4 TSI Comfortline

Don’t call me SportsVan

Posted: 29 May 2015

The cheat sheet
Base price: R325 200
Engine: EA211, 1395 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder turbo
Power: 92 kW between 5000 and 6000 rpm
Torque: 200 Nm between 1400 and 4000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.9 seconds
Maximum speed: 200 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.7 l/100 km
Tank: 50 litres
Luggage: 500-590-1520 litres
Warranty: 3 years/120 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km; at 15 000 km intervals

Nomenclature is a minefield. It seems almost daily that motor manufacturers, rushing headlong to bring “unique” products to market, think up new names for what is essentially the same thing; a van with backseats and windows.

Whether they’re called SUVs, SAVs, CAVs, MPVs, LUVs, or crossovers, they’re all pretty much the same. And just as you learn to accept that an SUV is a tall station wagon with extra ground clearance and all-wheel drive, for example, some manufacturer shifts the goalposts and rewrites the definition.

Take Volkswagen’s latest offering. It’s a tall and spacious, five-seat family bus, shoehorned into manageable dimensions, that offers three perky turbocharged engines, a 4x2 drive train with choice of five- or six-speed manual and six- or seven-gear DSG gearboxes, greater versatility with seating arrangements and is practical.

It’s their first, for a while at least, but the idea of a crossover with MPV features isn’t new. Also available and similarly priced is Opel’s Mokka, while Renault Captur and Opel Meriva cost a bit less, and Mazda is generally more upscale with its CX-5.

Volkswagen could have labelled it mini-SUV, MPV, crossover or simply station wagon. While not copping to the last description because that's officially a separate model, they opted for “Sportsvan” in Europe. Then because they weren’t sure we’d go for that, it became “SV” for us here in Mzansi.

Whatever it’s called, it is what it is and it’s cool with that. But don’t pay too much attention to “Golf” in the title because it bears just a passing resemblance to the popular hatchback and is noticeably bigger. Sure, it’s built on the same MQB architecture and uses some Golf engines, but it’s different.

Specifically it’s 83 millimetres longer than the hatchback on a wheelbase stretched by 48 mm, only a smidgeon (8 mm) wider but 126 mm taller - not counting the roof rails. What that gives you is more legroom, a bigger boot (500 litres vs. 380) and almost a fist-width of headspace for six-footers in the back seats. If you’re shuttling shorties at the time, those chairs can slide forward by about four finger-widths to increase boot capacity to 590 litres. Or you could fold them, just one or both, to load up to 1520 litres.

Choices consist of a 1200 cc turbopetrol Trendline with the six-speed manual transmission, 1400 cc turbopetrol Comfortlines with six-cog manual, like our test car, or the seven-speed DSG, and 2.0-litre diesels in Comfortline trim with five-ratio manual or six-gear DSG.

The price leading Trendline version has plenty to offer. You get the same MP3 compatible, eight-speaker radio and CD player with auxiliary, USB, SD card socket and five-inch touch screen as the other models. Then let’s not forget disc brakes all around, onboard computer, seven airbags, lit and chilled glove box, two cup holders, tyre pressure monitor, Climatic single-channel air conditioning, rear fog lights, ISOFix baby chair preparation, remote central locking with alarm, immobiliser and tow-away protection, electric windows and mirrors, alloy wheels with full-size alloy spare, height-adjustable driver’s seat and an electric parking brake that engages as the engine is switched off.

Electronic kit includes ABS with EBD, ESP and anti-spin regulator, multi-collision braking assistance, fatigue detector, hill holder and VW’s own XDS, or electronic limited-slip differential.

The only reasons for upgrading to the higher spec’ and more potent engines would be greater flexibility with back seat folding, nicer cloth upholstery with drawers under both front chairs, adjustable lumbar support on each, pockets and tray tables behind them, front fog lamps, a sophisticated multilink rear axle, a second armrest with cup holders, rain sensing wipers, cruise control and an automatically dipping interior mirror.

And bigger wheels with wider tyres; and more available options like sunroof, bi-xenon headlights, Climatronic climate control, automatic transmission or leather upholstery. You can, if you wish, get smarter music centres with or without satnav, automatically dipping headlamps, parking distance control, park assist or rearview cameras, with both specification levels.

Although this wagon / mummy bus / crossover is not built with high ground clearance for really poor dirt roads, it is better than some at 144 mm and it shares the hatchback Golf’s supple and compliant suspension. I took it onto a rough provincial dirt road with ripples and embedded stones, but no troughs or gullies, and found it decently comfortable and stable.

In its usual city habitat, a versatile third gear that takes full advantage of the 1400 turbomotor’s wide torque band means you can go pretty much anywhere in that slot alone. Then a tight 10.9-metre turning circle, big side windows that let you see what’s going on, light steering, a butter-smooth gearbox, a full suite of safety kit, enough room for lanky teenagers, loads of cargo volume and very perky performance make this a car to keep most parents happy.

The hardest part will be keeping its secrets from the spouse because it’s not just an ordinary moms’ minivan - it’s a very cool moms’ minivan – and sporty too. But we won’t call it Sportsvan - because Volkswagen prefers us not to.

Test unit from VWSA press fleet


Automatic transmission version shown

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
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