  2014 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Brendan McAleer
Ah, diesel; no other fluid is as near and dear to the automotive writer’s heart. Perhaps single malt scotch. If North American automotive scribblers had their way, there’d be a manual diesel wagon in every driveway, and a semi-running Alfa-Romeo project car in every garage.
Meanwhile in Europe, where everyone is driving diesel wagons, they probably lust after six-cylinder crossovers and full-size pickup trucks. That’s just the way these things work.
Happily, there is a manufacturer who will actually sell you a diesel wagon if you want one. Until Mazda gets their Skyactiv-D engine through whatever sort of emissions issues they’re having, Volkswagen is the only mainstream diesel manufacturer in the North American game. Sure, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Chevrolet all make diesels too, but the first three are shoehorned into luxury cars and the last only available in one model and trim (the Cruze).
New for 2014, the turbodiesel variant of the VW Golf Wagon is available right from a basic Trendline variant, with a starting MSRP of $26,375, which is about 15 percent more expensive than a basic Mazda CX-5 crossover. My is-the-grass-really-greener tester was a full-spec Highline model (Y’arr, would ye like some fish sticks?), and is only available in TDI trim – no gasoline engine is available.
When asked what this car was like, I immediately responded, “Great fuel economy,” and that’s what you might think the number one reason for buying this car would be. Not so, I think it’s reason number two. Thriftiness is only one part of the equation here as VW reports that folks who buy Golf Wagons in TDI trim tend to option the heck out of them.
Let’s do a little math. Assuming a 50/50 mixed-mileage operating cycle of city and highway use, converted US ratings show 6.9 L/100 km for the TDI, and 8.9 L/100 km for the 2.5L gasoline engine, both vehicles equipped with VW’s six-speed DSG transmission. Not a big savings, but start skewing towards highway driving and the turbodiesel’s relentless consistency improves. Even though the weather’s been cold, hand-measured figures over the week were very close to the EPA ratings.
With an average yearly mileage of 20,000 km, that’s 400 litres of fuel saved each year – but there are further numbers to crunch. Diesel is more expensive than gas, and my week-end fillup cost me an extra twenty cents per litre over regular-grade gasoline. With regular gas hovering around the $1.30/L mark, a theoretical $500 a year savings is whittled down to $200.
 2014 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI. Click image to enlarge |
Of course, there are other variables here too: fuel prices fluctuate throughout the year and sometimes diesel is the same price as gasoline, you might need to drive 30,000 km a year mostly on the highway, you could convert the car to biodiesel and brew your own fuel in the bathtub. Even so, I maintain that fuel savings aren’t the way a VW TDI keeps money in your pocket. It’s the resale value.
If you’d bought a 2010 VW TDI Golf Wagon four years ago and were now intending to trade it in on this new 2014, you’d be getting between $4,000 and $5,000 more than you would for the gasoline engine variant. These figures are pulled from a recent edition of the Canadian Black Book, and a VW dealer with a customer in mind for a used TDI wagon might even pay slightly more. The price differential to move up to TDI power in the 2014 model year is only $2,800.
Not bad, hey? Although that’s more a case for the engine, rather than the car it’s attached to, and I see the attention of the class wavering with all the facts and figures. Let’s crank this baby up.
One does so, somewhat quaintly, by inserting the “switchblade” VW key and turning it. $35,470 as tested doesn’t buy you a push-button starter.
However, there’s no waiting around for glow plugs or laboured cranking in the cold – the 2.0L turbodiesel power plant fires right up with a gruff little clatter. Yes, it’s noisier than a gasoline engine, but the difference is slighter than expected.
On the outside, the Golf Wagon looks as straightforward as any member of the current VW range, with 16-inch steel rims standard on the base Trendline, and 17-inch multi-spoke alloys on my Highline tester. Roof rails are standard, which is not true of most crossover offerings; they’re also easier to reach.
    2014 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI. Click image to enlarge |
The inside is much the same spartan ethos, with plenty of black trim and no fancy futurism. It’s a mix of nice touches and slightly dated foibles.
The seats, for instance, are well bolstered and quite firm. You don’t get full power adjustability, with both height and fore-aft position controlled manually, and of course there isn’t any memory function. However, my fairly-average 5’11” fit right into them and found the driving position just about perfect, ditto the visibility.
The driver’s side carpet is attached not just with hooks, but with a velcro-like underside that keeps it from sliding around. The leather seats have an inboard section made from cloth so they don’t bind, squeak, and wear on the centre section. In the large, 1,890 L trunk, there are two small cubbies either side of the main loading floor, ideal for keeping small bags of groceries from sliding around. Heated seats are now standard. You can fold the seats completely flat if you remove the rear headrests.
Some useful engineering there, but the technology side of things is perhaps not quite as good. The touchscreen navigation is workable, but the screen is small and there’s no back-up camera paired with it.
    2014 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI. Click image to enlarge |
The rear seats rate as “big enough.” I managed to fit the kid’s rear-facing child seat back there, but as this car is the same wheelbase as the Golf hatchback, any increase in carrying capacity is restricted to the trunk. Not that I’m suggesting you carry your kids in the trunk or anything.
This is an oddly likable car to drive. Because it’s a car, and not a top-heavy crossover, it feels quite sharp in the curves, although the numb steering is a bit of a letdown. The suspension is tuned for comfort rather than corner-carving, but there’s genuine fun-to-drive factor here.
The diesel too, makes an interesting pairing with the dual-clutch automatic, coming onstream with huge gobs of torque and then fading in the higher rpms. Rated at just 140 hp, the diesel’s 236 lb-ft of torque shoves the car along an onramp with ease. It’s possible to hustle the Golf Wagon if you put it in sport mode, but really, most of the time it was happy to just bomb along the highway, burning minimal fuel.
One caveat here is winter-time traction. You absolutely need winter tires on this car what with the extra weight out back and the diesel’s low-end twist.
It’s a unique vehicle, and you can see why owners like them so much, despite VW’s less-than-stellar reputation for long-term reliability. It should be noted that improvements have been made over the last half-decade, and some Golf models are even fairly reliable, but think hard about an extended warranty here.
Lastly, also think hard about whether or not you actually want one. Obviously if you’re going to buy a Golf Wagon, the TDI is probably the sensible power plant choice, but marketplace is filled with other vehicle options, particularly given this car’s high price tag. If it’s a driver’s car you’re after, a CX-5 with the 2.5L four-cylinder is actually quite good fun to drive. If you like a small car that’s a little better in the snow, the Subaru Impreza is actually not that much smaller except in the trunk area. If saving fuel is your thing, a Prius V will handle stop-and-go city driving better than a diesel.
However, if you really want a small, diesel wagon, this is the only thing going. The good news seems to be: change your mind in a few years and the decision won’t really have cost you that much.
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Pricing: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI
Base Price (Trendline TDI): $26,375
Base Price (Highline TDI): $31,785
Options: $2,290 (DSG – $1400; touchscreen navigation, 10-speaker audio – $890)
Freight: $1,395
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $35,570 (includes documentation)
Competitors:
Mazda CX-5
Mercedes-Benz B 250
Prius V
Crash test results
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
