VW Presents Ultimate Party Wagon at Germany??s Essen Show

The Golf Variant RaVe Concept, shown at this year’s Essen “tuner” auto show is VW’s interpretation of the ultimate station wagon. It’s also Europe’s version of the Jetta Wagon in modified form, which will go on sale in more conservative trim here in our showrooms next year.

While we’ve seen some pretty neat things from VW, most recently the surreal GTI 650 W12 with its twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder engine, the RaVe is a little more down to earth. It features a combination that many Volkswagen enthusiasts dream of; mating the GTI with the ultimate Golf, the R32. Under the hood is the GTI’s 2.0-liter turbocharged FSI engine, but instead of making 200 horsepower it puts out 270 horsepower. The R32 portion of the equation has to do with getting those 270 horses down to the ground. First, it goes through the R32’s DSG transmission at which point the six-speed dual clutch gearbox distributes it to all four wheels via its Haldex-based all wheel drive system.

This means that the RaVe will rocket to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, and continue to accelerate up to 155 mph. That’s plenty fast for a compact station wagon. Despite the power, the RaVe isn’t terribly thirsty on fuel. Although tuner cars aren’t usually analyzed for their consumption, VW ran it through the European fuel consumption tests and the results were quite positive. It posted an average city and highway consumption of 26 mpg.

Appearance-wise, the RaVe has been thoroughly worked over, yet it manages to look fairly stock. Its bumpers and grille have been swapped for those similar to the regular Golf, and its headlights have been reworked to incorporate daytime running LEDs. Combined with a body kit, a suspension setup that’s lowered by 0.8 inches and a set of VW-designed 19-inch wheels, the Golf Variant RaVe is a slick and tasteful looking machine.

The other half of the RaVe Concept has to do with the culture of automotive sound. In youth circles the name “RaVe” refers to weekend-long parties where dance music is a key element, so the RaVe’s sound system has been designed to generate power galore. Everything is coordinated through VW’s in-car navigation head unit. The system is comprised of 13 speakers, three of which are powerful subwoofers, plus three amps, two of which are 250 watts, while the third is a giant 880-watt unit. This equipment is mounted into the floor of the cargo area and is visible when the tailgate is open. Total output of the sound system is an eardrum-bursting 1,400 watts, more than capable of setting off car alarms and disturbing peace, all part of the rave experience.

In addition, what would sound be without some visuals? Integrated into the tailgate are a pair of 12-inch LCD monitors that fold out, similar to the MusicGate system found in the Dodge Caliber / Jeep Compass. Plus, it’s easy to get your music and videos into the car’s system thanks to an iPod cradle mounted on the cargo floor.

So will this audio system be optional with the next-gen Golf wagon? Highly unlikely, at least from the manufacturer, but no doubt you local modifier would love to do the work so that you could have the ultimate portable jukebox for the coming summer’s outdoor rave season.