There's something to be said for being the only game in town. The 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TSI SE (I give it three out of four stars) is a case in point. It could easily be better, but if you want a compact station wagon it's just about the only one you can buy in the U.S.
Wagons once crowded U.S. roads like buffalo on the plains, but the herd got thinned out. Minivans and SUVs came to dominate because of their toddler-friendly sliding doors and the field of view provided by their high seating positions. The selection of wagons dwindled to a few European luxury models and Subaru's ever-more-SUV-like all-wheel-drive Outlander.
VW stepped into the gap with a station wagon version of its Jetta compact sedan. It became the bestselling version of the Jetta in the U.S. It gained fanatically loyal owners, particularly when fitted with VW's excellent diesel engine.
Thanks largely to the wagon, the U.S. became one of the few places on earth where the Jetta outsold VW's Golf hatchback.
That drove VW brass at HQ in Wolfsburg, Germany, nuts. The Golf is VW's hallmark vehicle around the world. The Golf launched an empire that's on the threshold of becoming the world's largest automaker.
VW discontinued the Jetta wagon this year, replacing it with a Golf-badged model.
The 2015 Golf SportWagen uses VW's new MQB architecture. Compared with the 2014 Jetta wagon, it has a better base engine, more room, weighs less and gets better fuel economy. The 2015 SportWagen's wheelbase is 0.3 inch shorter than the Golf hatchback, but the wagon is a full foot longer.
Prices for the front-drive Golf SportWagen start at $21,395 with a 170-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic transmission raises the starting point to $22,495. A fuel-efficient 150-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel in the TDI model starts at $27,995 with a six-speed manual and $29,095 mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
I tested a gasoline-powered SportWagen TSI SE that stickered at $28,685. It had a rearview camera, ultrasonic parking assist, Fender audio, air conditioning, a touch screen, Bluetooth audio and telephone compatibility, voice recognition and more. All prices exclude destination charges.
The Golf SportWagen competes chiefly with compact sedans and hatchbacks like the Chevrolet Cruze, Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla. The Golf wagon's prices tend to be slightly higher.
The VW lacks some features the competitors offer. My car did not have a USB port or blind spot alert. USBs are virtually omnipresent in new cars, but VW requires you to get an adapter — maybe two, if your family includes an iPod Classic and an iPhone 6 or an iPhone and an Android or Windows phone.
The interior is comfortable. The seats were covered in artificial leatherette. The dash, doors and armrests get padded covers. The black-and-grey color scheme in my car was relieved slightly by matte dials and trim.
The front seat has plenty of passenger space, but could use more storage for glasses, cups, iPods, phones and the like. Rear headroom is good. The storage space behind the fold-flat rear seats doubles the capacity of competing compact sedans.
The Golf SportWagen exterior is understated, with a smooth shape and few flourishes.
VW's 1.8-liter turbo four-cylinder engine provides ample power and good fuel economy. The Environmental Protection Agency rates automatic-transmission gasoline-burning wagons at 25 mpg in the city, 35 on the highway and 29 combined. That trails leading sedans, but the wagon's carrying capacity compensates for a slightly higher fuel bill. The TDI diesel scored EPA ratings of 31 mpg city, 43 highway and 35 combined. At current prices, it would take about 21 years for the higher mileage pay for the TDI's higher price.
The SportWagen is quiet on the highway. The steering is quick, with good on-center feel. The suspension absorbed the bumps from broken pavement well, and kept the wagon securely planted on twisty roads.
It's an enjoyable little car that also happens to be practical. The price and features could be more competitive, but what else are you going to buy if you want a compact station wagon? The Golf SportWagen is the only game in town.
