Quick Spin: VW SportWagen an SUV alternative

The 2018 Volkswagen SportWagen combines sportiness and practicality. (Staff Photo by Mark Kennedy)
The 2018 Volkswagen SportWagen combines sportiness and practicality. (Staff Photo by Mark Kennedy)

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the Volkswagen Golf SportWagen is one of our favorite vehicles - ever!

What's not to love?

The SportWagen is built on VW's sterling MQB platform, a wonderfully engineered layout that delivers a brisk driving experience across the Golf line-up of vehicles.

Our tester this week, a base Golf SportWagen S front-wheel-drive model with manual transmission, is a great example of stripped-down goodness. While you don't get VW's latest safety-tech features, or the refinement of VW's upscale AllTrack wagon, the SportWagen S features VW's stout 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a slick-shifting manual gearbox for a mere $21,685.

It will be interesting to see if VW's excellent new Tiguan small SUV will cast such a shadow, that the smaller, shorter Golf wagons will wither for lack of sunlight. We can already notice inventories of Golfs starting to drop as VW shines the marketing spotlight on the Tiguan and the Chattanooga-made Atlas - along with its bread-and-butter sedans, the Jetta and Passat.

photo The VW SportWagen has a simple and functional interior. (Staff Photo by Mark Kennedy)


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Still, the Golf SportWagen offers a great compromise for those who haven't been completely domesticated by bigger, bulkier SUVs. Interestingly, our base SportWagen S is the only SportWagen trim level available in all-wheel-drive, for a $2,250 premium.

JUST THE FACTS: The VW SportWagen S is a five-passenger wagon that offers more cargo area than a garden-variety Golf hatchback, and is suitable for small families and active do-it-yourselfers who hang out at Lowe's or Home Depot. You won't find any third-row seats or curb-hopping ground clearance here, but if you crave razor sharp handling and a sweet-sounding engine, look no further than the Golf SportWagen.

HOW MUCH, AND WHERE? VWs are available locally at Village Volkswagen of Chattanooga on International Drive. Our VW Golf SportWagen S has an MSRP of $21,685. Move up to the SE model for $28,170 or the top-of-the-line SEL for $31,095.

WHY IT'S GOOD FOR CHATTANOOGA: See aforementioned all-wheel-drive option. Also, Chattanooga is a Volkswagen kind of town. Any Volkswagen purchase is good for the home team as VW tries to build U.S. market share.

STYLING: On the surface, the Golf SportWagen has a plain vanilla exterior design, but in person there's a less-is-more quality to the simple lines of our White Sliver Metallic tester. Inside, we have come to love VW's simple switchgear and ergonomic layout. We love climbing into a VW and not having to study buttons for 10 minutes before we begin a first drive.

PERFORMANCE: The 170-horsepower, turbocharged engine in the SportWagen has plenty of pulling strength. Mated to a manual transmission, the SportWagen is a true driver's vehicle. It's loads of fun to point and shoot up our Chattanooga-area mountain roads.

FUEL ECONOMY: Expect about 35 mpg highway and 25 mpg city.

UTILITY: With the back seats up the Golf SportWagen boasts 30 cubic feet of cargo space. With the seats folded flat, that increases to 66 cubic feet.

BOTTOM LINE: Before you default to a small SUV, check out the Golf SportWagen. It might just meet your needs in a delightfully different package.

Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com.

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