VW Golf Plus, Super-sized Golf for the big man

VW took the wraps off the new Golf Plus this month (December) to make sure it doesn't look incongruous in VW showrooms next to the new MkVI Golf and the sexy Scirocco. And it's the perfect car for day-to-day duties in Lapland, thanks to its combination of VW build quality, masses of useable space and inconspicuousness - so the neighbours, who mostly drive abandoned Tatra T700s (Czechoslovakia's finest 1990s-era sports saloon) don't get too jealous. And in TDI form it's green too, so Santa can sleep soundly in the knowledge that it's not his carbon footprint causing the nearby town hall to melt.

See, when there's a wife, a handful of worker elves and a boot full of wooden yo-yo and Labyrinth parts to transport, a Golf Plus will do just fine. As an aside, it also proves a fine chariot for fake Santas (or 'Santa's Helpers', as the alcoholic ones tend to call themselves when they're found out) who need a big boot for collecting crates of Gordon's gin from Costco, and space for five when they're the designated driver.

Mark Nichol