We say It's a fatter, more expensive Golf. The Golf Plus is decent but something of an oddity. The Golf below and the Touran above are more obvious choices.Performance As is the case with most Volkswagen’s and every golf, there’s a massive choice of petrols and turbodiesels. Look for one of the 1.9-litre or 2.0-litre turbodiesels which are good to drive and even better cruisers. Golf Pluses are heavier than their Gold counterparts so smaller engines may struggle.Emissions The most efficient engine in the Golf Plus range is the 103bhp 1.9-litre TDI BlueMotion unit that returns 58mpg and emits 127g/km in CO2. Whilst that’s not as good as some of its alternatives it should still significantly reduce running costs in terms of fuel and VED road tax.Driving Where the Golf hatchback is poised and controlled, the Plus is rather wallowy and imprecise. While the ride can be a little firm it's quite comfortable and makes for a good cruiser. Weight takes away a little of the Golf's driveability.Feel Well insulated but most engines will make their presence known if you're straining them. Bumps and potholes aren’t a real problem in a version of the Golf with a much softer suspension set-up.Space Good space for passengers and luggage, with lots of storage space and sliding/folding seats. Nearly 1,500-litres of space is available at the rear when seats are folded flat.Equipment Air conditioning, CD player and alloys are standard. Sport trim gets a firmer suspension set- up.Price The Golf's resale values should hold up but you never know with these new crossover types. The diesels should be good with fuel economy but generally, it’s an expensive car for what it is with list prices starting from £13,000 and rising to £22,000.Quality The Golf Plus shares its interior with the standard hatchback which means it’s solid, well put together and thoroughly decent, it’s also a bit boring too. Given its MPV status, it’s important that the interior is solid, something that the Golf Plus delivers on.Safety Six airbags, ABS, ESC and active head restraints are standard.Pros The Golf Plus is a spacious alternative to the standard Golf hatchback. Otherwise it's the same as a Golf, but slightly less good.Cons It's a Golf, only slightly less good. In the main that’s because the drive is much worse because of its higher sides and fatter stance. For an MPV it handles well but not quite as well as some of its rivals.Alternatives Ford Focus C-Max, Nissan Qashqai
