Volkswagen Gol

Infobox Automobile
name = Volkswagen Gol
manufacturer = Volkswagen


production = 1980-present
class = Subcompact car
layout = FF layoutInfobox Automobile generation
name = First generation (Mk. I)
production = 1980-1997


body_style = 3-door hatchback
2-door sedan
3-door station wagon
2-door pickup truck
aka = Volkswagen Parati
Volkswagen Pointer
Volkswagen Fox
wheelbase = 2358 mm (92.8 in)
length = Hatchback: 3810 mm (150 in)
Coupe / Sedan / Station wagon: 4150 mm (163.4 in)
Pickup: 4060 mm (159.8 in)
width = Hatchback / sedan / Coupe: 1600 mm (63 in)
Station wagon / pickup: 1622 mm (63.9 in)
height = Hatchback / sedan: 1363 mm (53.7 in)
Station wagon / pickup: 1385 mm (54.5 in)Infobox Automobile
name = Second generation (Mk. II)
production = 1994-2008


body_style = 3 and 5-door hatchback
3 and 5-door station wagon
2-door pickup truck
wheelbase = Hatchback / station wagon: 2470 mm (97.2 in)
Pickup: 2600 mm (102.4 in)
length = Hatchback: 3930 mm (154.7 in)
Station wagon: 4190 mm (165 in)
Pickup: 4450 mm (175.2 in)
width = 1640 mm (64.6 in)
aka = Volkswagen Pointer
height = 1420 mm (56 in)

:"Not to be confused with Volkswagen Golf."

The Volkswagen Gol is a low cost subcompact car designed in Brazil and sold by German automaker Volkswagen since 1980. It is Volkswagen's entry-level car in the South American market, beneath the other superminis, the Fox and Polo. It has uninterruptedly been the best-selling car in Brazil since 1987, and since 1998 in Argentina. Gol sales in South America are also high; over 5 million Gols have been produced since 1980. Gol has also been produced in Iran under the same name.

The Gol, which takes its name from the Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish word for "goal" (In European Portuguese, the word for "goal" is "golo"). In Persian Gol means "flower."

Body styles

The Gol family comprises many body styles:
*A 3 and 5 door hatchback which takes the name VW Gol in most countries; in Mexico, Egypt and Russia it has been called the VW Pointer. The first-generation Gol was offered only as a three-door; a five-door version was added in 1997.
*A sedan produced only for the Gol I. The Brazilian-built two-door and four-doors sedans were called the VW Voyage and Argentinian-built ones VW Gacel; the nameplate VW Fox was used in the United States and Canada. After a facelift in 1991, Argentinian-built models were renamed the VW Senda. For the second generation this model was replaced by the Volkswagen Polo Mk 3 Classic, which is still sold in Mexico and Argentina. But a new Voyage notchback sedan will return for the 3rd (NF) generation.
*VW Parati, a station wagon built on both generations since May 1982. The Parati I was a three-door sold in North America as the Fox Wagon. The second-generation Parati is sold in Argentina as the Gol Country. A five-door version was added in 1997 and the three-door version was dropped after the first facelift. It is named after Paraty, a city on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro state. It was formerly called Pointer Station Wagon in Mexico and it was sold there between 1999 and 2005. It is rumored this model will be discontinued for the 3rd (NF) Generation.
*VW Saveiro, a lightweight pickup truck. All Gol generations have been sold with this body, and was introduced to the market in September 1984. It is named after a traditional Brazilian fishing boat. It is currently sold in Mexico since 1999 as the Pointer Pick Up.
*VW Furgão, a lightweight panel van based on the Gol.

First generation Gol (1980-1994)

The Gol was released in 1980 to replace the Brasilia, which was in turn a replacement to the Beetle in the Brazilian market. Based on its own unique BX platform, with a design specific to Latin America, the Gol featured the 1.3-liter air-cooled, Boxer engine from the Beetle, but front-mounted. A 1.6-litre engine was added later. In the mid 1980s, this engine was replaced by 1.6 and 1.8-litre water-cooled gasoline engines from the Passat. A 1.6-litre Diesel engine was made only for export (Diesel engines are not allowed to cars in Brazil).

