What we’re looking for Volkswagen’s
bigger, more practical Golf enters the five-seat family MPV fray
·
Citroën C4 Picasso
·
2.0 Blue HDi 150 Exdusive+
·
List price $42,771
·
Target Price $39,747
·
Spacious and packed with clever touches to make
family life easier
The C4 Picasso will be the first production car
to use the new PSA EMP2 platform that will help shed 70kg from the current
car’s 1,680kg weight.
1 Volkswagen Golf SV
·
2.0 TD1150 GT
·
List price $42,762
·
Target Price $40,000
·
Blends MPV functionality with the driving
experience of a hatchback
The
Volkswagen Golf SV will carry a $1,260 premium over the Volkswagen Golf
hatchback – meaning it will cost the same as the Volkswagen Golf estate – when
it goes on sale in the UK in May.
Growing families can quickly stretch a
conventional five-door hatchback beyond its limits, so what’s the best
alternative once they do? Traditional MPVs should be the answer, but their
spacious interiors often mean buying a much bigger, heavier car, with all the
sacrifices that entails.
The new Golf SV is meant to solve this
problem by offering a big boost in practicality, while keeping all the best
bits of the standard car intact. To find out if it’s a better solution than a
conventional five-seat MPV, we’re testing it against the excellent Citroën C4
Picasso.
What are they like inside?
MPV buyers are looking for far more than
just a big boot, so it’s a good thing that both these cars have rear seats that
slide, recline and fold, allowing you to trade rear legroom for more boot
space.
However, the Citroen has three individual
rear seats, making it the better choice for anyone who needs to fit three child
seats across the back row. The flat floor is another bonus, because it makes
life more comfortable for the middle rear passenger, whereas in the Volkswagen
they’ll have to straddle the raised tunnel that runs down the centre of the
floor.
However, the Golf SVs rear seats are
mounted lower to the floor and are steeply reclined, both of which help give it
nearly 10cm more headroom, while legroom is also more generous.
When it comes to boot space, though, the C4
Picasso is streets ahead. Its load bay is longer, wider and deeper than the Golf
SV's, with a lower lip and an almost totally flat floor. The standard electric
tailgate opens at the touch of a button, and a set of clever flaps fitted to
the seat backs ensure you always have an even surface to load your luggage onto
- even when the seats are fully folded down.
When
it comes to boot space, though, the C4 Picasso is streets ahead. Its load bay
is longer, wider and deeper than the Golf SV's, with a lower lip and an almost
totally flat floor.
