We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Volkswagen has created somewhat of a mess with the whole Jetta/Golf relationship. But the German automaker has finally come to its senses, deciding to end the madness by renaming the Jetta SportWagen (which is actually a Golf) as the Golf SportWagen. Today, it has announced official details and pricing for the new vehicle in the U.S. market.
At launch, the new Golf SportWagen will be available with two engines: the turbocharged 1.8L four-cylinder direct-injection EA888, which produces 170 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque while replacing the 2.5L five-cylinder found in the Jetta, and the 2.0L direct-injection EA288 turbo-diesel, which delivers 150 horses and 236 pound-feet of torque at just 1750 RPM. The former will be available with a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic, while the latter offers up a six-speed manual and a six-speed dual-clutch/DSG automatic.
Like the new, seventh-generation Golf, the new SportWagen rides on VW’s highly-adaptable MQB architecture, which makes the vehicle up to 137 pounds lighter than the outgoing Jetta SportWagen, while helping manually-equipped 1.8L TSI models deliver 36 MPG and manually-equipped Golf SportWagen TDIs boast an impressively-frugal 43 MPG.
Despite being an all-new vehicle on an all-new platform, the new Golf SportWagen has similar dimension to the outgoing Jetta SportWagen. Overall length has increased 1.1-inches (to 179.6 inches) while overall width has increased 0.7 inches (to 70.8 inches) over the Jetta SportWagen. Overall vehicle height has been reduced by 1.1 inches.
Golf SportWagen shoppers can choose from six different trim levels, three for each engine. They include S, SE and SEL. Expect to dish out $21, 395 for a bare-bones Golf SportWagen 1.8T S, and $31, 445 for a TDI SEL equipped with the DSG, with the dual-clutch being a $1,100 option.
Look for the MK7 Golf SportWagen to hit U.S. dealerships in April. The Toyota Prius V and Subaru XV Crosstrek should look out: there’s a new wagon in town. And it is very, very good.
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