Last year, Volkswagen Group sold close to 10 million vehicles, their most successful year ever. And yet according the officials, this is only the tip of what they can do, as platform modularity will drive sales and profits even higher under a plan which they believe will help secure the No.1 position in the industry. By 2018, the Germans say 5 million cars each year will be assembled, sold and delivered using just one platform, the MQB. Across four major car brands, basically everything from a supermini to a 5-meter crossover will be based on this thing. Power will come from petrol, diesel, natural gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric engines. It sounds terribly complicated. It sounds like something that desperately needs explaining! MQB will replace a huge variety of other platforms, starting with what's left of the PQ35 cars and continuing with PQ25 and PQ46 based models. Short for "Modularer Querbaukasten", it roughly translates as "Modular Transverse Toolkit", meaning it's not actually one floorpan you stick engines to, not in the sense we used to know.
Theoretically, all models will, however, have the same front axle placement, pedal box and engine positioning, despite varying wheelbase, track and external dimensions. The history of the MQB platform officially starts right before the formal unveiling of the new Golf 7, back in 2012 at the Geneva Motor Show. The only fixed point is the distance between the pedal box and the front-wheel centre line. To address this, the nose is lengthened to create the engine bay. If you'd like that as a metaphor, this is like calling up Gordon Ramsay and the other judges of MasterChef to cook a single dish. There are four major protagonists to our story, the Audi A3, SEAT Leon, Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf. So what makes each one of these special? Let's start by looking at the Audi. While all animals are created equal, the A3 is more expensive and thus more equal. It has the widest selection of chassis and nameplates so far.
Starting with a 3-door, they soon launched the 5-door Sportback, a great sedan model, a convertible, S3 versions of all these and every type of powertrain imaginable, including the e-tron plug-in hybrid with over 200 hp. And that's only the beginning. What's special about the Audi is that unlike its sister models, all versions come with independent suspension. What's more, some of the front bits are made from aluminum, including the suspension and some of the bodywork. Everything's an option with this car, and it tends to get expensive. Navigation is more than twice as expensive as on the Skoda and comes in a pop-up screen. Of the quartet, it was the only one that was doing badly. Switching to MQB, the Leon took every major risk and cut a number of corners. Just to give you an example, in Britain LED headlights are offered for free as a buyer incentive and in the other markets they are cheaper than on a Golf or Audi.
Any model with 122 hp (basically starting with the 1.4 TSI. Golfs only get that from 150 hp upwards. The cabin is not as well put together. We think part of the proble is the angularity, which makes the plastics look even cheaper. There are fewer soft-touch materials and fewer standard chrome trim pieces to go around. The upside is the cheapest of the bunch. The exterior is wonderful, thanks to design by a man who designs Lamborghinis for a living. Turn the speakers on and the bass is strong. Wind the engine up and you notice it's less damped than the other models. You really get the sense then that this is the car for 25 to 30-something people who appreciate a bargain. The Octavia was always a car that got great word of mouth reviews, but it used to be that Skoda had to take the platform made for the Golf and change it with cheaper suspension bits and a longer wheelbase.
