OT - Another Sportwagen Question

[CDollarsign]

I am in the market for a new car and am highly leaning towards the Jetta Sportwagen TDI. My wife is concerned that it is not large enough to fit the huge rear facing infant car seat we will have shortly. Anyone have experience with babies and Sportwagens?

I also drove the new Volvo V60 and it is leaps and bounds better than the JSW, but almost twice the cost...

[gavingould]

no experience with babies here, but do have the wagen.
probably will depend heavily on how tall driver and passenger are. i'm 6'4" and don't have to slam the seat all the way back, but another 6' person would not be comfortable behind me. revised next model supposedly will have better rear seat room, but i haven't really seen dates when this will actually be available. VW says first quarter 2015.

best advice i can muster is take your child seat to the dealership and test fit.

[AngryScientist]

my wife drives a jetta sedan, which i believe is the same basic interior as the wagon. we are short people, (i ride a 50 cm frame) and the rear facing seat we have just fits in there. we have a three year old too, and he has a forward facing seat, and he is definitely in kicking distance of the passenger seat. if the driver and passenger are tall people, you're going to have trouble with the rear seats, i envision.

that said, there are many different car seats, some of which are definitely better than others in the size department, if you havent bought one yet, that may be something to consider.

[eddief]

anything? Does it mean all, or just the unclean?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/01/france-moves-to-ban-diesel/

[buldogge]

Don't forget…you will only have the rear facing seat for ~12-18 months. If you change cars often then I could see limiting yourself…if you hold onto cars, then chose the one you want for the long term.

My wife has a Sportwagen…but…my son is now 8.5yo (and almost 5') so we never dealt with anything but a booster in there.

-Mark in St. Louis

I am in the market for a new car and am highly leaning towards the Jetta Sportwagen TDI. My wife is concerned that it is not large enough to fit the huge rear facing infant car seat we will have shortly. Anyone have experience with babies and Sportwagens?

I also drove the new Volvo V60 and it is leaps and bounds better than the JSW, but almost twice the cost...

[peanutgallery]

as Al Bundy used to say:

It's wrong to be French

PS: I think the seat should fit fine

anything? Does it mean all, or just the unclean?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/01/france-moves-to-ban-diesel/

[Mikej]

Dude rear facing seats are just the start of it - think ahead, trust me you will want room because you are going to be doing things you could have never imagined as a non-parent.

[kohlboto]

we fit a peg perego in the backseat of our sportwagon, no problem.

[oldpotatoe]

I am in the market for a new car and am highly leaning towards the Jetta Sportwagen TDI. My wife is concerned that it is not large enough to fit the huge rear facing infant car seat we will have shortly. Anyone have experience with babies and Sportwagens?

I also drove the new Volvo V60 and it is leaps and bounds better than the JSW, but almost twice the cost...

Transport 2 kiddies in car seats in 2013 Jetta TDI SW. Both now front facing but initially, one rear, one front-no probelma. The type of rear facing that was a carrier, that then clipped into the base.

[oldpotatoe]

anything? Does it mean all, or just the unclean?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/01/france-moves-to-ban-diesel/

yee gads, and you thought the US government was obtrusive. 80% of the french drivers, drive diesels. I imagine this will be talked about until this gent is adieu.

[Ken Robb]

I would research kid seats, make a list of those with the highest ratings and see if the smallest of those would fit in cars under consideration. There may be a better or equal seat smaller than what you have now. And you probably know that even cars with sufficient room for seats can have doors/seats that make installing a child seat and/or getting a kid into it more difficult than others.

[druptight]

I have a Britax rear facing infant seat in the back of my 2010 JSW (which is the exact same cabin as the 2014 version - can't speak to the 2015). We put him in the middle and that allows both seats to go back a bit further than if he were on one side or the other. The carrier does stop the 2 front seats from going all the way back. I'd say they go about 3/4 of their travel distance backwards before they hit his seat. When the kid seat is behind either seat independently, I'd say they go back about 1/2 way. I'm 5'9" and it works for me, but there are obviously many variables that will dictate your comfort:


Desired leg room
Desired seat recline position
Child seat protrusion
Child seat position


Among others I'm probably not thinking of. That said, I love the car.

