By: Jason Woosey
Dig beneath the surface of the new Golf SV, just launched in South Africa, and you'll find a regular Golf, built on VW's modern MQB platform.
While not intending to replace its sibling in any way, this new version, with its restyled and inflated body, was designed to be more family friendly.
SV? That's an abbreviation of its European name, Golf Sportsvan, but in all fairness this car's most sporting attribute is the fact that the boot now has more room for tennis rackets, golf clubs and soccer boots.
Whereas the back end of a regular Golf can swallow 380 litres of luggage, the SV can handle 500 litres in its regular configuration, and because the SV's back seats can slide back or forth by 180mm, you can also sacrifice some legroom to create an even bigger 590 litre boot. For extra versatility the seatbacks have a 40:20:40 split and if you fold them all flat you can have a 1520 litre passion wagon.
ROOM TO STRECH
It gets better. The SV is 83mm longer, 8mm wider and 126mm taller than the Golf hatchback and 48mm of that extra length goes into the wheelbase to give your passengers more stretching space. It is very roomy in the back and if you slide the seats forward a bit you can also recline slightly.
At the business end of the SV you'll find a restyled dashboard with a simple yet functional design and high-quality surface materials. On the outside, the SV doesn't share a single body panel with the regular Golf and its design is conservative and functional, yet avoids looking slab-sided thanks to its wide stance and prominent 'tornado line' running across the body.
Even the engine choices are more pragmatic than racy, with VW offering a choice between two small turbopetrol units and a 2-litre turbodiesel. The 1.2 and 1.4 TSI engines incorporate Bluemotion fuel-saving technologies in the form of idle-stop and battery regeneration systems. The smaller unit develops 81kW and 175Nm and the bigger one's good for 92kW and 200Nm. VW claims combined consumption of 5.1 and 5.4 litres per 100km for these respective petrol engines and these could very well prove more appealing than the 81kW/250Nm 2-litre turbodiesel, which doesn't appear too much more efficient, at 4.6 l/100km.
COMFY RIDE
The default choice in this range is likely to be the 1.4-litre TSI, and VW's local launch-come-road-trip saw us test the six-speed manual and seven-speed DSG versions on a route between George and Port Elizabeth, with some twisty Route 102 detours thrown in for good measure. Despite having gained in weight and stature, the SV is still an open road champion. It's quiet, rides very comfortably and the engine is responsive and delivers reasonable performance.
While the 1.4 TSI and 2.0 TDI are fitted with VW's multi-link independent rear axle, the 1.2 TSI base model has a simpler torsion beam set-up. The cheapest SV also gives up a few features but still packs all the important safety gizmos, including seven airbags, stability control and post-collision braking system. VW's five-inch colour touch-screen entertainment system is standard, along with a leather-covered multi-function steering wheel.
The Comfortline grade replaces the base model's manual aircon with automatic climate control and upgrades from 15-inch to 16-inch alloys, while also adding cruise control, automatic headlights and wipers, under-seat drawers and additional chrome trimmings. There's a long and tempting options list to play with, offering larnier infotainments systems, navigation, auto park assist, a large panoramic sunroof and much more.
WHERE DOES IT FIT?
Still struggling to place the Golf SV within VW's vast array of hatchbacks and multi-purpose vehicles? Seeming like a shrunken version of the seven-seat Touran, this mini-MPV was created to lure you away from more premium end mini-MPVs such as the Mercedes B-Class and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, both of which start just shy of the R400 000 mark. As you'll see below, the VW is positioned as a more affordable alternative.
PRICES
1.2 TSI Trendline - R292 500
1.4 TSI Comfortline - R325 200
1.4 TSI Comfortline DSG - R340 700
2.0 TDI Comfortline - R343 700
2.0 TDI Comfortline DSG - R359 200
Prices include a five-year/90 000km service plan.