Just as the electric ID.3 functions today as a bold compact model in the VW range, at that time the Golf III was supposed to electrify the hearts of the masses with bold concepts. A battery-powered Golf Citystromer even drove up and an efficiency artist called the Golf Ecomatic with a rough diesel and a so-called swing-use automatic tried his luck.
Fresh look and for the first time with a VR6 engine
In fact, Volkswagen did almost everything differently with its iconic brand, which had already sold almost 13 million times, as Ulrich Seiffert, Head of Development, told the media at the time: “The name has stayed the same, the automobile is practically new”. In a class of its own, the eagerly awaited Golf VR6 represented the first luxury in golf tournaments with a whispering six-cylinder and abundant power, while a new GTI and the fresh Golf Cabriolet served the attention-demanding lifestyle group. Whether on Sylt or on the Côte d’Azur, the golf matched the dress code of the decade in which automobiles were still status symbols. In contrast, the first Golf Variant took the lead among the compact family station wagons and a notchback model won over the conservative clientele.
Fresh Vento, out of the big slipstream of the Golf, in which the upright Jetta was only available in small numbers until then. In fact, the notchback model of the Golf, called Vento for the first time, found surprising popularity in the eastern federal states of the newly reunified Germany, but even more so in southern and eastern Europe.
There he clearly outclassed the competitors from Ford (Orion), Opel (Astra) or Renault (19 Chamade). In figures: While only 3,230 Volkswagen Ventos were manufactured in 1991, the number rose to 133,000 units two years later. While the affordable three- and five-door Golf won the most important European media award “Car of the Year” for the first time in 1992, the four-door Vento opted for the so-called higher positioning. For example, the Vento (or Jetta, as it was suddenly still called in North America) did without the basic four-cylinder with 44 kW / 60 PS, instead emphasizing the high standards in the style of 3-series BMW and Mercedes with a wing on the trunk lid and GT logo C class. At the top end was the aforementioned VR6, which brought front-wheel drive 128 kW / 174 PS to the road.
A station wagon for the “leisure society”
Of course, station wagons were even more in demand, no longer just the big workhorses like the Volkswagen Passat Variant or Opel Omega Caravan, but more recently also small load carriers like those loved by young families and as demanded by the “leisure society” criticized by the then Chancellor Helmut Kohl. VW initially left this field of compact family and touring cars to competitors.
But now there was a Golf Variant after all – 32 centimeters longer than the hatchback model – and with a huge cargo space, almost as ample as the Passat, which is precisely why this Variant was also a winner. Although the Golf had to assert itself on its home market against more than 30 competitors, in the third edition it succeeded almost as well as in 1974, when the Golf I gave its name to an entire vehicle class. In 1992, the first full sales year, 914,000 Golf IIIs rolled off the assembly line, a good third more than the Opel Astra or Toyota Corolla and even three times the Ford Escort and ten times the Citroen BX or Peugeot 309.
While the success curve of the new Golf was not impressed by the economic downturn in the 1990s, this people’s car was supposed to replace the Beetle as the best-selling car of all time, the Golf I Cabriolet, which was presented in 1979 and built until 1993, was the most successful open four-seater of all time celebrated.
A successor to the “strawberry basket”
At the 1993 IAA, the iconic convertible top carrier made by Karmann body shop found a worthy heir: However, apart from the fixed roll bar, the new Golf III, which is open at the top, had little in common with its predecessor. For the first time, the rear side windows of the Sun King could be fully retracted and an optional, economical, but audibly working diesel provided an acoustic backdrop that was still completely unfamiliar for convertibles. The fresh air fans were satisfied, even if the majority of them chose gasoline engines for the time being. The Golf III Cabrio remained at the top until 1998, when small cosmetic interventions were enough to transform the Luftikus into the Golf IV, the last of which were only built in 2001 in Osnabrück.
The fashion-conscious expressionists with clothes made of shiny mirrored velvet, neon-colored jogging pants or fishnet shirts must also have loved the last golf of the 20th century, because they had the special golf models that change every year. These include the Pink Floyd and Rolling Stones editions, which are coveted by collectors to this day and which were realized together with the rock bands, but also Color Concept, Moda, Savoy, Madison and of course a GTI and VR6 edition.
Competitive athletes, reason cars and SUV pioneers
The discreetly rumbling six-cylinder, transplanted from the Passat, catapulted the top Golf into the sports car league in 1991. This is evidenced by the zero-to-100 sprint value of 7.6 seconds with which the Golf outclassed the far more expensive BMW 325i and also relegated luxury athletes of the caliber of a Mercedes 300 SL or Jaguar XJ-S V12 to their places. In contrast, the Golf GTI, which was now available with a 16-valve engine for the first time, was responsible for defending faster, compact golf clubs such as the Escort RS and Astra GSi. But the Golf III also improved on safety, as it was the first compact Wolfsburg with front and side airbags and ABS as standard.
So there are no weaknesses in the Golf III? But of course. VW procurement director José Ignacio López brought about such tough cost reductions at the suppliers that there was a loss of quality compared to the almost indestructible Golf II. And then the Golf Ecomatic: This diesel with an early start-stop system was content with 4.6 liters of fuel and an emission reduction of 35 percent, but the general public understood just as little as the Ecomatic electric city power generator, the number of which was in the small three-digit range Area paused. The sales figures for the all-wheel drive Golf Syncro, launched in 1993, were also kept clear, initially always coupled with a 66 kW / 90 PS four-cylinder, but a year later it was also sold as a 140 kW / 190 PS powerful VR6.
“Volkswagen, the most successful”
After six years and 4.8 million Golf IIIs, the fourth generation of the mega-seller took over the reins at the end of 1997 to make everything better. In the direction that corporate board member Ferdinand Piech promised his shareholders at the time: “Volkswagen, the most successful”. Meanwhile, the Golf III is also experiencing its second spring and turns out to be a sought-after young and old-timer in a special color and with the right engine-gearbox combination. The time for enthusiasts and collectors is more than ripe. (Text: wn / sp-x, tv | Images: manufacturer)