Relive the 90s with the Volkswagen Golf Country, for the price of a BMW M3

The current trend is to turn sports cars into SUVs, and some brands such as Porsche with the 911 and Lamborghini with the Huracán have followed this path. Even a German company specializing in off-road vehicles has taken part in this trend, using a more ordinary car as a starting point: the Volkswagen Golf.

Their goal is to breathe new life into the Volkswagen Golf Country of the 90s, a very particular version of the German compact that proved to be very capable off-road. To achieve this transformation, they use the Volkswagen Golf R as a base, and the Delta 4x4 company plans to produce these vehicles in very limited quantities.

Volkswagen invented the crossover over 30 years ago

The Volkswagen Golf Country was introduced in 1990.

During the transition from the second generation of the Volkswagen Golf to the Golf mk3 between 1990 and 1991, residents of Wolfsburg were encouraged to create an off-road version of their popular compact.

At that time, SUVs didn't exist yet and the first crossovers were still far from mentioned, but Volkswagen thought that a compact with all-wheel drive, raised suspension and a country-style design might be well received. This model was called the Volkswagen Golf Country.

Despite Volkswagen's plans to produce 15,000 units, only 7,735 were made, making it a commercial failure. Paradoxically, over time, Golf Country has become one of the most sought after and valued golf courses. The rare copies on sale in Europe are between 10,000 and 25,000 euros.

The fame of this car comes partly from its low production, as well as its avant-garde character. In fact, its off-road performance surpasses that of most SUVs today, as Magna Steyr, the company responsible for its manufacture, has achieved a remarkable transformation from a simple Golf CL Syncro to a true all-terrain vehicle.

Unfortunately, Volkswagen didn't dare to reproduce something similar. While the Golf Alltrack exists, it doesn't come close to the authentic off-road concept of the original Golf Country, and the brand's multiple SUVs don't come close either.

However, SUVs are in their heyday, with cars such as the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato taking the Golf Country concept to the extreme. However, their exorbitant price limits their accessibility to only a privileged few.

The vinyl on the sides is very similar to the original Golf Country.

In order to offer a more affordable alternative to the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, the German company Delta 4x4, which specializes in modifying SUVs, felt it was time to resurrect the Golf Country. However, it should be noted that this does not mean that it will be cheap.

The idea of ​​Delta 4x4 is to use the all-wheel drive Volkswagen Golf R as a base and turn it into an SUV. How ? It is very simple. They brought a series of improvements reminiscent of those of the original Golf Country: specific 18-inch wheels fitted with Loder AT off-road tires, a roof rack, a lift kit to increase the clearance ground up to 80 mm, metal protection under the engine, additional reinforcements for the bodywork and Piaa long-range headlights.

The result is the modern version of the Golf Country, this time equipped with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine developing 320 horsepower, always associated with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

It is obvious that the modern Delta 4x4 proposal for the Golf Country has not yet been approved. Their goal is to produce 25 units, provided there are enough interested parties, which shouldn't be difficult given the favorable reception of the Porsche 911 Dakar and the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato.

According to Delta 4x4, their off-road version of the Golf is workable and TÜV compliant, meaning there would be no problem getting their modifications approved. Each unit would take between 6 and 9 months to prepare, and the cost of the conversion would be around 35,000 euros, on top of the price of the Golf R, which is available in Spain from 59,215 euros, as the says the company.