WASHINGTON — When you need the space of a station wagon, Volkswagen seems to be constant player in the marketplace. Now you can get all-wheel drive with the SportWagen, adding all-weather capability to go along with the room a station wagon offers.
There is even a new Alltrack model that features a raised suspension along the lines of a Subaru Outback. I’ll look at that model next week.
But first up, it’s the Golf SportWagen, which is the regular wagon with added AWD. It looks like the normal four-wheel-drive model, which isn’t the most exciting-looking car on the road. My wife remarked that it looks like it’s from 2006. But then again, there is only so much you can do with styling on a wagon, and VW has tried to make it more modern-looking.
The front-end styling is more rounded than previous VW wagons. The hood slopes down to the headlights and a smaller grill area. The utilitarian nature of the SportWagen only allows so many curves on the body. Some tinted glass on the rear windows would help out a bit by breaking up the blocky wagon.
That being said, the SportWagen isn’t very large; it lives in the compact class. Some larger wheels might also help with curb appeal, as the 16-inch wheels look a little small. But the utility of the SportWagen is on full display with the roof rails, so you can load the inside and add more cargo to the roof.
The big interior space in the Volkswagen Golf SportWagen is a major plus, especially in a smaller package. Riding in the front offers good space and, with a lot of glass, lends good vision out of the car for the driver.
I drove the S-trim level, the entry version. The $25,750 price is very attractive for drivers who might be cross-shopping with a crossover. That price includes a nicely equipped ride with heated front seats, a leather steering wheel and brake handle. The seats are cloth, but they seem durable and look nice, too.
Passengers in the back seat have plenty of leg and headroom, so you can fit those tall riders without hassle. The rear cargo area is large for a more compact car, and laying down the rear seats allows longer items with which most compact car or crossovers would have a problem.
When the VW SportWagen arrived, the driver said, “You will enjoy this wagon.” He was right. The SportWagen is a buttoned-down driving machine. The turbo four-cylinder engine delivers 170 horsepower and is peppy around town. However, when loaded with the family and cargo, I noted that the Golf SportWagen could use a few more ponies under the hood when merging with faster-moving traffic.
There also are some nice perks, including paddle shifters, so you can be in control of shifting the six-speed automatic. You can even save $1,100 and choose a manual transmission and shift your own gears, for a more-engaging car.
The ride is good for city roads. Those smaller wheels offer tires with larger sidewalls, so bumps are taken care of; even larger bumps are well-masked by this compact. Some road noise sneaks in, but it’s not too bad for a car with all this glass. Even with AWD, I managed 26 mpg in mixed driving. The sticker says 25 mpg, and it runs on regular fuel.
If you thought a crossover was the only way to get AWD and the utility for cargo space, there is a good alternative in the Golf SportWagen with 4Motion, which offers not only the space of a crossover but good fuel economy and a fun-to-drive package.
Mike Parris is a member of the Washington Automotive Press Association. The vehicles are provided by STI, FMI or Event Solutions for the purpose of this review.
