Advantages: Reliable, excellent handling, cool gadgets and good fuel consumption
Disadvantages: Not as spacious as the Passat

...An excellent all rounder. We have been using it as a family car and although their are a few complaints regarding the shortage of space at the back, the car is virtually faultless. The best thing about the Bora, as any other Bora owner will tell you, is the smooth drive. Its like your on a plane. Anyone who has driven a smaller or older car will tell you that once they got into the Bora, it was like they were driving on a velvet carpet - well nearly. In terms of size and price, the Bora comes in between the VW Golf and the VW Passat and has the best of both worlds - the smoothness of the drive and the stature of the car. Inside, the car feels and looks modern, especially with the many gadgets and tools. You find new gadgets every now and again which you never thought existed. Only a short while ago, after many years of ownership... Read review

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Advantages: Great drive, well made, quick
Disadvantages: Cornering, depreciation

...I am now the proud owner of a VW Bora. For those who are as unfamiliar to cars as I, Volkswagen is a major German car manufacturer with a first class reputation. Most famous for the VW Beetle (think Herbie goes to Monte Carlo and all that malarkey) and you start to put into context the long-term nature of a top draw operator. Both the personal and company car market are ultra competitive these days. What with the government’s desire to bring prices in line with Europe and the desperation of the major manufacturers to offload their fleets, it was my recent pleasure to finally choose my first ever company car. The market I needed to research was the saloon car as I’m the atypical family man, married with 2 kids. The major players that sprang to mind included the American giants, Ford and Vauxhall along with their European rivals MG... Read review

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Advantages: Handling, Looks, Style
Disadvantages: lacks on extras

...The VW Bora, some people have not heard of this car before neither had i till i was looking for a VW Passat and was offered a bora instead, as soon as i saw it i fell in love with its looks, Metallic blue, only 22000 miles on a W-reg (2000) , 1.6s 16v, FVWSH, PAS 4x Electric Windows, ABS and that Beautiful bluey glow from the dashboard all VWs come with all for £7499.00. but thats where it stop i bought the car and at first it was amazing as lively as a puppy dog with the response and alertness of a tiger, for the first few days, then i filled the tank with petrol got 4 passengers in and off i went, "stalled it", unbelieveable the extra weight was making the handling sluggish i didnt like it one bit my new car did not have the power to keep up its performance (dont get me wrong i am talking about the Bora that was the Base of all... Read review

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Advantages: Climate control, Speed, Economy
Disadvantages: The name

...The Bora is Volkswagen's attempt to rival the BMW 3 series and Audi A3 and makes a good attempt. I traded in my wife's cherished Golf GTI for the Bora 1.9 TDI (diesel) Sport (150bhp) because :- a) we needed a bigger boot b) we had just bought a tent which wouldn't fit in the Golf c) the Golf was making a few dodgy sounds d) diesel sounded more economical ~~ First Impressions ~~ I actually think that the Bora looks quite sleek and sturdy with it's high boot area and slightly rounded edges. The wheels are prominent giving the impression of good road-handling and the overall impression is one of a solid, reliable motor. One thing I noticed was the "clunk" of the door being shut - like a bank vault being sealed. ~~ In The Driving Seat ~~ The driving position is comfortable with good vision both to the front... Read review

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Advantages: Good looking, great fuel economy
Disadvantages: Cheaper similar cars available

...I have recently bought a second hand Bora 1.9 SE TDI (130bhp). We had been looking for one of these for several months and finally found what we were looking for several weeks ago and I must say I am soooo pleased with her. I do approx 15k business miles a year so needed a car with good fuel economy and high comfort, aswell as being well built with a good life expectacy as we are not planning on changing this for a good 5 or so years, but it also needed to be big enough to transport all the trapping of a family (when it arrives). I couldn't be more pleased with "Dora". I have done approximately 1,500 miles in her since we bought her and have averaged about 50 mpg over this time. The 6 speed gear box also aids the great fuel economy. She is incredibly comfortable and although she has alot of power (being 130 bhp) I haven't found... Read review

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Advantages: Switch, Cheque guarantee, and cash card all in one
Disadvantages: No Issue number, and you'll be hard pushed to get one!

