As an all-round package, the Golf Estate has a lot going for it. No other car in this class can match the VW’s practicality score. The combination of plentiful luggage space, a full-size spare and the Trailer Stability Programme as standard ticked most boxes.
Inside, there’s plenty of room for passengers and its cabin is better finished than previous generations’.
However, it doesn’t tow as well as the class-winning Astra, and was less precise and confident in the lane-change test. Acceleration was more subdued. The 30-60mph sprint took 21.8 seconds: more than eight seconds longer than the Vauxhall.
Some judges found the Golf stalled in the reversing test, and the handbrake needed a firm pull before it would hold on the 1-in-6 test hill.
The price tag of £22,065 isn’t cheap compared with the Skoda Octavia, which is equally spacious and only slightly slower.