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Volkswagen Golf

Estate shows off Golf's new look

Our spies snapped this frosty new Golf Estate in production-ready form,which points the way for the next generation hatch

Auto Express Car Reviews

Of particular note are new headlights that have been reshaped to be more angular and distinctive. Stretch­ing further up the front wings, the lamps are hotly tipped to be adopted for the new Golf, which is likely to be revealed late in 2008.

	The estate version of the Golf is likely to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but the load-lugger was never originally scheduled to make production

The grille is taken from the Jetta saloon, while the large front airdam gives the estate a mature appearance. In profile, the new load-lugger looks similar to the larger Passat Estate, with a roofline that drops down towards the sloping tailgate.

Inside, the emphasis is on maximising practicality. Dropping the rear seats will leave a flat luggage area, while high-spec models are likely to be offered with a Passat-style sliding divider system to prevent large or fragile loads from moving about.

Engines will be shared with the hatchback, giving buyers the choice of FSI petrol and TDI diesel units. The firm's innovative new TSI turbo and supercharged petrol powerplant is also expected to appear.

The estate version of the Golf is likely to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but the load-lugger was never originally scheduled to make production. Instead, bosses at VW hoped that the slightly larger Golf Plus and Touran people carrier would cater for the needs of buyers in the compact family car market.

However, demand for a traditional estate across Europe has forced the firm to introduce this latest model. It is scheduled to arrive in UK showrooms in the summer.

And because the estate is joining the Golf range so late, its lines give a good idea of what the firm is working on for the MkVI version.

With the styling likely to be an evolution of the current model, the main alter­ations will be made to the new car's mechanicals.