The Volkswagen Golf SV is a hard car to pigeonhole. It doesn't have the pseudo-4x4 toughness of most crossovers, can't match the cabin flexibility of the best small MPVs, or equal the luggage space of an estate car. Instead, think of it as a bigger Golf hatchback with a little more space and added practicality.

It's the same formula Volkswagen followed with the SV's predecessor, the Golf Plus, which failed to sell in large numbers in the UK. Golf SV volumes are also predicted to be modest, accounting for just 5% of Golf family sales.

It may be something of a niche product, but the Golf SV certainly has its strengths. Compared with
the hatchback there's an extra 48mm between the axles, which benefits rear legroom. It's considerably taller than the hatch, too, with plenty of headroom for six-footers to be comfortable, even in the back of the car.

Boot space is significantly more generous than in the Golf hatchback, especially if you make use of the SV's sliding rear bench. There's 500 litres with the rear seats fully back, and 590 litres with the seats pushed forwards. Fold the back seats down for 1520 litres of luggage space.

From the driver's seat, the Golf SV springs no surprises, driving much like the hatchback on which it's based. All the variants we test drove were fitted with VW's adaptive damping system (an £815 option) and all showed the same adept balance of comfort and control. As impressive as this optional system is, we look forward to trying cars with the standard set up, which the vast majority of customers are likely to choose.