This Golf became the first Volkswagen to win European Car of the Year, in 1992.
Lead trim: 1.4 ABD (60 PS) · up to 187 hp
Volkswagen Golf Mk31H/1E · 1991–1998
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Volkswagen Golf Mk3 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis Golf became the first Volkswagen to win European Car of the Year, in 1992.
The third-generation Golf, on the Group A3 platform (styling by J Mays and Herbert Schäfer), launched in mainland Europe in August 1991, in the United Kingdom in February 1992 and in North America in the spring of 1994; 4.8 million were built. It was voted European Car of the Year for 1992, the first Volkswagen to win the award. The first Golf estate (Variant) followed in early 1993, and the three-box saloon was renamed Vento. Volkswagen sponsored three rock tours with a special-edition Golf each: Pink Floyd (1994), Rolling Stones (1995) and Bon Jovi (1996). The Mk3 Cabrio ran to 2002. The GTI is catalogued separately; the trims below are the VR6 and the volume petrol and diesel engines from the page's own engine table. The Mk4 replaced it in October 1997, though some markets kept selling it for the 1998 and 1999 model years.
Collectors Spotted in the Volkswagen Golf Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Volkswagen Golf yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
6 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4 ABD (60 PS) | 1992–1995 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 59 hp | 79 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.8 (90 PS) | 1992–1997 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 89 hp | 107 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.9 TDI 1Z (90 PS) | 1993–1996 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 89 hp | 149 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.9 TDI AFN (110 PS) | 1996–1997 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 108 hp | 173 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 2.8 VR6 (176 PS) | 1992–1998 | 2.8 L V6 | 174 hp | 173 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 2.9 VR6 (190 PS) | 1994–1997 | 2.9 L V6 | 187 hp | 181 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
An estimate, for the 1.4 ABD (60 PS) trim: fuel on its EPA figure and a dated national price, upkeep on a per-mile average for the kind of car it is.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The Mk8 moved even the headlight switch onto a touch panel; for the 2024 facelift VW put physical steering-wheel buttons back after customer feedback.
Volkswagen once dropped a 650 PS Bentley W12 into a one-off Golf GTI concept, just to show it could.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger bought one of these Golfs in 1999, sold it after becoming Pope Benedict XVI, and it later fetched about $244,000 on eBay.
This Golf became the first Volkswagen to win European Car of the Year, in 1992.
VW built a Golf too fast for its own lineup: the 210 PS G60 Limited outran everything below the Mk4 R32 and sold mostly to VAG executives.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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The Mk3 Focus RS's AWD system could send 100 percent of engine power to the rear wheels alone — built not in Ford's home country, but at the Saarlouis plant in Germany.
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Six months before Suzuki retired the Fronte name for good, the CN11S's 796cc version was already being built in China under a completely different name: the Anchi 6330.
Built to use up Chrysler-Simca's parts bin, it took its engine and gearbox straight from the front-wheel-drive Simca 1100 but mounted them amidships instead.