5:53pm Friday 5th June 2009
By Nigel Burton
AS EVERY learner driver knows, until you know what you are doing, parallel parking is a nightmare.
Some drivers never manage to master the art of reversing into a parking spot.
You see them in busy town centres frantically driving around looking for a space large enough to drive forward into. Often, they just give up and pay money for a car park, where all the bays are marked out.
Those clever types at Volkswagen have some new technology which promises to solve all your pesky parking problems.
Here’s how it works.
Find a parking space that is 1.1m longer than your Golf Plus and, as you approach it, press the Park Assist button. Two sensors scan the gap as you drive past and decide whether it’s big enough to park in.
If the system says everything is good to go, you stop the car, select reverse gear and let go of the steering wheel.
It’s a scary feeling watching the wheel twisting and turning without your input, and I must confess to feeling more nervous than a learner as I set the Park Assist working.
Nightmare images of the Golf Plus running out of control, crashing and bashing other cars as it attempted to bulldoze its way into a parking bay flashed through my mind.
VW says it is understandable, but completely irrational. The system has been tested thousands of times and is designed to be fail safe by turning itself off if something goes wrong.
All the same, I was glad it was on a dependable VW.
Is it the answer? Well, yes and no. There are limitations to the tech: the kerb must be straight or you’ll end up badly skewed and you must remember to have your indicator on as you pass your space, otherwise it doesn’t know which side of the road to scan.
But for those drivers who can’t parallel park to save their lives, it’s a god-send.
Otherwise, the Golf Plus is very much as before – a slightly longer, slightly dumpier-looking version of the legendary Golf.
External differences between this one and the previous model are modest, to say the least. Just a tweaked front end bringing it more in line with the Scirocco/new Golf, a gloss black paint job on the grille and a few tweaks at the back.
As face-lifts go, it’s hardly in the Michael Jackson league.
Importantly there are more major changes inside, with better materials, new instruments and all the latest technology, including the terrific multimedia screens already seen in the Scirocco/Passat CC.
The test car was fitted with VW’s double-charged (turbo and super) 1.4-litre four-cylinder in 122PS guise.
Performance is punchy, without ever being startling (leave that to the higher powered version), but the gutsy little power plant nonchalantly shrugs off a full load.
Although the platform uses the previous Golf as a starting point, much work has been expended to make the latest generation both cheaper to build and nicer to drive.
A new door design, window seals and engine damping improve refinement levels, while tinted rear windows reduce sunlight by up to 65 per cent, keeping the temperature to bearable levels even in hot weather.
The quest for quality even extends to the Golf Plus badge, which is made from a scratch-resistant material.
Twin exhaust tailpipes look good, although they do add a slightly off-message air of boy racer that is not really in-keeping with the car’s dad-about-town image.
Inside you get more headroom (handy if you are over 6ft tall), an incredible array of cubbies (25 storage compartments, according to VW, although I confess to finding only 21) and a bigger boot.
This all adds up to a very practical car, although I can’t help wondering if VW isn’t covering the same medium-MPV niche with the Golf Plus as it already does with the Touran.
Some drivers can’t bring themselves to buy a people-carrier, though, and the Golf Plus allows them to salve their ego with a hatchback that is just as practical.
I’ve driven plenty of cars that boast ‘hands-free kits’ but this Golf Plus is the first to take the designation literally.
And the good news is that Park Assist is available on the standard Golf and the Touran, too.
Price: £17,865
Engine: 1.4-litre turbocharged and supercharged
Max power: 122 PS @ 5,000rpm
Max torque: 148lb/ft @ 1,500rpm
Top speed: 121mph
0-62mph: 10.2 seconds
Fuel economy: 43.5mpg combined
CO2 emissions: 152 g/km (band G: £155 road tax p.a)
Standard equipment: Anti-lock brakes with hydraulic assist, remote central locking, active head restraints, halogen daytime running lights, rain sensor, auto dimming rear view mirror, park assist,
parking sensors, electrically heated and adjustable body mirrors, radio MP3 compatible CD player with 8-speakers and aux input, cruise control, electric windows.
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