From Towcar Awards 2008

List price: £16,325 (when tested)
Kerbweight: 1416kg
85% Match: 1204kg
Max towing weight: 1300kg
Towball limit: 75kg

THE PLUS IS A GOLF only bigger, which means there’s a bit more room for passengers and luggage. Even so, its practicality score was modest.

Our testers couldn’t fit a full luggage load in the boot, with further black marks for the difficulty in fitting towing mirrors.

No dramas

The Plus won back lost ground thanks to the Trailer Stability Programme fitted as part of the its stability control. There were no dramas through our lane-change test to get the electronic co-pilot working, but there’s a softer edge to the handling than in the standard Golf.

With a turbo and a supercharger to boost performance, the Plus accelerated from 30-60mph in 21.4 seconds.

For a petrol engine there’s lots of low pull, but the engine can’t match the flexibility of the best diesels.

We say

Towing: 4/5
Solo: 4/5
Practicality: 3/5
Buying & owning: 4/5

Verdict: 4/5. Comfortable and spacious, but we’d prefer the regular Golf.

Braking 30-0mph: 10.94m