[p nut]

Don't forget…you will only have the rear facing seat for ~12-18 months.

The recommendation now is at least 2 years of age and/or 30-40lbs before going front-facing.

[Ken Robb]

yee gads, and you thought the US government was obtrusive. 80% of the french drivers, drive diesels. I imagine this will be talked about until this gent is adieu.

I wonder if European countries have adopted the same requirements for emissions as the USA. I found it pretty funny when I visited London in 1978 and the city center was dirty and stinky from the exhaust of all the diesels because they were being touted in the USA as the cure for our smog problems. Are currently produced diesels in the EU as clean as ours?

The fact was that diesel autos were so rare in the USA that our standards were written with no concern for the pollutants, like soot, that they put out. The emissions that our laws limited were those caused by gasoline engines so diesels tested "clean" though that was far from the reality in the air.

Regular gas in San Diego is now under $3 (I saw $2.70 yesterday) but diesel remains around $3.70. If this differential persists how many people will pay a premium to buy a diesel car? Is the price spread similar in other areas?

[robin3mj]

I may be qualified to chime in here.
We have a 2010 TDI Sportwagen, and a 13-month old munchkin.

We installed the first (infant) car seat in the rear middle seat, and it was no problem hauling it in and out, with and without the baby in it.

However, she recently graduated to the next size larger, a more permanently installed seat (that doesn't click in and out of a base), and it is significantly larger. We had to put it on one side of the car, because it would block my wife's view through the rear windshield otherwise.
Also, it's a bit of gymnastics to ease the baby into the seat without knocking her head on the door sill.
This is a Recaro seat- not sure if other brands are smaller.

I love the car, but if/when we find ourselves with another kid on the way, we're going to need something bigger.

[old fat man]

Never owned a TDI wagon, but here is my experience.

- Two kids under 5 in the Honda Pilot = no problem, and plenty of room for their stuff (pack and play, stroller, bike, etc) in the trunk.
- Ocassionally borrow my father's 2008 A4 wagon = annoying to get the kids in without smacking their heads and way less cargo space. Better mileage and much more fun to drive though
- I had a 1995 S6 sedan when the kids were in rear facing seats, and they would just barely fit behind me (I'm 6'1"). Forward facing wasn't bad in that car

Other thoughts:
- Unless you have a midget, there is no way you'll keep them rear facing beyond 20 months. They won't like it and they'll be cramped in there
- In a smaller car, they'll be kicking your seat sooner, and at 18-24 months, don't expect them to understand what it means to stop that
- Putting them in the middle means climbing down into the car yourself. May not sound bad, but do it 4-5 times in an afternoon while driving around and it'll be annoying

I am definitely considering a TDI wagon or Golf TDI as a second car if I stop working from home, but I'm very glad we have the SUV with our two kids at ~10k of miles per year that we drive as a family

[notsew]

Similar to above, we had no trouble with the baby seat that snaps out. It went in the middle and fit fine.

We are now onto a larger seat and I think it is too big for the car, so we basically use the wife's Rav4 for baby moving needs. I think part of this is that our seat is this GIANT recaro baby race car seat, but it flat out doesn't fit in the middle and you can't put it behind a seat and still have a normal sized human sit comfortably in the front. The seat has to be really far forward.

That said, I think we will be facing him forward pretty soon (shooting to make it to 18 months backwards, he is not a fan) and I suspect everything will fit in just dandy, so realistically, we're talking about less than a year of difficulties if you go this route.

[p nut]

- Unless you have a midget, there is no way you'll keep them rear facing beyond 20 months. They won't like it and they'll be cramped in there
...

There are quite a few rear-facing seats available with extended room for legs. (http://www.parenting.com/gallery/rear-facing-convertible-car-seats)** Lots of studies showing increased suvival rate for kids under 2 in a rear facing seat. (which also indicates the middle seat is best).

**This may also mean less room to scoot back for the driver.

[old fat man]

There are quite a few rear-facing seats available with extended room for legs. (http://www.parenting.com/gallery/rear-facing-convertible-car-seats)** Lots of studies showing increased suvival rate for kids under 2 in a rear facing seat. (which also indicates the middle seat is best).

**This may also mean less room to scoot back for the driver.

It'd be safer to stay at home with them until they are 2 years old.

