2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI Sportwagen Review - Hold Right There - Great. Another Volkswagen diesel. This time is the SportWagen Golf - c...
Great. Another Volkswagen diesel. This time is the SportWagen Golf - car enthusiasts all said,
We all know exactly how this will go, "I'd buy that with real, non-Internet money."
- Golf is better than the Jetta.
- Golf SportWagen is better than the Golf 5-door if you have two children and a dog.
- The 1.8 TSI is more fun than the 2.0 TDI.
- The 2.0 TDI is more effective than the 1.8 TSI, but not enough to justify the MSRP increases when fuel prices are low.
- you should get the manual if you can.
- Stop buying Tiguan and Golf SportWagen get instead. (Whatever. Nobody buys Tiguan.)
- You should also buy this if you care manuals and wagons and diesel, particularly as a package. (Brown's Luddite.)
It is with these points in mind as I plunged into a test of one week of the Volkswagen Golf SportWagen -. Only two weeks after driving the Jetta TDI
And as much as I love it - really, really like that. - Golf along the roof is hard to justify for exactly two reasons
Tester
2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TDI SEL [USA] / Sportwagon Highline [Canada]
engine 2 liter DOHC I-4 turbo with intercooler, direct injection (150 horsepower @ 3,500-4,000 rpm, 236 lb-ft @ 1.750 to 3.000 rpm)
Transmission: automatic 6-speed DSG with Tiptronic
economy fuel (Note, MPG) 31 city / 42 highway / 35 combined
fuel Economy (observed MPG) 39.9 mpg, approx. 70 percent city driving with a light foot
Options (US) :. Lighting Package, Support Driver Package
Options (Canada): Multimedia Package (includes bi-xenon headlights with AFS, 5.8-inch audio touch screen with navigation, 8-speaker Fender Premium Sound range, forward collision warning system, LED daytime running lights)
as Tested (US) :. $ 33,995 (leaf)
As Tested (Canada) :. $ 38,0 (leaf)
But before we get there, we'll talk about the car in the empty
exterior
SportWagen the Golf (United States, Canada, it is called Golf Sport car ... as the word itself ... in English) replaces the Jetta wagon in Volkswagen US range. The compact wagonified wins new name by being more closely related to the Golf Jetta this time. Under his foil is modular MQB platform Volkswagen shared with the current 3 and 5 door Mk7 Golf and Audi A3.
Thanks to a more modern platform, the SportWagen Golf is about 134 pounds lighter than the outgoing Jetta Wagon - and that is with a longer body. Golf long roof is 1.1 inches longer and 0.7 inches wider than the Jetta it replaces, if Volkswagen made a point to mention the roof of the new car is 1.1 inches lower than its predecessor, can reduce the front surface of the car.
execution SportWagon Golf is contrary to the charger I drove the previous week. Dodge looks completely different from its predecessor, despite using the same platform as the Volkswagen somehow seems more similar to its predecessor, even rolling on a new platform.
before the SportWagen is Golf. Put the two side by side and there is not much difference. The flagship of our tester was equipped with LED daytime running lamps that appear much better in person than they do in pictures on a rainy day. Below the skin bumper is a little square, hidden, home to radar equipment to the adaptive cruise control and other semi-autonomous and security features. I must say that Volkswagen made a hell of a lot better at hiding their new-fangled techno gear than most other (CFA and Hyundai, I'm looking at you two).
At the rear, the SportWagen gets its own foil and taillights that are ten times more attractive than the old Jetta wagon. The scalloped taillamps in the rear of the Jetta were quite rounded and lacked even a minimum of personality. The new SportWagen said, "Yes, I practice, but I'm oh-so strong at the same time"
About the SportWagen made the long body style justice roof keeping the D-pillar enough. right and lines as simple and consistent as possible. it Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon and he should not pretend to be. the bright, deep shade of metallic blue silk painting is enough to draw attention to the long wheelbase Golf. Other than the color, the Golf does not boasts of sport, although the wheels are a bit much.
