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Volkswagen is having a busy Geneva motor show, with six new Mk 7 Golf variants being unveiled for the first time. Adding to the Golf 7 family, the best-selling small family car range now includes an estate as well as performance and eco-friendly versions. First previewed online ahead of the show, the Golf BlueMotion builds on the BlueMotion Technology versions of the new Golf already on sale, and posts an 88.3mpg figure on the combined cycle – giving it a theoretical range of 970 miles – as well as low emissions of just 85g/km (the current Golf SE 1.6 TDI is 14g/km more polluting). There’s also a 92g/km natural gas version of the car, which will only be sold in mainland Europe.

The Golf GTI and Golf GTD also headed to Geneva for their world premieres, with the former developing 217 or 227bhp depending on which version (standard or ‘Performance’) you choose. Long a mainstay of the range, the latter features all of the traditional sporting Golf trimmings, but with a 181bhp TDI engine and a low 109g/km CO2 figure. UK deliveries start in June for the GTI, while the GTD arrives in ‘the summer’. The first Golf 7 BlueMotion cars are scheduled to be UK-bound in August.

For now at least, the award-winning Golf range is completed by the arrival of the sharp-looking Golf Estate. It comes a full 20 years after the launch of the first Golf Estate, which was based on the Mk 3 model, and like the current hatchback, is built on Volkswagen’s new MQB modular platform. Load capacity is 605 litres with the parcel shelf and rear seats in place, more than doubling to 1620 litres with the rear seats folded. The new car is 307mm longer than the hatchback version, and will mirror that car’s engine line-up, with an 87g/km, 85.6mpg BlueMotion variant being added for the first time. UK deliveries start in October.

A 4MOTION four-wheel drive model will come in due course – but for mainland European markets only – and most excitingly of all, Volkswagen has given fans of fast estates a glimpse of the new Mk 7-based Golf R, with the unveiling of the Golf Estate Concept R-Line. The performance concept differs from the standard extended Golf by means of a more aggressive-styled bumpers, rear spoiler and sills, and new 18-inch ‘Salvador’ alloy wheels. Powered by a 148bhp 2.0 TDI engine, the Lapis Blue Metallic Golf Estate Concept R-Line is driven by all four wheels. There is no word yet on production feasibility.

Finally, to top it all off, Volkswagen bosses were handed the coveted European Car of the Year 2013 trophy last night, as the new Golf was voted the ‘Car of The Year’ by 58 automotive journalist panelists from all over Europe. The judges, from 22 countries, awarded the Golf the top prize by some margin, the Volkswagen car beating its nearest rival, the Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ, by 212 points. With a score of 414 points in the final vote, the Mk 7 Golf is the third Volkswagen to take the prize, following the Mk 3 Golf in 1992, and the fifth-generation Polo in 2010. It would seem that the public agrees with the CoTY jury: more than 150,000 Golfs have already been ordered throughout Europe.

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Following the pre-Geneva motor show announcement of the Golf GTD, Volkswagen has, unsurprisingly, released details of another Swiss débutante – the latest Golf GTI. And it differs quite considerably from its outgoing Mk 6 predecessor. Available for the first time in standard and ‘Performance’ versions, the new car is once again powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged TSI engine, but that’s where any technical similarities end. The 1351kg Mk 7 GTI develops 217bhp in standard form, but the ‘GTI Performance’ version boasts 227bhp, larger brake discs and a front limited-slip differential.

Both versions develop 258lb ft of torque, with the standard Golf GTI sprinting to 62mph from rest in 6.5 seconds and onto 152mph. The ‘GTI Performance’ has a 3mph higher top speed and cuts 0.1 seconds off the benchmark sprint time. The pair also now feature concessions to economy with Stop/Start systems and EU-6 emissions technology. Economy hasn’t always been high on the sporting Golf’s agenda, but Volkswagen states that the latest standard version of the iconic hatchback posts 47mpg and low 139g/km emissions when specified with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The discreet features that have distinguished the Golf GTI for over 36 years remain in place. A red trim line on the grille extends neatly into the headlights, while the brake calipers are painted in a similar shade, and peep through new 18-inch ‘Austin’ alloy wheels (much less distinctive than the Mk 5 and 6’s ‘Monza’ rims in our opinion). There are also special side sills, a rear diffuser, twin exhausts, smoked LED tail lights and LED numberplate lamps to beef up the Mk 7 Golf’s sharp new suit. UK specification will include bi-xenon headlamps complete with LED daytime running lights.

Interior highlights include sports seats with classic tartan cloth upholstery, black rooflining and fashionable red ambience lighting. GTI drivers will also appreciate the bespoke sports steering wheel, gear lever and instrument cluster, trim strips and stainless steel pedal caps. UK Volkswagen Retailers start taking orders for the new GTI on 26 March, with the first deliveries due in June. Final UK pricing and detailed specification are yet to be confirmed, but are expected to start at £25,845 for the standard three-door manual car, with ‘GTI Performance’ models around £1000 more.

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Just as the first UK deliveries of the Mk 7 Golf are filtering through, Volkswagen has today announced details of the new performance-orientated Golf GTD, the derv-sipping cousin of the Golf GTI. It’s a whole three decades since the nameplate was first introduced, and the latest version builds on the parsimonious, performance, and practical foundations that the original Mk 1 version set. The Mk 7 Golf GTD is powered, once again, by a 2.0-litre common-rail turbodiesel engine, with 182bhp and 380Nm (280lb ft) of torque, available from just 1750rpm.