Has anyone on this forum been able to keep an 18+ month old child happily positioned in a rear facing car seat? These studies are ridiculous. Somehow society has survived without 22 month old children in rear facing car seats.

[rnhood]

Regular gas in San Diego is now under $3 (I saw $2.70 yesterday) but diesel remains around $3.70. If this differential persists how many people will pay a premium to buy a diesel car? Is the price spread similar in other areas?

Certainly not me. It appears diesel fuel has maintained a 25-30% premium on cost which hardly gives it an ultimate advantage in operating cost. I guess if one plans on mucho interstate driving the diesel engine should be good for 300k miles....I think. Not sure about the turbos though, as they tend to burn up bearings. But around town, the gasoline car is preferable imho.

[p nut]

It'd be safer to stay at home with them until they are 2 years old.

Has anyone on this forum been able to keep an 18+ month old child happily positioned in a rear facing car seat? These studies are ridiculous. Somehow society has survived without 22 month old children in rear facing car seats.

Not trying to argue with you. Just simply stating the current studies and recommendations. Head rests, ABS, VSA, etc. all part of continuing innovations to keep people safer.

By the way, 2 kids so far (4 and 2 yo) and both were rear facing for at least 24 months. Both 85-90 percentile in height.

[carpediemracing]

I'm finding pictures but we bought the JSW when we decided to try to start a family and we bought a Golf when we learned that our tries had "taken".

The JSW is a Golf right now (6th gen), not the latest Jetta. I think the latest Jetta is the new platform and it's a bit bigger than the JSW. If you're getting whatever the new Golf wagon is, then that'll be the bigger/newer 7th gen platform.

We have a Diono Radian RXT (http://us.diono.com/convertible-to-booster/radianrxt) in each of them. They're for kids 5-120 lbs, rear and forward. Right now they're forward with an included but optional "fuse" strap because he's under 30 lbs (it stretches under force to lessen peak G forces). We joked that we should have gotten them first since he was 5 lbs even when we came home from the hospital, but it's not a clip-the-seat-out-and-into-a-carriage thing.

We can move the seat back pretty far. We aren't very tall - 5'7", 5'4", and the Missus has longer legs than me. Since one of us typically sits next to Junior in the back the front seat is usually all the way forward. On longer trips we both sit up front and then we can slide the seat back surprisingly far.

In a backward facing set up I think it would be tighter for anyone with longer legs. For us we would move the seats back until they pushed against the Diono. Anyone that rides a, say, 56-58 cm frame or taller would probably not like a rear facing Diono behind them or in the center.

Rear facing install:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/1465225_10152057773773824_291241052_n.jpg?oh=93aaa 3513c10790d4b9b71fba6dc1ce4&oe=550F0D73&__gda__=1427177384_f197ad2dce4cb67ea049cc23a75629f 2

Front install:
https://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1463047_10152057774893824_1058795748_n.jpg?oh=7d17 a72b842bf0a00f0649e7af5fe3a1&oe=5517EDE3

It's a steel frame seat so pretty heavy (20 lbs?) but it's very easy to move from one car to another. If I had to switch to the Expedition when he was small I'd leave him in the seat and just move him over, strapped in and everything. Now he's big enough to get out, wait in a safe spot, etc, so I don't do that anymore.

When Junior was about 18 months he was crunched up facing back so we turned him around. He's skinny, about 28 lbs, at 2 years and 9 months old (in two days). We got the Diono just before that so we had him facing rear and front in that seat.

Prior to the Dionos we had two clip ins for the baby carriage. I can't remember the brand, we gave the still-good seat set to an in-law, but it worked well until we had to turn him around.

Graco - I just googled it.

At 5 lbs even we had to roll up a blanket and put it in a U-shape around his head so his head wouldn't move in the baby head stabilizer thing. In this pic we just brought him home so no rolled up blanket.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/255389_10151128084733824_459715896_n.jpg?oh=ab5b01 8437b95e7db0a049b5c33a74d4&oe=554686B9&__gda__=1430578794_f97e3bfb7e57df068b4325d13c42c3f a

[thirdgenbird]

There are quite a few rear-facing seats available with extended room for legs. (http://www.parenting.com/gallery/rear-facing-convertible-car-seats)** Lots of studies showing increased suvival rate for kids under 2 in a rear facing seat. (which also indicates the middle seat is best).

