VW unveils new Bora

At the Detroit Motor Show, Volkswagen has unveiled the car that will become the new Bora in the UK.

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At the Detroit Motor Show, Volkswagen has unveiled the car that will become the new Bora in the UK.

Called the Jetta in the US, the family car is due over here towards the end of 2005 or early in 2006.

It is based on the Mark 5 Golf hatchback and features a chrome grille, which is likely to become a prominent feature of new Volkswagen models. The first VW with the new grille will be the next Passat, which you can read about in the April 2005 issue of What Car?, on sale on February 17.

The Bora’s Golf ties should make it a more sporty saloon than any of its predecessors, and much roomier for rear-seat passengers. The body is said to be much stiffer than that of the current car. It is also the first small VW saloon with independent rear suspension and will be powered by higher-performance petrol and turbodiesel engines.

The smallest engine on offer is expected to be a 1.6-litre, as the least powerful Golf engines will likely be dropped for the Bora.

Like the Skoda Octavia hatchback, which is also based on the Golf, the Bora is halfway between a small and a full-size family car in size, and has a vast boot.

Traditionally, British buyers prefer hatchbacks to small saloons – the last Golf outsold the Bora 10-to-one. However, the gap is narrowing and VW is selling the new Bora as a premium small saloon, similar to Volvo with its V40.

Bora prices have in the past been slightly higher than those of the Golf, but buyers have got more equipment for their money.