Volkswagen unveiled the Golf’s third generation in the summer of 1991, and the sales started with the three- and five-door versions.
The third generation came after a highly successful Golf II sold in more than six million units globally. At first, it was a shock since it didn’t follow the same design language as its predecessor, slowing down its sales. Another drawback for the car’s evolution was the destruction of the TAS factory from Sarajevo, which affected the car’s price. The third generation of the German hatchback brought the first European Car of The Year award for Volkswagen.

Unlike the second generation, which followed the same design language as its predecessor, the third Golf featured rounded shapes and horizontal headlights with a rounded interior side. The grille was smaller, and the bumpers got bigger, stretched from one wheel-well to another. Volkswagen made the car with a thick C-pillar behind the rear doors, which diminished the driver’s visibility compared to the Golf’s second generation.

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, and AC. Volkswagen installed a split-folding bench in the rear and offered surprisingly good room for up to three adults, and, thanks to the rear doors, it provided an easier ingress and egress from the car.

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. The full-spec VR6 version was available with an all-wheel-drive system named Syncro.