**This may also mean less room to scoot back for the driver.

There are plenty of studies that show sitting backwards is safest at any age.

My coworker turned his kid around before 2. Even with "extended legroom" the kids knees were in her face.


I'm always baffled by the charts. Booster seat till 12 and rear seat till 13. Here in Iowa you start driving at 14...

[p nut]

There are plenty of studies that show sitting backwards is safest at any age.

My coworker turned his kid around before 2. Even with "extended legroom" the kids knees were in her face.


I'm always baffled by the charts. Booster seat till 12 and rear seat till 13. Here in Iowa you start driving at 14...

I'm not the law here. Merely pointed out the latest studies. I remember when people gaffed at regulations requiring ABS brakes and traction control on all new cars. Bet seat belts and baby seats were looked at as unnecessary at first by a lot of folks, too.

Go do your own research and do what you seem is best for yourself/kids. :cool:

[CDollarsign]

Thanks all! I think this is steering me towards the V60...

[EDS]

There are quite a few rear-facing seats available with extended room for legs. (http://www.parenting.com/gallery/rear-facing-convertible-car-seats)** Lots of studies showing increased suvival rate for kids under 2 in a rear facing seat. (which also indicates the middle seat is best).

**This may also mean less room to scoot back for the driver.

My wife insisted we meet with the car seat lady when we had baby #1! We did manage to keep my daughter rear facing past two years (she was 100% for height at the time), I think we made it until she was almost 3, but she had minimal leg room with the car seat we have - Peg Perego.

[palincss]

Thanks all! I think this is steering me towards the V60...

I've read european tests of the V60 that say it's quite short on rear space, especially for luggage. I believe that means it's smaller than the current JSW and even smaller than the new Golf Variant (which is at least 1 1/2" larger in back).

[p nut]

Hope he doesn't mind me posting, but user "Michael Maddox" just went from a JSW to V60 (R). Perhaps you can reach out to him and ask for opinions. I know the main reason he stated for switching was more room for the kids in the back.

[shovelhd]

Certainly not me. It appears diesel fuel has maintained a 25-30% premium on cost which hardly gives it an ultimate advantage in operating cost. I guess if one plans on mucho interstate driving the diesel engine should be good for 300k miles....I think. Not sure about the turbos though, as they tend to burn up bearings. But around town, the gasoline car is preferable imho.

You're only looking at one side of the value prop. When I purchased in March there was only one other vehicle roughly the same size that got roughly equivalent fuel mileage, the Prius V. Comparably equipped, it was $5K more. The other wagons like the Volvo and BMW, even when factoring in the cost of fuel, are much more expensive than the JSW. The poor fuel mileage of the JSW 2.5 gasser is not offset by the increased fuel cost of the diesel.

[thirdgenbird]

I'm not the law here. Merely pointed out the latest studies. I remember when people gaffed at regulations requiring ABS brakes and traction control on all new cars. Bet seat belts and baby seats were looked at as unnecessary at first by a lot of folks, too.

Go do your own research and do what you seem is best for yourself/kids. :cool:

I am only stating my surprise by the recommendations. There is also a difference between the safety features you listed and these recommendations. ABS and seat belts are like recommending alloy rims over steel for braking performance. These regulations seem more like dictating saddle height and stem length on age.

I don't get how booster seats are tied to age at all. Rear facing vs front facing is a product of muscle development but a booster seat only dictates where the seatbelt rests on the individual. That is important no doubt, but it is going to vary dramatically based on the child's height and the actual location of the harness in the car.

If there truely is a huge safety risk with 13 year olds in the passanger seat, why do we let 14 year olds drive? Is this a flaw in our crash testing standards? Obviously not questions I am expecting anyone here to answer. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some oddity behind it. Did you know we still require cars to pass crash tests for both restrained and unrestrained passengers?

I will sure do a lot or reasearch when I have kid(s). I will want what's best, but I also won't keep them in a padded cell :)

[binouye]

We still have an older gas JSW, but it's been fine with a kid in the back seat, both rear and forward facing. She can (and does sometimes) kick the seat in front of her, which isn't all the way back on its rails, but if she sits upright and lets her feet dangle there is room for everyone. The 2015 TDI version is at the top of our list for a potential new car.

