GOLF MK3

About the Golf Mk3

The Mk3 is the Golf that took crashes seriously. It launched in August 1991 on the Mk2's wheelbase with a reinforced passenger cell, intrusion-resistant doors and a 0.30 drag coefficient, then added front airbags from 1992 and the Golf's first side airbags in 1996. It also brought the first six-cylinder Golf: a 2.8 VR6 with a 15-degree bank angle and 174 PS, quick enough that Volkswagen admits it outran every GTI of the day. The 1993 TDI changed what people expected from a diesel compact, the Ecomatic could switch its engine off on the move, and the first Golf Variant estate arrived. It was European Car of the Year 1992, and 4.8 million were built.