Test drive Volkswagen Bora 1998 - 2005 sedan

North wind

There she, an employee of the car dealership pointed to me a big snowdrift in the yard. The feather bed of loose snow, which covered the car, had to shake off, but not with his bare hands? I ventured to open the door and immediately regretted the absence of drainage grooves: several snow comers collapsed right into the driver's seat.


It’s in vain competitors are offended by Volkswagen so many different cars (in addition to four brands), built on the same platforms, no one has. The strategy for unification of platforms has long taken the minds of all automakers, but Volkswagen has been successful than others.


Take, for example, Golf, who recently reached his 25th anniversary. The list of radical machines radically spread out (even without taking into account the SEAT and SKODA brands), built on its platform only recently, impressed by the VW New Beetle, Audi A3, Audi TT ... Last year, Golf had another VW Bora offspring, And recently, Bora 4Motion joined him. We took it for a test.


For some reason, all-wheel drive is often associated with increased road clearance. This is not here. Ordinary sedan. It looks solid and dynamically calling him sports. In the appearance of the car, little speaks of his close relationship with Golf. But so it was conceived. Bora is not just Golf with a trunk, which was the previous Vento model, this is a higher class machine, its Volkswagen serves as a small Passat, and not as a big golf ...


Both the contours of the body and the quality of its assembly work for the classiness of the appearance. Such narrow and, most importantly, the same in width, the gaps between the elements of the body rarely when you see laser welding and superglines. Large body parts are stamped entirely, therefore, the appearance of tapping and pogging over time is excluded.


In general, with the task of external mask Golf under Passat, the concern coped perfectly. Inside, almost everything remained unchanged, except that the salon was slightly width. And who said the Golf interior needs alterations? A solid, well -assembled, the quality of materials is such that it would not be a shame to use them and are much more prestigious ...


The equipment and convenience of the driver's place are worthy of praise. I sit in a soft, but elastic chair, electric adjustments I adjust it along the figure of the side support rollers pleasantly rest against the body. A wide central armrest can be thrown back.


Electric drives of windows and mirrors in stock (it is strange, if they weren’t), on the inner door handles, decorative dark wooden inserts. The hints that the car is equipped with all-wheel drive, the cabin is as much as the 4Motion inscriptions on the lid of the trunk and the headman of the 5-speed box lever.


A long -legged passenger is better to sit in front if he does not want to support the backs of the front row with his knees, and the roof with his head (the ceiling is slightly higher than that of Golf, but the hetchback heredity affects). A very good trunk of 455 liters, although the loading height could be less.


While the cabin is cold, you can turn on the electric heating of the seats, and at the same time the rear window. In order not to be distracted on the road, I immediately set my favorite 23 degrees climate installation. I lower and move the steering wheel closer to me. In its chubby middle, the pillow of safety is sewn one of four, front and lateral. In the depths of Torpedo, a mysterious blue glow: there is a device with a Telematik auto -player display in the center. Devices with contrasting red arrows. Large tachometer and speedometer hint at the serious engine temperament ...


Musical and electronic equipment is possible options. You can choose the Beta or Gamma audio system, the second is more powerful. Both can be increased by a cd changer and a digital block with a sound processor.


It is possible to install the navigation system, in our conditions useless. There is little use from a working phone with a cell phone. It is in Germany that he can tell the situation on the roads, call a technician or if the pillows of emergency medical care work, we have no such services. Well, the Volkswagen Handy phone of the GSM-900 standard should work.


The warmed up engine rustles evenly and confidently. From deflectors of the ventilation system, warm air has gone. Here is a large area with a very mixed coating under the wheels of ice, then snow, then puddles. In such conditions, a car with a drive for one axis would surely show miracles of swivelness and arrogance.


In VW Bora 4Motion, all -wheel drive is considered constant, but still the front leading bridge is most important, the rear is automatically connected through the high -discground clip in the case of the front wheels. The differential of the front bridge has an electronic lock, as an option is proposed a system for maintaining exchange rate stability.


Bora shopped into the studded tires on slippery coating is held as glued, as if reacting to the steering wheel turns. The engine torque is enough to crank the rubber on the ice, but the car controllability is preserved. In a bend, it is not possible to knock the car from the trajectory even in braking, only the pedal fussing under the foot resembles the presence of ABS.


The first attempts to send the car in the skid with the help of a manual brake had no success. Of course, in everyday life, rarely anyone uses this technique, but I wanted to find the face of what was permitted. I circle on a snowy site, increasing speed (it seems to be a difference, asphalt under the wheels or snow). I pull the lever on myself. Stronger, even stronger ... Finally, it was possible to force the car to slide in the drift as a front-wheel drive, but the efforts that had to be applied to the handbrake were much greater than usual.


Switching gear without problems. Small bumps swallows well, on large Bora shocks its passengers a little stronger than Golf (it is still difficult to resist comparison). Perhaps the causes of increased body rigidity and low -profile rubber (Bora wheels are the same as Passat). But the sedan is controlled better, sharper and provides a more sports sensations.


If you drive on this car around the city, then after some time a feeling of permissiveness is born. 125 hp Perhaps not the limit of dreams, there are a lot of powerful cars around, but in winter, not everyone is able to realize these very forces without risk to celebrate the tin day. We overtake and rebuild as we want, without any hint of loss of controllability.


While rode, it started to rain, ordinary winter rain. I put the steering wheel in the first, intermittent position. The wipers themselves choose a suitable mode depending on the intensity of precipitation, for this there is an appropriate sensor on the windshield. Conveniently. But the washer of the windshield for an amateur. The fluid is jumping on the glass not with a stream, but as from an aerosol spray with a cone, and the foam stain for a second completely closes visibility. And the second at a speed of 60 km/h is 17 meters ...


Two pleasant gizmos found when it got dark. Firstly, the salon mirror during lighting back is automatically darkened. Secondly, thresholds are highlighted.


So, Bora 4Motion. Outwardly almost Passat. A beautiful, dynamic, well -assembled car. In addition, all -wheel drive. The reliability of the Golf platform has no doubt. The car will appeal to those who can and love to drive, and those who do not know how to help you feel confidently. The only doubt: the price gap between Golf and Passat is not too wide, can Bora squeeze into it?
 
Alexey Strelkov
 

A source: Motor magazine [December 1999]