It comes as it surely must around the Hamburg region in the bad late autumn weather: the Golf has spruced itself up and rolls fragrantly out of the car wash to immediately head for its photo shoot – in the obligatory rain. Ulrike Gerwin laughs it off with a wave of her hand – she has got used to life in northern Germany, even though she is originally from North Rhine-Westphalia – just like her black Golf VI.
One for five
Few other cars are so deeply rooted in the lives of their drivers as the Golf. In the series entitled ‘It’s my Life’, we present people who drive the Golf – and live for it. In part 6, Ulrike Gerwin explains why her Golf VI is just the right car for her family of five.
‘The Golf is flexible’
OK, it actually comes from Wolfsburg, but the art director bought it from her local Volkswagen partner Henke in Büren. And there is yet another cliché: it was her father who advised her to buy the car back in 2011: ‘Child, go for something sensible. Get a Golf!’ The woman who is now a mother to three children says she originally ‘wanted something sporty; a Polo with more horsepower under the bonnet.’
In the end, however, the daughter freely admits that her father recommended the right model: ‘The Golf is flexible,’ says Ulrike, describing her 2011 Golf VI 1.4 Trendline with 80 horsepower. As such, she has precisely the car her family needs – a reliable and versatile everyday companion for five people. In addition to Ulrike, her husband Tobias and their three children Hana (twelve), Toni (three) and Michel (six months) also appreciate the Golf’s qualities.
Take five – no problem for the Golf
The typical family routine, for example, sees the Golf serving as a spontaneous vehicle for the kindergarten and school run, transporting the weekly shop and driving the whole family to North Rhine-Westphalia for regular visits to the grandparents. ‘I then mostly sit between two children on the back seat while Tobias drives and Toni enjoys the expansive view through the front windscreen from the passenger seat,’ laughs Ulrike, describing the logistical challenge. ‘And there is still room in the boot for all of the luggage and the baby buggy. It’s cosy, but it works!’
Game for anything
Nothing fazes ‘The Black Wolf’ – as son Toni christened the five-door family Golf while learning to talk – neither urban traffic nor motorway, as a city runabout or family wagon, come wind, rain or shine. And it has proved dependable for 100,000 kilometres, during which time it has only seen the inside of a workshop for the obligatory inspections.
Ulrike’s Golf is probably the perfect example of how the combination of long-standing quality and timeless design can undoubtedly elicit emotions of a very positive kind for a car: ‘The Golf is perfect for us – cheap to maintain and flexible in all situations. It is small enough to squeeze into any city centre parking space, yet big enough to take us all safely and reliably on long journeys,’ says Urike, attesting to the versatility of the family car.
Ulrike’s Golf has been working in this pleasantly laid-back manner for a number of years now. And that is how things should stay. Is there really nothing that needs straightening out on your Golf anytime soon? Ulrike thinks for a moment and then replies: ‘No ...’ before suddenly exclaiming: ‘Yes! It needs washing!’ Well, if that’s really all there is.