[druptight]

Regular gas in San Diego is now under $3 (I saw $2.70 yesterday) but diesel remains around $3.70. If this differential persists how many people will pay a premium to buy a diesel car? Is the price spread similar in other areas?

The station near my house is currently $3.29 for diesel & 2.75 for gas. If you use your reward card you can bring either price down - and yesterday I filled up at $3.18/gallon.

If fuel is 20% more expensive but you get 20+% better mileage on average, doesn't that make for a fairly even equation? This all depends on which unleaded cars you're comparing to obviously.

[morrisericd]

My wife is 7,500 miles into a V60 T5 and it's one of the best cars we've owned. I (we) test drove the TDI, the Outback, an Acura MDX, and the V60 the same day. We've also owned the BMW 328xi wagon and the Audi A4 wagon. That's pretty much all the wagons. I know most of this is personal preference but I really do like the Volvo. The TDI was a close second but the fit and finish (especially the seats - oh the seats on the Volvo!) is second to none. We used to have a XC70 and I grew up with old Volvo wagons. I always thought they were fine - sluggish and big, but fine. The V60 is peppy, sporty, looks great (in my opinion) and gets great gas mileage. They advertise 35 which is a little bit high but I would guess we're getting in the low 30's (and I always drive in Sport mode). I don't have my invoice in front of me but we paid somewhere around 36,000 with a bunch of options. I remember the TDI being somewhere in the 32,000 range.

As far as the car seats go we have a 13 year old and a 10 year old (but they fit in the back just fine as do 2 adults).

Hope this helps and feel free to ask me any questions about the Volvo.

[palincss]

My wife is 7,500 miles into a V60 T5 and it's one of the best cars we've owned. I (we) test drove the TDI, the Outback, an Acura MDX, and the V60 the same day. We've also owned the BMW 328xi wagon and the Audi A4 wagon. That's pretty much all the wagons.


You've forgotten the Merc E350, which tops them all for both room and comfortable seats. Price, too.


I know most of this is personal preference but I really do like the Volvo. The TDI was a close second but the fit and finish (especially the seats - oh the seats on the Volvo!) is second to none. We used to have a XC70 and I grew up with old Volvo wagons. I always thought they were fine - sluggish and big, but fine. The V60 is peppy, sporty, looks great (in my opinion) and gets great gas mileage. They advertise 35 which is a little bit high but I would guess we're getting in the low 30's (and I always drive in Sport mode). I don't have my invoice in front of me but we paid somewhere around 36,000 with a bunch of options. I remember the TDI being somewhere in the 32,000 range.

Is there room in back with the back seat folded for a 59-60cm bike with fenders to fit in without having to remove a wheel? There's ample room for that with my 2003 5-series BMW wagon and with our 20 year old Volvo 850 wagon; and I've fitted that bike in a Prius V and a 2014 BMW 3-series wagon (but NOT in the previous model) as well. What I've read in Autocar seems to indicate it won't fit in the V60 (i.e. it's said to have less room in back than the previous 3 series wagon). I have high hopes for the new Golf Variant, too.

I bang on about that issue because it's critical for me: since the crash in 2003 that broke my shoulder, I haven't the range of motion to be able to use a roof rack, so getting the bike inside the car is key (after all, it's the only reason I need a car at all).

[zap]

I also drove the new Volvo V60 and it is leaps and bounds better than the JSW, but almost twice the cost...

Another option(ah, Steve beat me). There is a slightly used MB E350 (212) wagon at an Ohio MB dealership with about 20K miles on it…….asking low US$40K. MB wagons are very popular on the coasts but in Ohio you might be able to get 10% off the already low asking price. We currently have a '06 MB E500 wagon and if someone ever dares total it-we will go straight to an MB dealership and get another.

You will not find another wagon with better long term build quality.

[morrisericd]

Just ran out into the garage and stuck my 60cm cross bike in there. It fits with both wheels on. No fenders but looks like there's room. It's not the biggest wagon out there but it works for us.

I like the Mercedes E350's as well. Never owned one but driven them plenty. Great car!

