LA show: Volkswagen monsters the Golf wagon

BUYERS who choose a Volkswagen Golf wagon tend to do so for practical reasons – big bicycles, giant dogs, carrying stuff or growing families.

However, the German premium car maker has now put excitement on their options list with the launch of an R version at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The Golf R wagon looks like one mean load hauler and will probably make your dog motion sick with its 221kW, 380Nm and 0-100km/h time of 5.1secs, 0.1secs slower than the hatch version.

With its sharpened shape, quad pipes and suspension lowered by 20mm it also makes the station wagon look anything but stationary, adding a genuine desirability this variant has never been blessed with.

The 2.0-litre turbo-powered R wagon will only come with a six-speed dual-clutch DSG ‘box, and the local arm of the company definitely has it on the wish list, but can’t say yet exactly when it will arrive in Australia.

The sporty estate still boasts a 605-litre boot with the seats in place, or 1620 litres with them down.