Golf favoured in wealthiest Aussie suburbs

Search data at carsales.com.au reveals the Volkswagen Golf to be the car generating the most interest in affluent suburbs around the nation.

According to the inaugural carsales Quarterly Insights Report, the Golf – new and used combined – has generated more web surfing online than any other car in seven out of the top 10 of Australia's richest postcode localities.

Only 3761 (St Andrews, VIC), 3944 (Portsea, VIC) and 2110 (Hunters Hill, Woolwich, NSW) went against the trend. In St Andrews – Australia's second most affluent postcode, with a mean income of $148,967 – the most popular vehicle for carsales searches was the Mitsubishi Triton, reflecting the area's rural location.

The Mercedes-Benz ML 350 was the vehicle of greatest interest to prospective buyers in postcode 3944 (Portsea). And in postcode 2110 (Hunters Hill, Woolwich, NSW), the most popular search was the BMW X5. In postcodes 3143 and 2063, the Golf shared top ranking status with the X5 and the Range Rover Sport, respectively.

The data supplied for the Quarterly Insights Report was a snapshot of carsales searches as of June 30 this year, so the data doesn't reflect the decline in VW searches across the board since the 'dieselgate' scandal broke last month. That said, VW searches have begun to trend upwards once more, following the announcement by Volkswagen that it would recall affected vehicles in Australia.

The Golf's strong showing in postcode localities often associated with the traditional 'Toorak Tractor' – originally a Range Rover but lately any large, luxury SUV – drove carsales.com.au CEO Greg Roebuck to observe that those living in Australia's richest areas don't necessarily flaunt their wealth.

"Results from carsales Quarterly Insights Report certainly challenge the notion that large and lavish is a symbol of success, indicating that there's a little more to the equation – with the size of the car, and its function all affecting the purchasing decision of buyers."

"What's surprising, perhaps even more so in the wake of the VW sustainability scandal, is that whilst over 70 per cent of people choose the VW golf for its compact size and speed around a crowded city, their focus is not on sustainability – with less than 16 per cent of VW Golf purchases over the financial year for a diesel model," Roebuck noted.

That mirrors Volkswagen Australia's own findings that sales of diesel, as a percentage of total Golf sales, have plummeted since the introduction of the Golf 7 (pictured) over two years ago.

Contrary to public perception, the Holden Commodore remains a popular search at the nation's premier automotive site. Holden's soon to be axed large car was the vehicle receiving the most clicks at carsales for residents in South Australia, Victoria, the ACT and New South Wales.

"Interestingly, when looking outside of the country's wealthiest suburbs, the majority of Australians are telling us that they're still extremely fond of locally made large cars such as the Holden Commodore. Sadly, this information could be a case of too little too late for Holden as they release their final, limited edition range of cars," Roebuck said.

Tasmanians are apparently smitten with the Subaru Forester, while Queenslanders prefer the Toyota HiLux and Australians living in the Northern Territory and Western Australia spend more time looking online for the Toyota LandCruiser than any other vehicle.

The listing of Australia's top 10 affluent postcodes is as follows: