What we’re looking for Volkswagen’s
bigger, more practical Golf enters the five-seat family MPV fray
The Golf has a height-adjustable boot
floor, but changing between the two positions is an awkward manoeuvre because
you first have to remove a divider. The seats lie at a slight angle when folded
too, and a front passenger seat that folds flat is a $270 option, whereas it’s
standard in like C4 Picasso.
You sit higher up in the Citroën than in
the Volkswagen, and the tall windscreen and huge expanses of glass means
forward visibility is slightly better.
However, the Golf SV counters with classier
materials throughout and comfier, more supportive seats, while its infotainment
system is also easier to use, with simpler menus and more user-friendly
shortcut buttons. By contrast, the C4 Picasso's 7.0-inch touch-screen is quite
fiddly and slow to respond.
The new model will sit between the Golf and Touran
models. It will have all the advanced technology of the Golf hatchback range,
but in a larger and more practical body.
·
Huge 12.3-inch screen comes as standard;
sharp-edged ridges send a nasty judder through the cabin
·
Touch-screen sat-nav - larger screen is
optional; a supple ride and well-weighted controls make it sharper to drive
What are they like to drive?
Both of these contenders have 2.0-litre
diesel engines that produce an identical I48bhp. The Golf SV is the faster car,
though; it sprinted from 30-7omph almost a second quicker than the C4 Picasso
in our tests, and it also picks up speed more briskly from low revs, so you
don’t need to change down as often when driving around town.
A possible downside to driving the C4 Picasso, is that its
gearshift can feel notchy at times, and while the large, thick-rimmed steering
wheel delivers positive turn-in, its feedback could be better.
The C4 Picasso is far from slow, although
its engine is flatter at both low and high revs, and much coarser and noisier
than the Golf SV’s, too. That said, the C4 Picasso actually generates less wind
and road noise at a steady motorway cruise.
However, its jittery low-speed ride is
frustrating. The Picasso also rolls more through corners, absorbing gentle
crests and dips nicely but then crashes over ridges and potholes that the Golf
SV simply glides over.
Our test Golf SV came fitted with optional ($1,372)
adaptive suspension, but past experience with the standard hatch suggests it
would still corner and ride better than its rival even without this extra.
The line-up includes a 1.2 TSI petrol with 85hp and
110hp and a 1.6 diesel with 90h and 110hp, as well as a 2.0 diesel with 150hp.
The Citroen’s fingertip-light steering
makes it easier to park and manoeuvre at low speeds, but the limited feedback
and slow responses inspire little confidence when driving faster.
Meanwhile, the VW’s steering is more
precise, and its six-speed ’box is more positive, too.
