Volkswagen introduced the third generation of the Golf in 1991, and it took it two years to decide and launch it as a station wagon as well.
The Golf was already a cult car after millions of cars produced from the first two generations. As a result, every fan awaited the new generation. While some were happy with the change, others said that it's not the same Golf anymore. Indeed, it was bigger, wider, and focused more on comfort than on sportiness. But it was a much better car. In the station wagon form, it was, at last, a true compact vehicle for the young generation with kids.
Volkswagen's designers threw away the round headlights from its predecessors and adopted wider lamps with a rounded interior side. The grille got smaller, and the bumpers got bigger, stretched from one wheel-well to another. In station wagon form, the Golf Variant featured different rear doors and an additional set of windows between the C- and the D-pillars. In the back, the flat, vertical tailgate allowed easier access to the big trunk.
Inside, Volkswagen installed a curved dashboard with a taller, tilted toward the driver, center stack. The instrument cluster kept a similar layout with four dials, but the carmaker introduced a small LED display at the bottom. For the base trim levels, the Golf III featured cranked windows and manually adjustable door-mirrors. The upper trim levels featured power mirrors, windows, and locks. In the rear, Volkswagen installed a split-folding bench that could extend the trunk size from 466 liters (16.46 cu-ft) to 1428 liters (50.36 cu-ft).
Volkswagen installed a wide range of powertrains, with front or all-wheel-drive systems. Power ranged between 60 hp and 190 hp for the gasoline versions and 64 hp to 110 hp for the diesel ones.