Review

DULL to look at, dull to drive and not particularly shiny in any area, the old Golf estate desperately needed replacing when it ceased production in March. Its worst failing was that it soldiered on based on the old-shape Mk3 Golf for a full year after the latest generation car went on sale, a kind of bad apple in the new car's basket of vastly improved quality, image and customer appeal.

This year, Volkswagen has sold just 809 old-shape Golf estates from the seven-model range until stocks ran out in August, comparing with total Golf volume of 45,377. The new estate makes a much more concerted attack on the lower medium estate market, with prices starting at ú13,380 on the road for the entry-level 1.4E, rising to ú20,365 for the top-of-the-range V5 automatic. The sales prognosis for the new car is much stronger: 5,000 are expected to find homes in its first full year on sale - 2000.

In between, there are S and SE trim levels with a choice of 1.6 100bhp or 2-litre 115bhp petrol engines, and the acclaimed 1.9-litre direct injection turbodiesels in 90bhp and new 115bhp forms. There is also a naturally aspirated 68bhp version of the 1.9-litre engine available in base E trim only. The old 110bhp TDI has been dropped in favour of the remarkable 115bhp 'pumpe dnse' engine, which comes complete with a six-speed manual gearbox and no price increase for the useful extra power and torque it provides. Tested here is the 1.9 TDI 115 S estate, costing ú16,510 on the road.

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