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Watching a Golf Sportsvan Acceleration Test Is Boring, But It's the 1.4 TSI

See one Volkswagen acceleration test since 2010, seen them all. No, really. The dials look the same, and you can immediatly tell what engine is doing the work.
Watching a Golf Sportsvan Acceleration Test Is Boring, But It's the 1.4 TSI 11 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
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Unfortunately, there's no video of a Tesla racing a nitrous GT-R today, so we're going to have to make due with a Golf Sportsvan with the 1.4 TSI engine and a 7-speed DSG automatic.

I'm not sure Volkswagen is going to keep making this car for much longer because it makes very little sense outside of Germany. Sure, it's more practical than some crossovers, but the design is even less enticing than a regular Golf.

The 1.4 TSI is one of our favorite compact car engines, punching well above its size thanks to the 250 Nm of torque available from low down. On paper, it's also reasonably efficient, but a quick search of German dealerships will reveal very few people order it. The TDI remains king of the autobahn!

A couple of years from now, this is going to make a fantastic second-hand car for somebody in Bulgaria or Estonia. Because the fuel economy isn't fantastic, the Germans won't be able to put 200,000 kilometers on the clock while the turbo will make you say "not bad."

But it's not great either. This independent acceleration test shows the car reaching 100 km/h in 8.7 seconds, a fraction faster than officially claimed, despite the conditions. However, it's still what you'd call a slow car, which is mostly due to the 1,409 kg weight.

Believe it or not, but this is the fastest version of the Golf Sportsvan, as going for the torque-packed 2.0 TDI adds another 70 kilos. So remember kids, when somebody offers you candy from a Golf-based minivan, just say "no, you're slow."

The money isn't exactly on its side either, as the Highline version of the Golf SV with this engine and gearbox stickers for €30,800.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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