Interior
Inside is the same as any other Golf - good materials, thoughtful design, simple dials, decent controls, all wrapped around a cheap infotainment screen with lousy navigation and media input options limited -. but more on that later
When you run across a new car every week and must wash each, you notice some cars are much, much easier to keep tidy than others. The SportWagen only asked a single microfiber cloth to bring shine to glossy plastic bits and dusting the dashboard rest was a breeze
The dashboard is clear and easy to read -. Thank you, Volkswagen, to get rid of the stupid blue accents of the retina-searing light that left ghosts in our vision - and the driving position was perfect for my frame of 6 feet 1 inch. The seats are comfortable, but nothing to write home
But if a gold star to give the SportWagen -. And that goes for the Jetta and Golf as well - it is for visibility. Volkswagen has figured out how to keep the passengers safe without lifting belt lines for students of a conductor, and this is doubly important when driving a low vehicle with a large interior volume and a rear window that apparently eleventy billion feet away from your rearview mirror. This increased visibility also contributes to a very open airy feeling in the cabin.
Infotainment
Remember when I said, there are two reasons that justify Golf SportWagen difficult? . This is one of them
I've said and I'll say it again: If you have a modern phone that uses the iPod / iPhone connector and old style you do need Volkswagen right freakin 'now , wait until next year. It is supposed to be a better infotainment system and ports real, honest-to-goodness USB
Let me be clear :. If you buy a Jetta, Golf or any Volkswagen with this combination of stepchild red head of the hazardous technology and complain later how much he sucks in the comments , I'll link to this review each time shouting, "I told you so" before throwing the rest of the B & B. the combination of no USB ports and a sub-par infotainment system of a modern car, especially that of! the order of $ 30,000, is inexcusable in 2015.
another criticism is the process that you are forced to go through the pair a phone or media device via Bluetooth. you, the driver, use the commands steering wheel and display the dashboard to match telephones and audio instead of the central touch screen used by all other manufacturers. Before you say, "Mark, I never paired my phone to the car a once ... when I bought it, "this design presents a problem for those of us who have passengers who want to connect their own devices the driver is forced to make the matching process. Expect to see this feature displacement of the center of the touch screen of MIB II for MY2016 -. If, by then, you will not need because Volkswagen will finally provide USB ports and Apple Android carplay Auto
Training
Like the diesel Jetta from there a few weeks ago, diesel hesitation from a standing start is evident in the SportWagen and Golf. Thank you at almost no initial torque turbocharged compression ignition four-cylinder Volkswagen, the Golf is slow off the line until the snail begins to turn. It is disconcerting at first, but you can compensate for a few days.
The six-speed automatic DSG is the same as the Jetta TDI, too. Crisp changes are standard and there is no handling problems outside those described above.
Fuel economy surprised me. Even with all the extra weight of the metal of the car, the Golf still egrets near 40 mpg with minimal effort
However -. And this is a big but - I would always have the turbo, gas powered 1.8 TSI instead. Unless you set the clock or have a massive mileage unbridled desire to burn fat frying on Oregon, the 1.8 TSI is more fun, offers better handling and cost less initially. Also, I have the manual, just because.
player
You know what? As far as journalists are urging the Jetta and heap praise on the Golf, Volkswagen has taken steps to make the refreshed Jetta A much more convincing proposal. So much so that - and I intend to get some flack for this -. Golf is not really much better than the Jetta, or at least not enough to justify the higher prices
If you were led to each car, the Golf SportWagen TDI and Jetta TDI, blindfolded and asked assess what is the best, 95 percent of the buying public would simply shrug and say. "They are both good for me"
the Golf TDI SportWagen suffers from the same latency Off-the-line as its diesel counterpart sedan. They both competent suspensions, but both feel a little heavy, probably because of the large piece of diesel front. the two testers had the necessary brakes for you press before they truly grasp these discs.
And this is a great introduction to the second reason for not getting a SportWagen.
Unless you really, really want a car, get a Jetta. Now you've probably noticed that I do not say Golf, and there's a reason for that, too.
The Golf SportWagen is, as Period DR said, "money." We can not simply ignore the massive market for which a Jetta can be had. If you are looking to get a car today, go out and rent a cheap Jetta for nothing, waiting for the end of the period, and return to the Volkswagen dealership to see what improvements have been made in three years. This is a good solution to the above problem infotainment / USB above, as well. It gives you the car you need now - even if it would not necessarily be the one you want -. And you close the gap to newer, better product at a cost that amounts to the lint-covered pocket change
So, there you have it: the best Golf SportWagen TDI is a diesel Jetta. You are welcome.
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