Volkswagen Golf Estate (07-09) - Review

Review by Ben Wall on
Last Updated: 28 September 2009
The estate version of the Golf wasn't introduced until three years after the hatchback came along, but it was worth waiting for. With a boot that's not much smaller than the Passat Estate, it's a surprisingly useful load carrier in a compact shape. Like the standard Golf, it's superbly built and extremely reliable as well as being refined inside with an excellent ride. Volkswagen has a good range of family cars, but the Golf Estate makes a strong case for itself, especially for those who want practicality but don't want something as big as a Passat. It's available with a good range of engines including a very economical Bluemotion TDI version.
4 out of 5

Other Volkswagen reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

The Golf Estate is fitted with Volkswagen's more frugal engine options and the diesels can average up to 61mpg (in the Bluemotion model) while even the 2.0 TDI returns 51mpg. Servicing intervals are variable, depending upon usage, but the on-board indicator will signal when a service is required anywhere up to two years or 20,000 miles. Volkswagen servicing rates tend to be quite high, although dealers occasionally run initiatives to lower servicing rates.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,615 - £1,615 *

Diesel

£1,051 - £1,393 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Variable according to on board computer.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£100.00 - £215.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

3.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
    122
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
    176
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The limited engine line-up, dominated by diesels, helps the estate to look more environmentally considerate. The 1.9 TDI is the greenest version and the Bluemotion version emits 122g/km of CO2 and returning 61mpg. The 1.6 petrol engine is the poorest performer, but it's still not bad, and by comparison produces 176g/km of CO2 and does 38mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2