The first generation had two mild facelifts in 1987 and 1991. The 1988 Gol GTi was the first Brazilian-built car to use fuel injection. The 2.0-liter engine was the same used by the Santana.

Sports versions

*GT 1.8 (1984-86)

The Gol GT 1.8 was the BX family's first sports version and an answer to the Ford Escort XR3, a successful sports car in Brazilian market. With a 1.8 liter engine borrowed from Santana (MkII Passat), the Gol GT was much faster than the Escort XR3, but externally didn't have the same beauty. First series still had a 4-speed gearbox, soon changed to a 5-speed (both manual).
*GTS 1.8 (1987-1994)

Successor of Gol GT, the GTS had an updated design, following the new 87 BX line up style and also featuring new accessories that were not available before, such as rear spoiler and side skirts. The 1.8 liter engine produced 94hp running on gasoline or 99hp running on ethanol. The GTS was a very successful model and was kept in production alongside with the upcoming GTI.
*GTI 2000 (1989-1994)

Known as the first Brazilian built car equipped with electronic fuel injection, the Gol GTI featured a larger 2.0 liter engine with power of 120bhp running on gasoline. Also this engine was borrowed from Santana, despite that this model still used carburettors.

econd generation Gol (1994-1999, 1999-2005 facelift, 2005-2008 facelift)

The "Project AB9", otherwise known as second generation (or Generation 2) Gol, debuted in September 1994, was very different from the earlier model, with an updated body and larger wheelbase than the 1980 original. Nicknamed "Gol Bolinha" (roughly "Rounded Gol" or "Bubble Gol"), and the previous started to be nicknamed as "Gol Quadrado", "Squared Gol". The new version was an answer to the then newly released Chevrolet Corsa.

Facelift x2

Second Generation Gol has received two facelifts which include cosmetic and engine upgrades.

The first upgrade was in 1999, Generation 3 as the Brazilian's coined it had a new VW face similar to the Jetta/Bora IV.G3 came with optional airbags and ABS brakes.

When the 2005 (Generation 4) Gol was released with styling cues from the Volkswagen Fox which incorporated the V Grill, most avid automotive enthusiasts were unimpressed with the leap backwards in interior design.

Gol Turbo - Hot Hatch

The Gol 1.0 16V Turbo, launched in 2000 with a 112 hp 1.0-litre turbocharged gasoline engine, was the first one of its kind in South America, as was the flexible fuel vehicle Gol Total Flex, available since 2003.

Pointer (Mexico)

The second generation Gol was introduced in Mexico in spring 1998 as the Volkswagen Pointer. The only version for this year was a 3 door hatchback with a 1.8lt 98hp engine and a 5 speed manual gearbox. The only extra cost option available was a package compounding air conditioning and power steering. For 1999 a 5 door hatchback version, the Brazilian Parati (called the Pointer Station Wagon in Mexico) and the Saveiro (called the Pointer Pick Up) are added. They were marketed in three trim levels: Base, Comfort (A/C and power steering) and Luxe (14" alloy wheels, power windows and remote control centralized door locks, A/C and power steering). For 2000 the Pointer received the same facelift as in Brazil and a sporty Pointer GTI based on the Brazilian Gol GTI is introduced. It was a 3 door hatchback with a 2.0lt 122 hp engine. It had AM/FM/Cassette radio, alloy wheels, 4 disc brakes, sport black seats as standard equipment. In 2002 a basic Pointer City version is introduced, the former Comfort version is renamed the Trendline, and the Luxe variant as the Comfortline. In 2005 the Pointer Station Wagon and the Pointer GTI are discontinued and the former Pointer trims (but the City) are replaced by a new Pointer Mi version.