...I’m 19 years old. My mum used to work for the Royal bank or Scotland, so opened me an account with them as soon as I was born …so I’ve been with RSB for 19 years. But not for much longer. I went into my local branch to enquire about getting myself a RBS Highline card – a switch, cheque guarantee and cash card. I explained about being a student and they told me that I’d definitely be eligible, and that all I had to do was fill in an application form, send it off and I’d get my Highline card. I duly filled it in, sent it off, and then got a reply 2 months (!) later telling me I wasn’t suitable. Into my local branch I went, to ask what the problem was. They eventually agreed that they’d made a mistake, and would review my application. A few weeks later, I got my new highline card through... Read review

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Advantages: Ride quality, space, looks and boot size
Disadvantages: None that I can think of.

...I owned my Bora V5 for over 2 years. In that time I must have covered about 35,000 miles. The v5 I had was bought from a Volkswagen and was an X VW show car for the motor shows. As a result I had every option available, split rims, leather etc. As a standard car the Bora offers many great features within the VW range. You get the looks and usefulness of a saloon which you just don't get in the golf. You get plenty space in the boot without the vastness of the Passat.. The Bora is a practical and well thought out car which does not share the design with any other VW platform. It was designed for the Bora first. The V5 is near the top of the range in the Bora line up and thus when you get one or look at one you expect to see plenty of value for money. Sadly hey decided to drop the V5 in the new line up and I know in the replacement... Read review

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Advantages: smooth ride, quiet, spacious, straightforwards
Disadvantages: no rear windscreen wiper! Slightly disturbing onboard computer

...and move on and find myself a successor. Then, I went to one garage, looked at one car, a Volkswagen Passat Highline 2.0, thought, that's far too big for me surely, thought, god but it's gorgeous, thought...actually...that's a good price... ...and I bought it. £6,500 of your Earth Pounds, previously a company car, 52,000 miles on the clock, pretty good nick, few chips of paint here and there, otherwise excellent. As per the last review, I'm not your girl for specs, bhp and so on. What I can manage is a short list of, er descriptiveness: - 5 seater, useful size boot, fold down back seats, quite the array of compartments around the driving area, cup holders, lockable glove compartment - heated leather seats. Joy. a) they serve my aching back fantastically well and b) I can't believe I have a reasonably priced car that has heated... Read review

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Advantages: Affordable premium car with some excellent quality a quick engine!
Disadvantages: Unfortunatly not all the power can be unleashed because of handling!!

...Test model Volkswagen Bora TDI 150 Sport Reg No. FA03 FUM UK model RHD Mileage 45,000 Actual 0-60: 8.5 Obtained MPH: 142mph Volkswagens answer to the four door saloon based on the Golf Mk4 came in the guise of the Bora in 1998. Although this is not the first time that VW have tried the smaller 4 door saloon, see the Vento and Jetta (Bora's worldwide name). The model I purchased is a 2003 03 plated model which had 42,800 miles when I bought it and is metallic black. I have to say the Bora isn't the best looking car on the road but if you want a foor door golf saloon with a bigger boot then it is just what you are looking for. I bought this car for £9995, which with the generous spec and mileage was good. It was bought from Black Horse Car sales who actually own the cars and they are used as company cars or short... Read review

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Advantages: Good Performance for 1.6, Comfortable, Safe, Reliable
Disadvantages: Expensive replacement parts and servicing, Difficult to park at first

...I aquired my VW Bora 1.6 S in November 2005 but at the time I had my heart set on a VW Golf Mk 4 TDi. However I soon found out that this was way out of my price range and was persuaded to have a look at a Bora. The body of the car is pleasing to look at but not as impressive or sporty as the Golf Mk 4. Both share the same chassis, engine, and parts, additionally VW claim that due to the extra mass (1248Kg to be precise) the Bora holds the road better and is safer. I don't know how true this is but my simple physics GCSE tends to make me believe them. The interior of the car is very well laid out with comfortable seats in the front which 'grip' your back nicely. The seats in the back aren't so good, however as I'm never in the back its not a major issue - Leg room in the rear is adequate but not fantastic. Front seats are fully... Read review

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