Oddball VW Optimizes Space
It is said that if you leave an idea to sit for a lengthy period of time, someone will be bound to pick it up and reuse it. Not a
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| Fads like disco may never again be in style, but quirky vehicles such as the ugly space wagons and stretched hatchbacks of the past, may be on their way back. (Photo: Volkswagen Canada) |
People still can't seem to get enough of classic '50s and '60s-style Kitchenaid stand mixers, retro martini cocktail parties and modern cars with styling from that time period, but now the trend is spilling over into other, more recent, decades. Fads like disco may never again be in style, but quirky vehicles, such as the ugly space wagons and stretched hatchbacks of the past, may be on their way back.
From the late '70s to the late '80s, a handful of car manufacturers experimented with producing practical, space-efficient vehicles out of regular, run-of-the-mill compact cars. Included in this less-than-glamorous list were the tough, but ugly, Toyota Tercel and Corolla 4WD wagons, the frumpy Eagle/Mitsubishi Colt wagon and the pinnacle of the group, the Honda Civic Wagon. Plaid dress shirts, puffy bubble ski vests and
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| The newest addition to the Golf range is destined to plug the gap between the traditional compact hatchback and the seven-seat mini-minivan Touran (not available in North America). (Photo: Volkswagen Canada) |
While the majority of manufacturers have pushed the memories of these less-than-appealing oddball vehicles out of consumers' minds with attractive compact sport utility vehicles, Volkswagen will enter this segment for the first time with the Golf Plus. The newest addition to the Golf range is destined to plug the gap between the traditional compact hatchback and the seven-seat mini-minivan Touran (not available in North America) by offering additional space and room for five passengers without resorting to a blocky, minivan body style.