2020 Volkswagen Golf Estate: prices, specs and release date

• Golf Estate available in four trim levels
• Petrol automatic models all get mild-hybrid technology
• Prices start at £24,575

The latest Volkswagen Golf Estate is now in showrooms alongside the hatchback. It features the same hi-tech interior and efficient powertrains and boasts a bigger boot than the previous model to compete with the most practical small estates. Prices start at £24,575.

As before, the Golf Estate will rival the Skoda Octavia Estate, Kia Ceed Sportswagon and Ford Focus Estate. With SUV sales booming, it’ll also be an indirect competitor to the Skoda Karoq, Peugeot 3008 and Hyundai Tucson.

2020 Volkswagen Golf Estate prices and specs

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As with the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf hatchback, you can have the estate in three main trim levels: Life, Style and R-Line. It may be the entry-level spec but Life certainly isn’t sparsely equipped, featuring LED lights, a 10-inch sat nav touchscreen, a configurable digital instrument cluster, lane assist and adaptive cruise control.

Style brings bigger alloy wheels, upgraded headlights, high-beam assist and three-zone air conditioning from £26,765, while R-Line starts at £28,075 and includes a sporty body kit, tinted rear windows, a heated leather steering wheel and sports suspension.

2020 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

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The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack estate has been revealed alongside the standard range. It’s a standalone model that offers higher ground clearance, SUV-like body cladding and exclusive interior features. ‘4MOTION’ four-wheel drive comes as standard, and the raised ride height will mean the Alltrack will be able to tackle rough trails with less risk of grounding itself.

Like the previous Golf Alltrack, the new model only comes with a powerful diesel engine mated to an automatic gearbox. The 197bhp 2.0-litre diesel is used in the Volkswagen Golf GTD, so it’s not known whether there’ll be a GTD estate this time around. Volkswagen has confirmed that the Alltrack will return almost 50mpg and will be able to tow up 2,000kg.

The Alltrack will rival the Skoda Octavia Scout, while the Ford Focus Active estate and Toyota Corolla Trek look similar but are front-wheel drive only. The Alltrack sits at the top of the range, with a price to match - it costs £35,560.

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Styling

There are few surprises in terms of styling; everything in front of the windscreen is carried over from the Golf hatchback, while a sloping roofline and a steeply raked rear windscreen give a sportier look than before. There’s a longer rear overhang and different rear lights to the hatchback, but they look similar to the last Golf Estate. The rear end shape looks very similar to the latest Octavia estate.

The model in these images is an R-Line model, with a sportier body kit and gloss black trim pieces. It’s thought Life and Style trims will get fins in the lower grille area, as they do on the hatchback.

Interior and technology

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If you’re familiar with the outgoing Golf Estate, the new car could feel completely different inside. Shared with the hatchback, the estate will feature two big screens as standard - one for the infotainment and one in front of the driver that replaces analogue dials. Nearly all buttons are replaced by touch-sensitive panels with haptic feedback (they’ll buzz a little when you press them).

The Mk8 Volkswagen Golf Estate will be online all the time, and will feature live traffic updates and VW’s Car2X software. This communicates with other cars equipped with the system and local infrastructure to warn you about local hazards like traffic jams and roadworks. Amazon Alexa, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity will all be available.

Practicality

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The new Golf Estate is 349mm longer than the car it replaces and the wheelbase (the distance between front and rear wheels) is up by 66mm. Boot size has increased by six litres to 611 litres, and flipping the rear seats down means there are 1,642 litres to fill (22 more than before). Hopefully the estate will offer a standard space-saver spare wheel like the hatchback does, too, while four-wheel drive models shouldn’t offer any less boot space than two-wheel drive versions.

Engines and performance

You’ll be able to choose most of the same engines as you can with the hatchback, including a 1.5-litre petrol engine with 128 or 148bhp and a 2.0-litre diesel with 113 or 148bhp. There’ll be mild-hybrid technology on all petrol engines with automatic gearboxes, while Volkswagen’s desire to reduce its total emissions output might mean there’s a plug-in hybrid Golf Estate on the horizon for the first time. Rivals including the Ceed Sportswagon and the Renault Megane Sport Tourer have recently gained plug-in powertrains.

We’re expecting an estate version of the hot Golf R with 316bhp. A GTD estate has previously been available, but a GTI estate is highly unlikely.

Read our Volkswagen Golf review, or see where the last Golf Estate features on our list of the best used estate cars.