VW BORA
 
 
 

I must admit that I have always been attracted to VW’s saloon version of the Golf.  So it was rather predictable that when Continental Cars asked me to choose which of the two latest additions to the VW range I would opt to test drive, I immediately went for the Bora rather than the Lupo.

I was not disappointed.  The Bora looks more like a scaled down Passat than the Golf, on which it is based. The car, a silver metallic 1.6L version, is highly finished and well equipped.  Electric windows, cup holders front and rear, ABS, all help to increase the driving pleasures but the ultimate experience must be delivered by the mechanicals.

My first experience was looking at the engine bay.  This is typical of VW’s current preference.  The engine is practically covered with the black plastic shrouding which effectively stops you from getting more than a glimpse of sides of the engine.  Still, if nothing else, it makes the engine bay look tidy, at least when the car is new.

On the road, the Bora feels very taught, although some may argue that this is to be expected from a car with just delivery mileage.  Actually, the whole car fells very solid and the feeling of safety it generates is much better than the new products from other manufacturers.  It is also very smooth with no road or wind noise being apparent up to the limits the car was taken.

The car handles well and road holding is very good, undoubtedly enhanced by the rear bulk head, something which hatch-backs do not have.  When cornered hard, handling is practically neutral with mild understeer showing up in really tight corners.  The suspension copes very well with the ever-increasing holes and ruts on our roads.

Performance from the 1.6 L, 100 bhp engine is good but not electrifying.  Undoubtedly, all the safety features with which the car is equipped helps to clip some of the verve from the engine.  Having said that, the Bora is still capable of getting up to illegal speeds in a very short time.  Performance figures quoted by VW could not be verified for legal reasons.  In any case, with just delivery mileage, I’m sure that prospective owners would not have been at all pleased if any performance tests were carried out.  For academic purposes, the Bora accelerates from rest to 100 kms in 11.7 secs with manual gears.  Average consumption is 7.5 l/100 kms with a best quoted (extra-urban) cycle at 5.8 l/100 kms.

The air-conditioning did not seem to have any noticeable effect on the car’s progress.  Switched on in fifth gear whilst going uphill, the Bora’s speed was unaffected.  The unit is immediately effective and is no doubt capable of coping with the best the Maltese summer can offer.

For those readers who would like to get to their destinations faster, VW offer a 115 bhp, a 125 bhp and a 150 bhp petrol option.  Diesel options are available in 90 bhp, 110 bhp and 115 bhp turbo options.  In all these versions, the Bora performs much better than it does with the entry level 1.6l engine up front.

Would I buy one?  The answer to that question is a definite yes.  The Bora is attractive and very well built.  It would also be easy to get used to.  We’ll just have to wait to see whether the Maltese public shares my views but, judging from the success the rest of the range has enjoyed during the past couple of years or so, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of the Bora on our roads in the near future.

Karl Ciarlo'