In the model year 2007, the Pointer receives the newest facelift, and its versions are reorganized. The Pointer is currently marketed as the Base, A/C (Air Conditioning, power steering and rear wiper/washer), Trendline (Radio AM/FM Stereo CD, 15" alloy wheels, fog lamps), and GT (only available as a 5 door hatchback. It has the same equipment as the Trendline plus: rear headrests, 6 spoke 15" alloy wheels, black accented headlamps, rear spoiler, and sport seats). The Pointer is soon to be replaced by the new Gol NF which has been launched in Brazil in July 2008.

Gol outside of Brazil

* As a result of a joint-venture with Kerman Khodro, the Gol has been built in Iran since 2003.

* It is currently sold in Mexico as the Volkswagen Pointer, a name previously used in Latin America for a rebadged model based on the Ford Escort.
* Gol G3 was briefly sold in Russia in 2005 as the Pointer, but the sales were soon discontinued due to low demand.

* Gol G3 is also currently made and sold by Shanghai Volkswagen in China.

* It is currently sold in Egypt as the Volkswagen Pointer.

In Brazil

As of 2006, multiple generation overlapping (which occurred in previous years) has been dropped from production.

Volkswagen currently sells four versions, "City", "Plus" "Special" and "Power", with increasing price and build quality.

Still, it is placed as an entry-level below the other two Volkswagen superminis, the Fox and Polo.

Third generation Gol (2008-)

The new third generation of the Gol was released in Brazil, on June 29, 2008, as a 2009 model. As well as Fox and Polo, this new Gol shares the same platform, engine and gearbox.

In Brazil, it was released in a single 4-door hatchback version with the options of 1.0 or 1.6 L flex engines, dimensions of the Gol are 3.90m in length, 1.66m in width, 1.45m in height, wheelbase of 2.47m and luggage capacity of 285 litres.

The advertisements were filmed in Los Angeles, featuring Sylvester Stallone and Gisele Bündchen.

Volkswagen High Torque technology premiered on the third generation Gol family under the acronym VHT.This new technology allows the flex engine to get the high torques at lower revs, the engines produce higher torques and horsepower on Ethanol fuel.

Engine Specifications

*1.0L VHT 72hp (76hp Ethanol) producing 95Nm (104Nm Ethanol) @ 3850rpm

*1.6L VHT 101hp (104hp Ethanol) producing 154Nm (156Nm Ethanol) @ 2500rpm

Future Gol Plans

The new model, codenamed "Gol NF" for "Nachfolger" or "Neue Familie" (German terms for "successor" and "new family" respectively), may be sold in Eastern Europe as a Škoda Auto to compete with the Dacia Logan and future low cost Chinese entries. NF is also named because of variety of applications on its name. It could be New Family in almost any language. e.g. Nova Família in portuguese, Nueva Familia in Spanish, Nuova Famiglia in Italian. The name NF leads a rumor that new kinds of Gol is yet to arrive on stores, like the resurrection of its sedan class Voyage (the old Volkswagen Fox in U.S. territory), and a new truck version different from the current Volkswagen Saveiro. There's also arumor of a new version called Volkswagen Luna, but it could be a different name for the sedan version.Engine Specifications

1.0L VHT 72hp (76hp Ethanol) producing 95Nm (104Nm Ethanol) @ 3850rpm 1.6L VHT 101hp (104hp Ethanol) producing 154Nm (156Nm Ethanol) @ 2500rpm

Gol NF Variant Rumors

Besides the three and five door hatchback and pickup versions (Saveiro), a sedan and a panel van would be added to the range to replace the outdated Polo Classic and Caddy Type 9K.

The wagon (Parati in Brazil, Gol Country in Argentina) might not be built anymore, since current mini MPVs (like the Volkswagen SpaceFox/SpaceFox) have better building quality, and they are expected to outsell station wagons in the future.

The last new as of August 14, 2008. According with the [http://carroonline.terra.com.br/index.asp?codc=1403 |Brasilian magazine Carro] the first official picture for the new Gol Sedan/Voyage will be released by Volkswagen do Brasil on August 22.

