Golf for golfers

What we like:

Hugely practical but still as easy to pilot as the regular Golf

What we dislike:

Doesn’t look as good as the smaller sibling

Being that it’s a rather tall car, some amount of roll is expected if you take corners quickly. Be that as it may, VW has fitted the Sportsvan with slightly firmer suspension which allows the car to handle better than it looks like it would.

That said it’s not what you’d describe as dynamic, but then again who calls MPVs dynamic?

Due to the aforementioned stiffer springs, the car rides slightly on the bumpier side of the scale but is by no means uncomfortable. Take it down the highway and you’ll see it soaks up the miles with ease albeit with some wind and tyre noise intruding the cabin especially evident at those speeds.

Otherwise, the 1.4l turbocharged engine does a good job of getting the car from the standing start to motorway speeds without fuss; 123 bhp and 200 Nm are adequate for almost any situation you would encounter here and the car doesn’t feel slow or sluggish unless you’ve just climbed out of a Golf R.

You get the 7-speed DSG double clutch gearbox that has been a hallmark of VW for a while now which shifts faster than you can blink; paired with the frugal engine the Sportsvan will return about 13 km/l even if you don’t watch your right foot.

If you feel like it you can change the driving mode of the car too – pop it into Sport and watch the Sportsvan turn into a real sports erm, van. Put it into Eco and coast along the highways and you’ll find the car is a rather pleasant family mobile that does remind you somewhat of the hatchback that it’s based upon with its pretty decent handling and even more oodles of space for more of that sporting equipment you’ll want to haul around.

Credits: Story and Photos by Alvan Sio