Three to join VW Golf game

Joining the sixth generation garden variety Golf and its hot-hatch GTI cousin will be a first-time wagon, the performance-leading Golf R and possibly a diesel version of the GTI, the GTD.  "There will be lots of new models by next year," says Volkswagen Group Australia managing director Anke Koeckler. "A part of that new model line will be a Golf Wagon which is due in the first quarter of next year."

Koeckler says the decision to bring the load-carrier Golf to Australia is not a sudden one but rather one delayed to await the arrival of the new generation car.  "This will be the new wagon with the new powertrains. We were a bit patient because we did not want to run with an old model ... what is the point of having a model that is already outdated."

VW has been able to watch the success of another small wagon in the Australian market, the Hyundai i30CW, and draw confidence that the style of car is one Australian buyers will embrace.  "People want a bit more space without wanting to go to a big car," Koeckler says. "In Europe 60 per cent of Golf wagons go to fleets and that may also be an opportunity for us here to expand our fleet business."

While the wagon is likely to appeal to a wide range of buyers, the GTD and the Golf R will have a much more focussed market appeal -- and ironically could be the final nail in the coffin of an Australian future for the sporty Scirocco.

"The Scirocco is still under assessment -- it is definitely not off the table -- but sports market, particularly in Australia, is only small and it could be difficult to make a case for that car and the GTI and the R and whatever," Koeckler says. "We will keep looking closely at it, but there are a lot of questions."

The all-wheel-drive Golf R, the replacement for the superceded R32, will sit clearly atop the Golf range. The car boasts improved performance over the outgoing V6 model with a 199kW output from the high-po 2.0-litre turbo giving it a reputed 0-100km/h sprint of just 5.5 seconds, 1.4 seconds clear of the GTI.

Plans to import the GTD, the diesel version of the GTI already on sale in Europe, is moving along confidently and with VW's strong footprint in diesel offerings in Australia looks to be a perfect fit for the range.  "We already have a strong experience and presence with diesel and with more companies recognising the value of diesel the acceptance in Australia is growing," Koeckler says. "Diesel offers a good performance option with low fuel consumption."

The GTD is powered by a 2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel. Down 30kW on the GTI it has an additional 70Nm of torque give it a very impressive 350Nm of urge available almost from idle.  Typical of diesel cars the raw sprint times are not scintillating with a 0-100km/h burst of 8.1 seconds but the acceleration through mid-range when torque is king and a fuel efficiency of 5.3L/100km should make it an attractive option.

VGA would not talk about pricing for either R or the GTD, saying only that they would be competitive.