Frankfurt preview: Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan concept

Volkswagen has lifted the veil off of the Golf Sportsvan concept that will greet the public for the first time next week at the Frankfurt Motor Show.  Billed as a roomier alternative to the Golf hatchback, the Sportsvan is a close-to-production compact minivan that accurately previews the successor to the family-friendly Golf Plus.

Based on Volkswagen’s modular MQB platform, the Sportsvan stretches 170 inches long, 61 inches tall and 70 inches wide, dimensions that make it longer than the standard Golf hatchback but shorter than the Jetta Sportwagen.  It adopts a sharp design that puts it line with other members of the Volkswagen lineup while giving it a more aggressive and sportier appearance its predecessor.

The Sportsvan’s cabin offers room for five passengers and up to 53 cubic feet of space with the second row of seats folded flat.  Up front, it boasts a clean and decidedly Teutonic dashboard with an analog instrument cluster and a color touch screen mounted on the center stack.  It is available with a wide array of high-tech driving aids including City Emergency Braking, adaptive cruise control, Driver Alert System, and a Blind Spot Monitor.

Mechanically, the Golf Sportsvan will be offered with six gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines ranging from 85 to 150 horsepower.  All engines will be equipped with a start/stop system to curb emissions, and most will be available with Volkswagen’s dual-clutch DSG transmission.  Front-wheel drive will come standard while all-wheel drive will likely be added to the lineup later in the production run.  

Volkswagen expects the Sportsvan’s main markets to be Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Russia and Belgium, indicating the hatchback will not land in U.S. showrooms.

 

Look for the production version of the Sportsvan to bow before the end of the year.<![CDATA[
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1{
color: #000000;
font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
font-size: 15px;
line-height: 1.333em;
margin-bottom: 16px;
margin-top: 10px;
}
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1 ul li
{
list-style:disc !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;
}
div.post-content1 ol li
{
list-style-type: decimal !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;

}
#editorial_graph ul li
{
list-style:none !important;
margin-left:0px;
}
]]>