Monday 3rd December 2007

VW Goes RaVing

Golf estate gets 270 bhp and monster sound system

---

White gloves not included

Volkswagen had a crack at being hip and groovy at the Essen motor show by latching on to rave culture (about fifteen years too late).

The company unveiled its new concept, the Golf Variant RaVe 270, which despite the slightly dodgy name is actually quite interesting.

VW says the car is the most powerful Golf estate ever, which can’t be that difficult, and under the bonnet is a 270 bhp version of the GTI engine.

This means the car will do 155 mph and hit 62 mph in 5.8 seconds, and the power is put down through the 4Motion all-wheel drive system from the Golf R32

The concept could point towards a new, more powerful GTI variant that would be more hardcore than the top-of-the-range R32 Golf.

VW has fitted a DSG dual clutch transmission, fitted 19” alloys and lowered it by 20mm.

So where does the dance music derived name come from? That will be the Pimp My Ride style 1,400 Watt sound system with 13 speakers, three amps and subwoofers in the boot.

VW has also modified  bumpers, radiator grille, side skirts, taillights, headlamps, and even the mirrors to make the car more aggressive looking.

[Code Monkey]

Didn't VW run a series of adverts knocking the whole car modifying scene a few years ago?

Yet the last two concept or one off builds have been halfrauds specials.

[Negative Creep]

The irony being modern VW head units are a bitch to change, so even getting a stereo in that could run that lot is a pain

[Twincam16]

Negative Creep said:

The irony being modern VW head units are a bitch to change, so even getting a stereo in that could run that lot is a pain

Can't be half as bad as Toyotas then. I've just replaced the crap original stereo in my MR2 with a new Kenwood system, but tne angle at which it's mounted means that when a CD is ejected it takes half the centre console with it, which then springs back and sends the CD back into the slot. I drove to Henley and back this weekend unable to listen to anything other than Violater by Depeche Mode unless I pulled over and wrestled with the dashboard.

[scimmy ben]

Fitting it with a large sound system means they can display it with the boot open. Displaying it with the boot open means that people don't realise that the back end was designed by someone who hadn't seen the front end

[Negative Creep]

You should be able to mount an MR2 stereo straight. When you mounted it on the bracket was in aligned correctly on both sides? The majority of modern cars are a pain to change stereos in, the days of DIN size and ISO plugs are gone. People may not think this matters now, but good luck changing it in the future when it packs up or the replacements for MP3s come along

[Neil G60]

Looks pretty cool. Looks more like 3 subs to me contrary to the text though

[anonymous-user]

scimmy ben said:

Fitting it with a large sound system means they can display it with the boot open. Displaying it with the boot open means that people don't realise that the back end was designed by someone who hadn't seen the front end

Too true, saw one of these on the road at the weekend and the back end looks truly hideous, IMO golf's have never managed to make the tansition to estate without looking like the back end was an quickly designed afterthought.

[TigerK]

Presumably they ditched the spare wheel to fit those speakers in.

So you'll be able to listen to the music when you're waiting for the AA.....

[zcacogp]

yellowbentines said:

scimmy ben said:

Fitting it with a large sound system means they can display it with the boot open. Displaying it with the boot open means that people don't realise that the back end was designed by someone who hadn't seen the front end

Too true, saw one of these on the road at the weekend and the back end looks truly hideous, IMO golf's have never managed to make the tansition to estate without looking like the back end was an quickly designed afterthought.

Oh .

In fairness, the Mk3 Estate was simply a little ungainly. The Mk4 Estate wasn't great.

The Mk5 Estate looks fappin' horrid tho! First time I found myself behind one of those I wondered what Nissan were up to these days.

Then I saw the VW badge, and concluded that someone was having a turkish.

Then I overtook and realised the full horror of what I had just seen.


Oli.

[NiallOswald]

Nice one - take one fairly practical estate car and fill the boot with a branch of Dixons so you can't use it

Slow clap for VW...

[Istvan24]

Can we have one of these without all the disco tat please?