The Voyage

The Voyage 2 door sedan was released in June 1981 with a 1.5 inline watercooled gasoline engine. The same engine was offered with an ethanol option.

By May 1982 the 1.5 were upgraded to 1.6. In 1984 a watercooled 1.8 was launched as a higher level option.

In January 1983 the four-door sedan was released. It was known as VW Amazon in some export markets, with diesel engines.

Between 1991 and 1995 the Ford CHT 1.6 was in the range as part of the Autolatina lineup.

The four-door Voyage was built in the Autolatina Pacheco factory in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1983 to 1994. It was sold under the name Gacel with the Argentine built 1.6 ohc engine with a carburettor.

It's expected the new Voyage 2008 to be release in Brazil along with the upgraded Gol, Parati and Saveiro

Exports to North America as the Fox / Fox Wagon (1987-1993)

n as the Fox and Fox Wagon between 1987 and 1993 as an entry-level model. The styling changed slightly in 1991, with different grilles, headlights, turn signals etc. Badges also were changed slightly, and the interior was updated. Other differences included such things as two towing hooks instead of four, and a different style of hubcaps for the two of them.

Compared with the rest of the Volkswagen lineup of the time, the Fox was very similar and very different at the same time. Its suspension was indeed Fox-specific, but as noted before it shared a transmission and longitudinal engine orientation with the Quantum and Audi 80/4000 B2 platform, took its engine from the Golf/Jetta, and used the same generic wheels from other models in the lineup.

The only engine offered was a longitudinally-mounted straight-4 1.8 L gasoline engine. The same engine could have been found in the Jetta and Golf of the time, but the Fox variation was heavily restricted compared to the other models. The engine produced 81 hp @ 5500 rpm and 93 ft·lbf at @3250 rpm. In North America, three different variations of the engine were available. In Canada, the UM model came with CIS fuel injection, no catalytic converter, and no oxygen sensor. By comparison, the US version had CIS-E fuel injection along with the catalytic converter and oxygen sensor. The third variation was on the 1991-93 models, which had a Bosch Digifant II system which stored error codes, and had a 6000 rpm limiter. However, unlike Golfs and Jettas of the same time, all of the North American models did not have a knock sensor or a wide open throttle (WOT) switch.

The different versions were the Fox, Fox GL, Fox GTS, Fox GLS, Fox GL Sport, Fox Polo, and Fox Wolfsburg. Fox options included air conditioning, GL trim (with special cloth seats, map light, glove compartment light, trunk light, tachometer, painted bumpers, etc.), five-speed manual transmission and metallic paint.

External links

* [http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080701.001/new-vw-gol-aims-to-keep-and-expand-its-leadership Gol NF(Third/Five Generation) Revealed (in English)]
* [http://www.noticiasautomotivas.com.br/precos-do-novo-gol-a-partir-de-28890-reais/ Gol NF(Third/Five Generation) Prices in Brazil (in Portuguese)]
* [http://mx.volkswagen.com/vwcms_publish/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/es_mx/models/POinter2.html Volkswagen de México Official Pointer/Gol Site (in Spanish)]
* [http://www.eaec.com.eg/vw_site/docs/models.aspx?modId=10 Volkswagen Egypt Official Pointer/Gol Site (in English)]
* [http://www.csvw.com/csvw/en/product/gol/index.htm Shanghai-VW Official Gol Site (in English)]
* [http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2430186 Pictorial History] (in English)
* [http://www2.uol.com.br/bestcars/classicos/gol-1.htm Gol history] (in Portuguese)
* [http://www2.uol.com.br/bestcars/testes3/gol-2009-1.htm Gol 2009 at "BestCars"] (in Portuguese)
* [http://www.mundoautomotor.com.ar/web/2008/08/15/nuevo-vw-gol-trend-2009/ Variation of the new VW Gol "Trend" 2009 presented in Argentina] (in Spanish)