We’ve already spotted the eighth-generation
Volkswagen Golf out in the open without camouflage, so what’s photographed here
appeared to be a Mk7 Golf-bodied crossover development mule, on evidence of its
taller ride height and wider, cladded wheel arches.
Being a re-bodied mule, how the future crossover’s
appearance will shape up remains to be seen, although the track widths here
appear to fit nicely with the flared wheelhouses, and suggest a vehicle with a
broader footprint than the Mk7 Golf from which it currently borrows its
clothes.
An unnamed five-seater crossover was alluded to at
the Volkswagen Group’s annual media conference in March, which our spy
photographer sources think could be the eventual model that this test mule will
become.
Of course, a future, Golf-sized model will be built
upon the group’s MQB platform, which has provision for a 48-volt electrical
system as well as weight savings of up to 50 kg compared to previously. This
will also mean the possible inclusion of the group’s 1.0 litre three-cylinder,
1.5 and 2.0 litre four-cylinder TSI turbo petrol engines, plus space for
all-wheel-drive.
