Let’s be honest: we also get tired of the fact that every car nowadays has to be an SUV-like one. This Golf Country proves that ‘cross’ can be fun.
There are of course two things mixed up here, because this Golf was never intended as an SUV. It is a first reference to the trend to also make a raised version of regular models, a trend that had its heyday especially prior to the rise of the (compact) SUV.
Where at the beginning of the 21st century it was often about half-baked attempts, Volkswagen went ‘all the way’ with the Golf Country. The car, always a five-door Golf II, stood no less than 18 centimeters higher than a regular Golf. The engine remained in place and is thus housed deep in the forepeak, which makes for a remarkable sight with the hood open. However, even with the hood closed, the term ‘remarkable’ is appropriate here. The Golf looks like a diligent hobbyist’s project and has been ‘toughened up’ in every way imaginable. A bull bar? Check! Additional lamps? Certainly! ‘Skid plates’? Of course! Mudflaps? Naturally!
The visual highlight, in our opinion, is the spare wheel on the tailgate. At least, on: it sits on a bracket in front of the flap, which must first pivot to the side separately before the flap can be opened. The most questionable kudos in this case is for the piece of plastic that fills the space for the license plate. That plate is forced to move to a place under the bumper, but the changes required for this cannot be called very professional.
However, the result is fantastic, because this naturally four-wheel drive Golf actually looks rough. This particular example is also finished in ‘Montana Grün’, one of the best colors for this model. It comes from the introduction year 1990 and is actually originally Dutch. The current owner had better be careful with it, because a beautiful Golf Country is now worth quite a bit. There are two on our site, for €10,950 and €17,949.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl