Volkswagen BORA HIGHLINE RANGE
Volkswagens Oft-Overlooked Bora Model Gets Its Chance To Shine In Value-Packed Highline Guise. Andy Enright Checks It Out
It seems that no matter how hard
Volkswagen push the Bora, it remains the forgotten model in their line up. Its nothing to do with any weakness in the product itself, and everything to do with the fact that the British public just dont warm to small saloon cars. The latest Highline value models will need to do a lot to convince the vast legions of hatchback fans out there that four doors and a boot are the way forward.
The arrival of the excellent Mk V Golf is hardly likely to spur this exodus anytime soon but Volkswagen are hoping the sheer value for money offered by the Bora Highline might turn a few heads. The Passat has already had the Highline treatment and now the Bora follows suit, replacing the previous value edition, the ST. This slotted between the S and SE variants, but the Highline is a little plusher again, being based on a Bora SE with extra equipment for a minor mark-up. The Highline wears exclusive sixteen-inch Montreal II alloy wheels and the interior features full leather upholstery, heated front sports seats and theres the added benefit of parking sensors to keep that paintwork looking reassuringly free of knocks and scrapes.
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Tot the value of these extras up on Volkswagens options list and youll find they come to more than £2,000 but the premium for a Highline over an SE variant is a trifling £150.
"As well as the Highline-specific equipment, these cars come with an already impressive complement of kit"
To give you an idea of what those prices are, youll need £15,585 for the entry-level 1.6-litre manual model ranging up to £18,510 for the TDI130 auto tiptronic. Theres a choice of four engines in total, two petrols and two that sip from the black nozzle. Aside from the 105bhp 1.
6-litre petrol engine, theres also the 115bhp 2.0-litre. The two diesels are both torquey TDI turbocharged units, the first a five-speed with a 100bhp engine, the top model being the aforementioned 130bhp version this time offered with a six-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed auto tiptronic. As well as the Highline-specific equipment, the cars come with an already impressive complement of kit.
This includes air conditioning, twin front and side airbags, electronic stability control and anti lock brakes. Factor in electric windows all round, electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors, a multifunction steering wheel with cruise control, an auto dimming rear view mirror, rain sensing wipers and a remote central locking system with alarm and youve got a car that feels anything but knock-down. The 1.6-litre engine is certainly a long way removed from the old eight-valve unit the Bora used to campaign with.
Eight extra valves and another five brake horsepower dont sound very much but they do make a lot of difference out on the road. The 1598cc unit is half a second quicker to sixty (10.5s) and 2mph faster flat out (119mph). More important is the 16vs torque figure (109 Ibs ft) which basically means that the car feels a lot more flexible, particularly around town in higher gears at lower speeds the kind of driving situation that was irritating to 1.
6-litre owners before. Even more notable were the improvements in fuel consumption and emissions. The combined mpg figure is up 4mpg to 39.8mpg.
This is a useful saving that means a driver covering 10,000 miles a year will save around 30 gallons, or, a todays prices, nearly £120 worth of fuel. As for the ecological side, carbon dioxide emissions are down 10% from 190 g/km to 170 g/km. The 2.0-litre engine is worth looking at but doesnt offer a whole lot over the impressive 1.
6 sixteen valve. When it comes to diesel engines, the 100bhp car is impressive in its own right but given the small step up in price to the stonking 130bhp unit, its worth holding out for the more powerful engine. That TDI130 unit will propel the Bora to 60mph in just 9.9 seconds going on to a top speed of 127mph.
The real clincher is fuel economy. Powering a car thats hardly a featherweight to those sorts of velocities is usually a recipe for dismal consumption, but this reckons without Volkswagens pragmatic use of technology an average consumption of over 51 miles from every gallon. It even manages to fall into the lowest possible emissions band. On the move, there are other rivals that are more fun round the corners but none feels as safe or as reassuring to drive.
The little touches impress you most though. Cup holders in the front and the rear, the self-dimming interior lights, the gas struts to hold up the bonnet, the special cover on the boot locking pin so you dont get things caught in it; we could go on but we wont save to say that this is a car that makes its competitors feel cheap. A car that will please those with an eye for thoroughness and attention to detail. That detail extends to the engine which, cynics may point out, isnt a state of the art common rail' unit, as offered by some rivals. In practice however, the difference is academic. This is one of the better diesel units out there, commonality of its rail notwithstanding. The performance figures may sound impressive on paper but on the road the Bora feels even quicker.
Because of that generous 228lb/ft of torque, the pulling power makes overtaking as easy as it is in any hot-hatch you care to mention. The six-speed gearbox fitted as standard is oddly notchy, although the five-speed tiptronic automatic option is a beauty. Overall, if a
Skoda or a
SEAT prove beyond the pail, the Bora Highline shouldnt disappoint.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR:
Volkswagen Bora Highline range
PRICES: £15,585 - £17,530 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 9-15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 149-192g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.6] 0-60mph 10.5s / Max speed 119mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [TDI130] (combined) 51.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, front seat side airbags, ABS, ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length/width/height ) 4376/1446/2018
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