2013 VOLKSWAGEN Golf VII Variant 1.6L TDI 7AT FWD (105 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Volkswagen introduced the seventh generation of the Golf in 2012 and waited for another year before submitting the station wagon version named Variant.

Ever since the Golf’s third generation, the German carmaker named its station wagon as Variant, following the same tradition initiated by the Passat range. The new Golf was built on the scalable MQB platform, shared with many other cars within the Volkswagen group, from Audi to Skoda. In the station wagon shape, the Variant lost a few engines compared with the hatchback version but gained a few other features compared with its predecessor.

The Variant shared the same body panels up to the B-pillar with its five-door sibling. It featured the same angular-shaped front fascia with its angry-looking headlights narrower towards the car’s center grille. From its sides, the station wagon featured a more extended roofline and a slightly sloped-down upper window line creating a dynamic image for the car. Its third rear side window featured an angular shape on its lower side, before the D-pillar.

Inside, Volkswagen improved the quality of the material to a premium-like level, with a soft-touch dashboard and door panels. It featured a standard 5.8″ touchscreen display while an 8″ unit with a navigation system was on the options list. The carmaker installed a 60/40 split-folding seatback for the rear seats, which formed a completely flat area with the trunk floor. Thus, it increased the luggage space from 605 liters (21.4 cu-ft) to 1,620 liters (57.2 cu-ft). The car also offered an under-floor storage area.

Under the hood, the Golf Variant offered a wide engine choice between 85 hp and 150 hp. The versions under 122 hp featured a semi-rigid rear axle to cut production costs, while all the other versions offered an independent suspension. Volkswagen presented the Golf VII Variant with a standard electronically controlled differential, which mimicked a self-locking type one. Another first-of improvement was the option for adaptive dampers. For specific engine versions, Volkswagen installed an all-wheel-drive (4Motion) system with a Haldex center differential.