[cnighbor1]

I noticed in Motor trend Magazine there is a Golf Sportwagen due in spring 2015
Is it the same body has the Jetta Sportwagen or a smaller body. Price appears lower
We have on 2003 Jetta TDI Sportwagen manual 345K miles. No major engine work so far
YES!!!!
If Golf Sportwagen is for real it would be a nice size SW to own
Here is data from VW of USA
ALL-NEW VOLKSWAGEN GOLF SPORTWAGEN COMBINES SUV VERSATILITY WITH COMPACT DRIVING FUN

May 12, 2014



The all-new version of VW’s popular SportWagen model will be a bigger, more spacious, and more fuel-efficient replacement for the Jetta SportWagen
• Thrifty TDI® Clean Diesel and 1.8-liter turbocharged TSI® Golf SportWagen models will be offered
• Uses the new MQB modular architecture, like the 2015 Golf and Golf GTI
• Golf SportWagen will go on sale in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2015
• New SportWagen model is estimated to have fuel economy improvements of up to 17 percent
• New Golf SportWagen offers increased cargo volume, matching compact SUVs for size and versatility

Herndon, VA – The all-new Golf SportWagen that goes on sale in early 2015 is based on the new MQB (modular transverse matrix) architecture. The new SportWagen will continue the trend introduced by the seventh-generation Golf whereby it is lighter, bigger, roomier, more fuel efficient and more powerful than the outgoing model.

Thanks to the extensive use of high- and ultra-high strength steels, the new SportWagen bodyshell is lighter than the current Jetta SportWagen and offers an enhanced crash structure. Throughout the car, incredible attention to detail has optimized components—such as the seats, air conditioning unit, and even the electrical architecture —to help save weight.

The Golf SportWagen is 1.1 inches longer and 0.7 inches wider than the current SportWagen model. It is also 0.9 inches lower, which benefits aerodynamic performance, fuel efficiency and the car’s proportions: the CdA number has been reduced by almost 10 percent compared with the previous generation. The interior package has been optimized to give more rear-seat leg and shoulder room. Although the new SportWagen’s overall height was lowered by nearly an inch, front and rear headroom has been improved by 0.4 inches.

The SportWagen has long been a top choice for customers who want a car that’s fun-to-drive and offers a large cargo area that is truly versatile. This new SportWagen is even more appealing, offering nearly 10 percent more cargo room with the rear seats folded than the outgoing model. Essentially, the Golf SportWagen provides a sportier alternative to compact SUVs.

The new SportWagen will be offered in front-wheel drive form, with two powertrains to choose from. The first is a 170 horsepower, 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injection four-cylinder TSI® engine, mated to five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions. Manufacturer highway fuel economy is estimated to have improved by as much as 17 percent compared to the 2.5-liter Jetta SportWagen.

The TDI Clean Diesel model will be powered by the new EA288 2.0-liter common-rail, turbocharged and direct-injection diesel engine that makes150 horsepower, an improvement of 10 hp over the current SportWagen model, and 236 pound-feet pf torque. The TDI model will have a choice of six-speed manual or DSG® dual-clutch automatic transmissions.

Design

The design team, led by Walter de Silva (Group Design) and Klaus Bischoff (VW Brand Design), created a timeless and sophisticated new SportWagen, using the principles of Volkswagen’s Design DNA. Thanks to the MQB architecture, which dictates a fixed relationship between the front wheel centerline and the pedals, the car’s proportions have changed. The front wheels, for example, are now 1.7 inches further forward than on the current SportWagen design. This has created what Bischoff calls “’a cab backward impression.’ That’s what we call the proportions of premium-class vehicles, where the hood is long and the passenger compartment is a long way towards the back.”

Compared with the previous generation SportWagen, the new car’s front end looks completely different, thanks to the way that the hood slopes down into the front fenders instead of the fender peaks being higher than the hood. This new SportWagen features more angular horizontal design cues, with a slender radiator grille.

At the back, the clean surface around the VW badge, the wide rear window, and the geometric taillights are typical SportWagen features, even though the lines are completely different. The tailgate, for instance, allows for a lower load height than before, while the overall effect emphasizes the additional width of the new car.

