Volkswagen Bora

Bora is the name of the invigorating wind, blowing along the Adriatic coast. Probably the constructors from Wolfsburg thought about it., giving a successor to Vento (in Italian wind) that's the name. Bora is commonly referred to as a variant of the Golf with a trunk, and to be more precise, it is a three-box version of the Volkswagen Golf IV with an extensive rear part of the body.
They were placed on the floor plate common to the Volkswagen Golf IV and New Beetle, Audi A3, Skoda Octavia and Seat Toledo. Just compare the wheelbases and wheels of these cars, to convince yourself of their kinship. Also a large 2-liter engine, being one of the 8 Bora power unit version is used in other VW vehicles: Golf IV, New Beetle and Sharan. This is how cars are currently being constructed., with maximum use of unified assemblies and parts. Economics first and foremost!
Bora's four-door body is distinguished by its calm, the current round lines. How well the aerodynamic problems have been dealt with is evidenced by the fact, that Bora has one of the lowest drag coefficients among Volkswagen – 0,30 (Passat – 0,27, Golf and Sharan po 0,31, Lupo – 0,32, New Beetle – 0,38). Skeptics complain about a slightly heavy figure devoid of finesse and lightness. Maybe the large 15-inch wheels with wide tires contribute to this opinion, beneficial for other reasons, but not contributing to the overall appearance of the car. Bora has massive bumpers painted in body color, large rectangular headlights, halogen lights under a common cover, Turn signals and fog lights and a generous VW factory mark, exposed as much as in the case of other manufacturers. Narrow door gaps of equal width are noticeable, which is the result of the use of state-of-the-art at the plants in Mosel, laser welding technique. Another advantage of Bora is its body made entirely of galvanized sheets, the perforation is guaranteed by the manufacturer for 12 years.
There is a conviction, that the interior of the Bora is the most comfortable in the segment of mid-range cars. They can be considered right, taking into account good ergonomic solutions, the ability to adjust the steering wheel both at an angle and along the axis, lowering or raising the driver's seat, although the designers forgot about the smallest ones, who would prefer, to set the seat even higher. Front seats move easily, and this is due to the use of rolling bearings in guides. The instrument panel is typically "Volkswagen" (similar to those in the Golf and Passat), with indicators illuminated in blue, which, in my opinion, creates a pleasant atmosphere in the car in the evening. On the other hand, the dominant black color of the board gives the interior a dignity. It is debatable whether or not he is too serious. It is important to emphasize the good quality of the plastics and the generally high level of finish. Ergonomically shaped seats feel a bit hard at short distances, but in a longer trip it is difficult to overestimate their comfort. Vertically and horizontally adjustable headrests must be assessed positively, with well-chosen softness of upholstery. The spaciousness of the interior is identical to that of the Golf IV. How could it be otherwise with such a significant affinity of cars? However, changing the shape of the rear part of the body and tilting the rear window reduce visibility to the rear. A windscreen wiper would also be useful, which gets very dirty during rainfall.
The crowning argument of the Wolfsburg marketing specialists in the market launch in 1998 Year of the Bora model were its advantages in carrying luggage. Actually, by changing the rear part of the car, the constructors had a chance to show off. Did they show, what they can do? Bora's trunk is fr 125 dm3 greater than the Golf IV (455 dm3, a Golf – 350 dm3), but smaller than competitors (Renault Megane – 480 dm3, Ford Focus limousine – 490 dm3, Seat Toledo's mate – 500 dm3). And so? After unfolding the backrests (60:40) the trunk has a volume 785 dm3. You can transport long items with Bora, e.g.. skis. The tailgate lock is electrically operated. The most vulnerable lower edge of the luggage bay is secured with a metal cap, and an interesting fact is the keying of the backrests of the rear seats, to make the passenger space completely independent of luggage. Four handles allow you to attach items carried in the trunk. Child seats have a unified Iso-fix mount installed in the rear seat.
We drove a car powered by one of the larger engines offered to drive the Volkswagen Bora. This 2-liter engine achieves maximum power 85 kW and torque 170 Nm and provides the car with good traction performance (V max – 195 km / h, from 0 do 100 km / h – 11 s). The special shape of the combustion chamber, improved method of preparing the mixture, high-voltage ignition split system with double-spark ignition coils contributes to moderate fuel consumption (on average 8 dm3/100 km), and lighter connecting rods than in the old versions of this engine reduce the occurrence of vibrations, especially when the engine is running at low speed. The motor is extremely flexible, can be freely accelerated from 70 km/h in fifth gear and overtake other vehicles without changing the gear. At 6200 obr./min, so far from the rotational speeds characteristic of the magnitude of the maximum power and maximum torque, the device begins to work, fuel shut-off and anti-run-off of the engine. The only drawback of this unit is excessive noisiness, above 3500 crankshaft rpm the noise inside becomes annoying.
Impressions from behind the wheel of Bora 2.0 are all in all positive. There is a high engine torque in the car, to maintain a fair average speed, for free and safe overtaking, all this with moderate fuel consumption. Measurements taken during my test drives – on average 9 dm3, this value exceeds the values ​​given by the manufacturer. The big ones make it easier to overcome worse surfaces or to drive in moderately difficult terrain, wide wheels (with tires 195/65 R15) not plunging into every unevenness of the road. Driving a fast underburdened car on smooth surfaces in tight corners, a tendency to oversteer is noted – the rear of the car "escapes" outside the corner. This phenomenon disappears with increasing load. Despite this, the suspension of the rear wheels on a susceptible beam, trailing arms and coil springs, with stabilizer inspires confidence. Front suspension is a McPherson type column arrangement with an additional stabilizer. Damping spring characteristics are well chosen, which in combination with 15-inch wheels guarantees high driving comfort and precise driving. It also takes some habit to be extremely violent, right after touching the pedal, operation of the brakes. Greater progress in their functioning would make driving easier, especially in city traffic jams. The effectiveness and efficiency of Bora brakes with four discs do not require any criticism.