Back in the late 1980s, Volkswagen spotted a market niche. Buyers were starting to move away from Golf GTis and into more expensive sports saloons, like the BMW 3 Series. The draw of a smooth and powerful six-cylinder engine was proving very tempting for many. The six-cylinder Golf VR6 appeared in 1992, and was an instant success.
At a stroke, it won back old customers and lifted the Golf upmarket. A new benchmark for high performance hatchbacks had been established.
Early cars offer brisk performance for relatively little money. Performance figures of zero to 60 in seven seconds and a top speed of 140mph attracted many an enthusiastic first owner. Though some journalists gave the car a bad press for alleged under-damping and soft springing, many owners preferred this set-up to that of the firmer-riding Golf GTi. The VR6 is one of those rare cars that is equally comfortable on a winding B road, in traffic or else sitting at a constant 70mph on the motorway.
Near-supercar performance wrapped in a sensible Volkswagen package. A lot of car with a lot of speed for not a lot of money.
Volkswagen GOLF VR6 (1992 - 1998) Review by J. Crouch.
(First written on 2005-11-09)