Features

Along the lines of the new Golf 7, the SportWagen will bring a number of available new features to market including a panoramic power tilt and slide sunroof, 12-way power driver’s seat, Climatronic® automatic climate control, Bi-Xenon headlights with LED DRLs and the Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS), Park Distance Control, and available 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels.

In addition, the new Sportwagen features a new standard driver assistance system called the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System (APCBS). This builds on the premise that a collision is rarely a single, instantaneous action, but rather a series of events that follow the initial impact—the most significant of which can cause additional collisions. The Automatic Post-Collision Braking system addresses this by applying the brakes when a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, thus helping reduce residual kinetic energy and, in turn, the chance of additional damage.

[thirdgenbird]

The current jetta sportwagen is built off the mk5 golf platform with some of the mk6 updates. It has nothing to do with the jetta sedan that shares its name.

The 2015 golf sportwagen is built off the mk7 golf platform. It is for real.

Size wise, the new one will be slightly wider, longer and lower, but we are talking about an inch in every respect. It likely won't be noticeable without a measuring tape.

The 2015 looks to have about the same MSRP but the 2014s canbe had with a pretty deep discount. Where the2015 really wins is with the fuel milage on the gas models. Interested to see how the new TDI goes. they will get DEF added to their already extensive emissions system.

[carpediemracing]

The station near my house is currently $3.29 for diesel & 2.75 for gas. If you use your reward card you can bring either price down - and yesterday I filled up at $3.18/gallon.

If fuel is 20% more expensive but you get 20+% better mileage on average, doesn't that make for a fairly even equation? This all depends on which unleaded cars you're comparing to obviously.

We just filled both cars and 10 gal of cans at $1.89/gal. $1.60 in discounts, "list price" was $3.49. We judiciously bought stuff to get about $1.00 of that $1.60.

36 gallons between the two cars (and both had the refuel light on).

Gas is less of course, I think it was $3 even or thereabouts.

For us it's not as much the cost savings although if we can save money that's nice. It's more about the combination of not using as much resources and still having a fun/responsive car. If we wanted to save money we'd have gotten something else, and not new. If we wanted to get the highest mileage we'd have gotten a Prius or two, or maybe an e-car (one friend has the Leaf, and I'd seriously consider the new e-Golf with its 200 ft lbs torque and something like 115 hp or so).

The TDI has almost as much torque as the 350Z I had before it, it's short by only 50 ft-lbs or so. It's such that for brief accelerations, where HP doesn't matter as much, the TDI is quite responsive relative to the Z. Of course the Z just demolishes it in the 60-whatever and the 0-20 range, where the TDI runs out of HP or hasn't spooled up the turbo yet. The TDIs are also great between 40-70 mph where our previous Civic EX and VX, Outback, etc weren't really good.

The Z regularly got 28 mpg for the tank and 30-33 mpg for longer highway drives (3-5+ hours) even while cruising at higher speeds (70 mph avg for example). Compartively speaking the 2002 Civic EX got only a few mpg better. Therefore we drove the Z if we didn't need to bring a lot of stuff, it was immensely more fun and got virtually the same mileage. When we got the TDI we looked at other cars but they got virtually the same mileage as the Civic. We wanted more power and better mileage.

We have the Expedition for towing. It gets about 6-10 mpg towing and I have no idea what on the highway when it's solo, we use it so little. I feel guilty when I drive it solo (to run it every now and then) because I'm burning so much fuel to get anywhere. Town and back might be close to a gallon of fuel instead of a quart.

[palincss]

Size wise, thr new one will be slightly wider, longer and lower, but we are talking about an inch in every respect. Pit likely won't be noticeable without a measuring tape.


The 2014 BMW 3-series wagon is only an inch or inch and a quarter larger inside, but it will fit a bike lying flat both wheels on whereas the previous year's car requires you to turn the wheel 90 degrees. That can be one highly noticeable inch!

[thirdgenbird]

The 2014 BMW 3-series wagon is only an inch or inch and a quarter larger inside, but it will fit a bike lying flat both wheels on whereas the previous year's car requires you to turn the wheel 90 degrees. That can be one highly noticeable inch!

It can be, but if your bike were a little bit bigger or a little bit smaller, it wouldn't have been. Sounds like you were on the ragged edge.

