Volkswagen · 1991–2002

Volkswagen Golf Mk3

The Volkswagen Golf Mk3 is a medium-sized compact family car. It is the third generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk2, which was produced by Volkswagen from August 1991 (for the 1992 model year) to 2002 (for Cabrio convertible). The Golf Mk3 was launched in mainland Europe in August 1991, in the United Kingdom in February 1992, and in North America in the spring of 1994. The delay in North America was due to Volkswagen's decision to supply U.S. and Canadian dealerships with Mk3 Golfs (and A3 Jettas) from the VW plant in Puebla, Mexico. Quality control problems led Volkswagen of America to reject Golfs and Jettas from Mexico. Thereafter, labor unrest at the plant delayed production. The third-generation Golf and Jetta first launched in North America as 1993 models in the San Diego, California area and in Canada, then in the autumn in the rest of North America as 1994 models. The Mk3 Cabrio replaced the Volkswagen Cabriolet. The Mk3 Cabrio continued until the 2002 model year, when Volkswagen replaced it with a convertible version of the Volkswagen New Beetle. Like the previous two generations, the Mk3 was supposed to be built at the TAS factory in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, when the car was first released, the Yugoslav War broke out, leading to the destruction of the factory. Due to this, TAS went bankrupt in 1995, and the Mk3 was not able to be built in Bosnia and Herzegovina, although a single Mk3 managed to roll off the assembly line in Sarajevo, its fate unknown. The Mk3 Golf was sold in Japan alongside the Polo, where both vehicles complied with the small size class regulations that encouraged sales. The Volkswagen Golf Mk3 got replaced with the October 1997 (1998 model year) by the introduction of the Volkswagen Golf Mk4. In some markets, the Mk3 Golf continued to be available for the 1998 model year (Americas, South Africa), and even as early 1999 model year vehicles (Canada, Mexico, US).

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Volkswagen Golf Mk2 · Successor: Volkswagen Golf Mk4

All Volkswagen Golf data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

Specifications

name

Volkswagen Golf Mk3 (1H/1E)

Manufacturer

Volkswagen

Platform

Volkswagen Group A3 platform

Production

1991–1998, 1994–2002 (convertible), 4.8 million units

Class

Small family car (C)

Body style

3 / 5-door hatchback, 5-door estate, 2-door convertible

Layout

Front engine, front-wheel drive / Syncro four-wheel drive

Wheelbase

1991-95: 2471 mm, 1996-99: 2474 mm

Length

4074 mm

Width

1694 mm

Height

1991-95 & Cabrio: 1422 mm, 1996-99: 1428 mm

Assembly

Germany: Wolfsburg, Germany: Zwickau (Volkswagen Zwickau-Mosel Plant), Mexico: Puebla, Belgium: Brussels, Slovakia: Bratislava, South Africa: Uitenhage

Designer

J Mays, Herbert Schäfer

Transmission

4-speed automatic, 4-speed / 5-speed manual

Engine

Petrol:, 1.4 L (ABD/AEX/APQ) I4, 1.6 L (ABU/AEA/AEE) I4, 1.6 L (AEK/AFT/AKS) I4, 1.8 L (AAM/ANN) I4, 1.8 L (ABS/ADZ/ACC/ANP) I4, 2.0 L (2E/ADY/AGG/AKR/ABA/AWG/AWF) I4, 2.0 L (ABF) 16v I4, 2.8 L (AAA) VR6, 2.9 L (ABV) VR6, Diesel:, 1.9 L 1Y I4, 1.9 L AEY SDI I4, 1.9 L AAZ TD I4, 1.9 L 1Z/ALE/AHU TDI I4, 1.9 L AFN/AVG TDI I4

Related

Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Vento

Predecessor

Volkswagen Golf Mk2, Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet Mk1 (Cabrio)

Successor

Volkswagen Golf Mk4, Volkswagen New Beetle convertible (Cabrio)

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

US EPA fuel-economy records

US EPA test figures (US MPG, US test cycle).

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1361914CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf_Mk3CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1375300127 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golf_III_Blaumetallic_auf_dem_Hof.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: see file page · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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