New VW Golf Plus - In Detail

Press Release

Body

• 9.5 centimeters taller, completely new design, LED taillights
• 1.58 meters tall: The Golf Plus was positioned between Golf and Touran
• Cw value of 0.32: aerodynamic refinement reduces noise from wind

This Volkswagen is instantly and unmistakably recognizable as a Golf. Definitely a Golf. Any yet completely different, taller, intimate, surprising. An addition of 9.5 centimeters in height compared to the classic Golf is only half of the story. Because the Golf Plus shows its own unique character, new perspectives, and new facets of a Volkswagen. The Golf Plus demonstrates how precisely a car can be tailored point for point to the needs of its time, visually as well as technically. One example of this is the body of the Golf Plus. It is the body of a car showing greatness, because it is not too big and yet remarkably spacious on this inside.

Dimensions: At 1.58 meters the Golf Plus is taller than the Golf by exactly those 9.5 centimeters. The length, width and wheelbase in contrast underscore the similarities between the Golf and the Golf Plus: The length of the Golf Plus measures an almost unchanged 4.21 meters and the width is also an identical 1.76 meters. And even the wheelbase of 2.58 meters is the same.

Conspicuous differences: The designers and engineers of the Golf Plus re-created doors, hood, bumpers, fenders, roof, headlights and taillights for the new model. Except for the door mirrors, the VW logo, the door handles, and the antenna for the optional navigation system there are no identical body parts for both the Golf and the Golf Plus due to their different package requirements.

A detailed view of the Golf Plus body

Even if the engines, chassis and of course many other technical components were taken over from the Golf, in terms of the body you would have to say it's a completely new car. Things such as the aerodynamics or the requirements for vibration comfort were exacting demands in doing so.

Aerodynamics: Even before the first 1:1 model of the Golf Plus engineers carried out an analysis of flow behavior on the body. In the "imaginary space of the digital world" they used CAD (computer-aided design) descriptions for the design model. Only afterwards did real trials take place with a "1:1 wind tunnel model", fitted with all equipment. Airflow to the radiator and to the front brakes could already be optimized at this very early stage of development. The background: while many design parallels were used between the classic Golf and the new Golf Plus for the underside of the vehicle, the front section in particular had to be laid out completely new with respect to aerodynamics. The size and length of the front spoiler in particular was optimized aerodynamically.

Due to the completely re-designed body there were naturally other fundamental aerodynamic conditions in the rear area as well. The focus here was on the trailing edge on the rear end of the roof among other things. It has a significant impact on air resistance and the lift values of the rear suspension. Among other things, the roof edge spoiler homogenously integrated in the body design was able to give the Golf Plus a very low, and thus good, "rear lift value". The result: handling also optimized via aerodynamics.

Even the door mirrors themselves show attention paid to aerodynamic details. The mirror base was designed for extremely favorable flow; a final touch contributing to both a good cw value (0.32) and to reduced noise from wind.

Acoustic and vibration comfort: The taller body in contrast to the classic Golf, its larger hatchback opening and the rear seating system which can be moved lengthwise are enough to change the basic conditions for ideal acoustics and outstanding vibration comfort.

Specific optimization of the body structure during the early development phase was the ticket for an especially quiet and low-vibration Golf Plus show. The body in white achieved its best values at 43 Hz for the lowest torsion and 52 Hz for the lowest bending shape. The same applies to the fully equipped car body.

Steering attachment: What at first glance appears to be an interior or chassis feature is at the same time also related to the body. The electro-mechanical power steering along with the steering column were taken over from the classic Golf. Its installation position still had to be adapted to the higher seats in the Golf Plus. And this is not done with a few minor corrections. In fact, a completely re-worked connection of the steering column to the body had to be developed. A natural frequency at the level of the very good classic Gold level could also be attained here. Noticeable result: the reduction in vibrations transmitted by the steering.

Attachment of the rear seating system: This interior feature also has an impact on the design of the body. The background: the lengthwise adjustable rear seating system required extra work on acoustical absorption in the back area of the body. The tasks set out in the specification were also completed and a fundamentally higher level of noise comfort was achieved.

Visually, the Golf Plus makes it unmistakably clear that it is a Golf. The characteristic radiator grill, the C-pillars and the basic appearance of the rear area in particular were extracted from the genetic material inherited from over three decades of Golf tradition. And yet when looking at the Golf Plus it's just as quickly apparent that everything is different and new after all:

The Front: The V-shaped hood continues the classic line of the radiator grill in both the Golf and the Golf Plus. Yet while this "V" can be found deeply embedded between the distinctly high-arching fenders in the classic model, the proportions used in the "new" version are exactly opposite. The V-modulation is contoured upwards, while the fenders lie lower in contrast. In this respect, the Golf Plus follows the stylistic example set by both the Touran and the Touareg, meeting the demands of a comparably tall vehicle, as in this case the hood must form a homogeneous unit with windshield attached higher up.

The change in fender contour is striking, while the headlights, with their three round integrated light elements (indicator, low beam and high beam), are as large as they are impressive. These extend, like the Touareg 4x4, far into each fender. During the first six months of 2005, the Golf Plus will in addition be available with active curve lighting, whose beam constantly follows the direction of steering, offering a clear safety advantage.

Silhouette: The headlight extension starts off a side line, which continues from the height of the door handles to the taillights. This lends a clear tension to the silhouette of the Golf Plus, because it divides the naturally high door surface in the upper quarter. At the same time, this line ensures that both front and rear fenders have a broad and muscular effect.

The back: The back of the Golf Plus was also completely re-designed. The inwards-pointing, trapezium-shaped taillights and the large rear window extend into the C-pillars. Typical Volkswagen: the round functional components that form the revolutionary Phaeton-style LED taillights, used for the first time in this class. The back is also characterized by being extremely well-suited to everyday life: the edge is a mere 62.4 centimeters high, the narrowest storage loading width is 100.8 centimeters, with the maximum height 84.2 centimeters. The hatchback opens up to an impressive 2.08 meters in height.

LED taillights functionality: The Golf Plus' taillights consist of two basic elements, with one of each located outside on the fender and inside in the hatchback. For the first time ever in a Golf the tail, brake and turn signal lights are all LEDs. This forms an added safety feature, particularly as far as brake- and turn signal lights are concerned: In contrast to conventional light bulbs, LED lights excel by means of a far faster response time. Traffic behind is thus given earlier warning.

A further advantage is the homogeneous nature of the lit surfaces. The use of LEDs allows the functional surfaces to be constructed for the first time completely of brilliant optics without colored intermediate discs. Furthermore, LEDs demonstrate considerably longer service life than regular light bulbs. The third brake light, integrated into the roof edge spoiler, also works using LEDs.

The inner parts of the lighting unit are, in contrast, fitted with light bulbs, as this technology does better justice to the job performed by reverse and fog lights. Also when considering their service life, since they are used much less often.