[oldpotatoe]

I wonder if European countries have adopted the same requirements for emissions as the USA. I found it pretty funny when I visited London in 1978 and the city center was dirty and stinky from the exhaust of all the diesels because they were being touted in the USA as the cure for our smog problems. Are currently produced diesels in the EU as clean as ours?

The fact was that diesel autos were so rare in the USA that our standards were written with no concern for the pollutants, like soot, that they put out. The emissions that our laws limited were those caused by gasoline engines so diesels tested "clean" though that was far from the reality in the air.

Regular gas in San Diego is now under $3 (I saw $2.70 yesterday) but diesel remains around $3.70. If this differential persists how many people will pay a premium to buy a diesel car? Is the price spread similar in other areas?

$2.80 gas, $3.45 or so diesel, Westminster, CO. It had been as little as $.15 difference and I saw one place where diesel was cheaper than gas.

As soon as OPEC(Saudi Arabia) sees that lower pricing isn't a long term solution to getting US and other, more expensive to extract, oil producers out of the market, they will curtail production and gas prices will go back up. These oil prices are hurting Saudi and also Russia, Venezuela, who's economies are based primarily on oil production. I'm surprised at the number of online and TV pundits thinks this is the new normal, $60-$70 per barrel oil prices. It isn't.

[goonster]

anything? Does it mean all, or just the unclean?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/01/france-moves-to-ban-diesel/

The Prime Minister made a speech, but the French are not "getting rid of diesels." He is proposing measures to disincentivize diesel engines in passenger cars. Restricting inner city access may be a novel approach, but I was under the impression that most EU countries already tax cars with greater environmental impact at higher rates. In Germany, AFAIK, they are classified according to a formula based mostly on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

[Netdewt]

We fit 3 kids across the back of ours regularly. With 150 lbs of dogs in the back as well.

The rear facing seat needs to go in the middle. Then we flank with 2 Diono Radian seats, which are skinnier than most seats. However, they are spendy, and heavy.

[a4racer]

I understand that diesel prices are significantly tied to the season--and that home heating oil is somewhat related to that price fluctuation--so that diesel prices go up in the fall (harvest time) and winter (home heating fuel factor) and come down in the spring.

We have a Passat TDI and love it. We do primarily city driving, and we typically get 900km / tank. Yes, I'm Canadian. The lease is up in December of 2015 and we are looking seriously at the new VW Sportwagen TDI. If the Alltrak version (marginally higher clearance, AWD) is available at that time, we'll consider that as well. Mainly because I'm old and busted, and an extra inch in height is an inch less that I have to lower my sorry ass into a seat, etc.

Interesting to see that, absent the Cruze and some trucks, and with Mazda delaying their diesel introduction, oil burners are really only available in VW, and then the luxury german marques. Oh yeah, and in the smart car, but c'mon.

[cnighbor1]

TDI engine versus a Gas engine
Where the TDI engine wins in in torque output
to get that much torque in a gas engine you need a much larger engine. which results in less MPG and a bigger automobile
when driving our 2003 VW SW TDI up into the CA Mountains that over 200 foot pounds of torque really kicks in
So to compare TDI to GAS your need to compare the same torque outputs and see what you get in MPG and size of motor and vehicle

[CDollarsign]

I'm having trouble reading, can you please increase the font and boldness?

[goonster]

when driving our 2003 VW SW TDI up into the CA Mountains that over 200 foot pounds of torque really kicks in

I'm glad you enjoy the diesel, but those torks are not "kicking in" in the mountains. They are always there, which is kind of the beauty of them. :hello:

[oldpotatoe]

I'm glad you enjoy the diesel, but those torks are not "kicking in" in the mountains. They are always there, which is kind of the beauty of them. :hello:

say again?

I love my TDI SW, regardless of $ and fuel economy, not why I bought it.

Fuel prices WILL go up. I get a kick out of those who go out and buy a 15-18 MPG big truck, 'cuz gas is so cheap'. Yup today and maybe next year but it will go up.

[palincss]

I love my TDI SW, regardless of $ and fuel economy, not why I bought it.


Indeed, vast amounts of torque in a wide power band that starts at low RPM - what's not to like about that?