The six-speed Golf GTD is reputedly able to drive 67.3 miles per gallon of fuel, and has emissions of 109g/km – when specified with the optional six-speed DSG gearbox, emissions rise by 10g/km and fuel economy dips to 60.1mpg, still more than respectable for a performance hatchback. Living up to its ethos, the 1309kg Golf GTD takes 7.5 seconds to reach 62mph from rest, and can reach 142mph.

Standard kit is what you’d expect a sporting Golf to have – 17-inch alloy wheels fitted with 225/45 tyres, side skirts, more aggressive front and rear bumpers (the rear including a diffuser), sports suspension, smoked LED tail lights and a larger-than-standard rear spoiler. Moving inside, there are the now obligatory tartan sports seats, a black rooflining, sports steering wheel, stainless steel pedals, and GTD-specific gear knob and trim strips. There’s also now a touch of bling, with white ‘ambience lighting’, while high-end equipment includes climate control, parking sensors and a winter pack.

Available in Germany for €29,350, the new Golf GTD is available to order from 5 March, with UK sales expected to start in April. Deliveries are said to start in the summer, with UK prices and exact specification to be confirmed. Proving how important a model the GTD now is, Volkswagen has unveiled it before the latest iteration of the GTI, and will be debuting the new GTD at the 2013 Geneva motor show next month.

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Volkswagen has, predictably, announced a ‘Cross’ version of its award-winning Up city car. To be launched at the 83rd Geneva motor show next month, the CrossUp (we’re still not pandering to the silly punctuation) joins the established CrossPolo, CrossGolf and CrossTouran models. A European market-only model at the moment, UK availability is yet to be decided, reportedly currently thought to be 50/50. Volkswagen UK had sold limited examples of the CrossPolo and CrossGolf in this country (badged ‘Dune’), but we would imagine that the market is just too small for such a niche model, especially as it lacks four-wheel drive, a feature the new Fiat Panda 4×4 does have.

Whatever the UK market decision, the CrossUp looks the part. It gets the mandatory black plastic mouldings for the wheel arches and sills, as well as ‘CrossUp’-branded side strips. There’s also silver roof rails, wing mirrors, and bumper insets, front fog lights, a raised ride height (Volkswagen doesn’t state by how much), and 16-inch ‘Cross’ alloy wheels with 185/50 tyres. The interior isn’t as ‘Crossed’ up as much as the exterior, which a choice of red or anthracite trim, black, red or silver dashpad, and leather-trimmed steering wheel and handbrake lever. Door sill trims also get ‘Cross Up’ branding.

Standard equipment includes remote central locking, electric front windows and door mirrors, variable cargo floor, multifunction display, and ESC electronic stability programme. Powered by the higher output 74bhp, 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox used in other Ups, the CrossUp will be available in Germany from late summer, with a starting price of €13,925, which equates to £11,982 at current exchange rates. Although not up to traversing large European mountain ranges, the smart CrossUp might just be the thing for scampering across very wet grass or scooting around the city.

As well as the CrossUp, Volkswagen has also announced a more imminent special edition, and we had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t 1 April. The Cheer Up (we kid you not) closely resembles the range-topping High Up with its anthracite-coloured multi-spoke alloy wheels. To lift your heart, it also features ‘Galvano’ (no we don’t know either) Grey door mirror casings, chrome-trimmed front fog lights, ‘uniquely’-trimmed seats, and RCD 215 CD/MP3 player. Engines are the usual 1.0-litre 59 and 74bhp petrol three-cylinders, while the Eco Up’s 67bhp natural gas-powered unit is also available. Prices start at €11,825 – a saving of €895 over a similarly-equipped standard model. Those crazy Germans!

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The name ‘Yellow/Black Racer’ should mean something to any Volkswagen enthusiast. Although we’re undeniably Polo fans here at PoloDriver.com, we’re proper Volkswagen enthusiasts, too, and so were intrigued when news of the Beetle GSR came in, as it is allegedly inspired by a ‘legendary’ variation of the original Beetle. Launched in 1973, the 48bhp ‘Yellow/Black Racer’ (or ‘Gelb/Schwarzer/Renner‘, hence GSR) was based on the 1303 S Beetle, and was only available in a yellow and black colour scheme, with the bonnet, bootlid and external trim painted matt black.

Inspired by the 40th anniversary of one of the sportiest original Type 1s, Volkswagen has today announced the Beetle GSR at the Chicago Auto Show. Like its predecessor, the Beetle GSR will be the sportiest Beetle in the current range. Limited to 3500 units, only 100 are earmarked for the UK, with deliveries expected in the autumn. Powered by the outgoing Golf GTI’s 208bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, the 2013 Beetle GSR updates the 1973 GSR’s look by having not only a black bonnet and hatchback, but also a darkened roof and exterior mirrors. There’s even special ‘GSR’ decals along the side of the car, to leave fellow road users in no doubt as to what you’re driving.

Black ‘Tornado’ 19-inch alloy wheels are four inches larger than the Yellow/Black Racer’s, while the 2013 Beetle GSR’s boasts R-Line sports seats, a sports steering wheel, an R-Line dash pad, a GSR gear knob and metres of contrasting yellow stitching. A far cry from the token sports steering wheel and sports seats of the 1973 original car. The new version even has a numbered edition plaque and can be ordered with either a six-speed manual or DSG gearbox. Top speed is 142mph; 0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds. If the yellow paint is too loud for you, then Platinum Grey and Black can also be specified, but really, why would you? UK pricing and availability have yet to be confirmed.

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