Volkswagen refreshes the Golf estate

Last year, Volkswagen replaced the Golf Mk5 with the current Golf Mk6. But a new Golf is more than just a new Golf. So many other models from Volkswagen lean heavily on the Golf's technology - everything from the VW Caddy van to the sporty Audi TT - that the arrival of a new generation of Golf usually triggers a ripple of model replacements across the VW, Skoda, Seat and Audi ranges.

This time it looks like it's going to be different. Because the Golf Mk6 is based on the same PQ35 platform as the Mk5, rather than being an all-new model, most Golf-based cars, such as the Skoda Octavia are being facelifted but not replaced. The same goes for Volkswagen's own Golf derivatives, the Golf Plus (a roomier Golf with a raised roof) and the Golf estate.

The Golf Plus received a bit of a facelift and tidy-up and now the Golf estate gets the same treatment. In the case of the estate, the new stuff amounts to modified front and rear bumpers, revised wheel and tail light designs, and inside, new dashboards and seat trims. The Golf estate's engine range is also revised to include some of Volkswagen's latest power units, the most interesting of which is probably the small turbocharged 1.2 litre TSI petrol engine which will become available next year.