Would be ideal for ski resort transport if they removed the Maplins back catalogue

[Riknos]

NiallOswald said:

Nice one - take one fairly practical estate car and fill the boot with a branch of Dixons so you can't use it

Slow clap for VW...

Agreed, it sounded quite interesting from the beginning, 270bhp, R32 drivetrain, 0-60 in 5.8 secs, 19" wheels and looks like a boring work horse. Suprise a few boy racers in it maybe?
But the silly bastards put subs in the boot?
Appealing to the chav scum of tomorrow I presume?

[Twincam16]

Negative Creep said:

You should be able to mount an MR2 stereo straight. When you mounted it on the bracket was in aligned correctly on both sides? The majority of modern cars are a pain to change stereos in, the days of DIN size and ISO plugs are gone. People may not think this matters now, but good luck changing it in the future when it packs up or the replacements for MP3s come along

I didn't fit it - due to there being a delay in ordering they offered me free fitting. Anyway, the original Toyota stereo was just a radio/cassette thing that was quite chunky and effectively braced itself against the top of the bracket. The Kenwood one uses the same DIN1 mounting, but the fascia is slimmer and sits higher up - meaning that the piece of plastic that used to overhang the top of the old head unit, but wasn't a problem, now slightly overlaps the CD slot.

I might bodge my own bracket to go in there, but at the moment it's a right pain getting CDs out.

[Aeronaut]

Another week, another manufacturer trying to bridge disparate markets...

This week - sensible family guy meets overpaid nightclub DJ!

Reality? Shopping that cooks itself on the way home from Tescburys. Family Spaniel electrocuted having 'tinkled' over the amps. Neighbourhoods terrorised with 1400 watt renditions of 'the wheels on the bus...'

As said by others, rip out the nightclub, take the tat back to Chavfords and you might just have a saleable 'sleeper'. Otherwise

[rob.e]

I've recently become a dad. Downside is that I had to sell my lotus and get a "sensible" company car - ok, so by sensible I mean its a FIVE door GTI rather than the 3 door.

I love my gti, but its not quite big enough. I love the idea of super-estates like the S4, RS4 M5 touring etc but they are out of my price range. This car however is PERFECT!! I want one.. ! Now>>!


.. however you can take out all that speaker rubbish, ta

[stuartbuckell]

I thought, oh... that's quite nice - then I saw what was in the boot...

This car is a bit of a contradiction isn't it?

[stuartbuckell]

Oh and the name... Golf Rave ... LOL!? The drugs are back ...

Golf Match
Golf Driver
Golf Rave ...

What's next?

Golf Pimp ...? A longer estate with beds in the back?

Golf Getaway - Pimped up turbo, for those moments you just have to get away ...

Golf Pitch - comes in green. Cup holders replaced with ball holders.

[Negative Creep]

Twincam16 said:

I didn't fit it - due to there being a delay in ordering they offered me free fitting. Anyway, the original Toyota stereo was just a radio/cassette thing that was quite chunky and effectively braced itself against the top of the bracket. The Kenwood one uses the same DIN1 mounting, but the fascia is slimmer and sits higher up - meaning that the piece of plastic that used to overhang the top of the old head unit, but wasn't a problem, now slightly overlaps the CD slot.

I might bodge my own bracket to go in there, but at the moment it's a right pain getting CDs out.

I have to say I've never seen your shape MR2 where an aftermarket unit wouldn't fit in and I've fitted a fair few myself. It sounds to me like they haven't aligned the stereo on the side brackets properly, hence why it is at an angle. If fitted correctly then if anything there should be a gap around the stereo

[Fetchez la vache]

The old variant was a 3 door estate with great looking proportions. I see the interest in the performance add-ons but with they had kept with the original theme. Same as they did with the new beetle

[busta]

the article said:

VW has also modified bumpers, radiator grille, side skirts, taillights, headlamps, and even the mirrors to make replacements parts super expensive and awkward to get hold of if a you ever have a prang whilst being distracted by one of the 12 TV screens.

Clever VW!