Alternatives to the Golf GTD Estate?
Hi,
If possible please can you do a 'Five of the best' report for compact estate cars in Ireland? I desire and am ready to order a Volkswagen Golf GTD Estate as am currently on my second GTD, but need more space. I want to carry on the Golf GTD customer journey, but alas, this perfect solution for me and my family is 'not available in Ireland...' Therefore I need to look elsewhere so would appreciate your opinions if possible? It appears SEAT and Skoda have this category to themselves.
Martin SmithApr 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Martin,
It is a shame that the GTD Estate isn’t imported into Ireland by Volkswagen as it’s a cracking car, but the sad fact is that the market for compact estates is so small, and high performance compact estates smaller still, that it’s probably not worth Volkswagen’s while. That said, the GTD Estate is effectively imported in the guise of both the Skoda Octavia RS TDI Combi and the SEAT Leon ST 2.0 TDI 180hp FR — of those two, we’d go for the Skoda, as it’s marginally sharper to drive than the SEAT, looks great and is simply massive inside.
Other options are the Opel Astra Sports Tourer in SRi spec with the 136hp 1.6 CDTi diesel engine — not as powerful as the Skoda or SEAT, obviously, but a great car and terrific to drive. Lovely interior too. Or you could try the Ford Focus ST TDCi Estate, which is brilliant fun to drive, but sadly is again on the personal import list.
Lastly, there’s the option of going second hand or nearly new and buying something along the lines of a BMW 3 Series Touring or Audi A4 Avant.
@neilmbriscoe