The six-speed direct-shift automatic remains as a $1,400 option across the board. A major part of the reason I’m loyal to VW is that (a) they still sell cars with manual gearboxes, and (b) said stick-shifts are available across the range of trim levels. Oh, and they’re great fun to drive. The only anomaly here is the presence of five, rather than six, ratios when the gas engine is specified. Go for the oil-burner, and the six-speed stick comes with.

Our tester was further enhanced with the $2,220 multimedia package, which adds bi-xenon headlights with adaptive lighting, navigation, Fender premium audio, forward collision warning system, and LED daytime running lights. All told, we’re sitting at $34K for this premium compact wagon before destination and taxes are figured in. At this price, it would be nice to see a blind-spot warning system included.

That’s a few bucks, to be sure, but this needs to be looked at in the context of compact crossovers with which the Sportwagon competes. It’s easy to find a loaded Mazda CX-5 or well-equipped Ford Escape with the same (or higher) price tag, so I don’t find the wagon’s pricing structure to be unreasonable. It’s competitive on interior space; to me the fundamental decision buyers need to make is high seating position and all-wheel drive versus driving dynamics and efficiency.

While I would have liked to see this new 1.8T as a spiritual successor to the Jetta 1.8T that I was driving more than a decade ago, this new mill has more noble aspirations: rather than being a sporty, GTI-like option for the wagon, this engine tries to walk the line between sporty and efficient. To that end, the automatic Sportwagon achieves ratings of 9.6 L/100 km in the city and 6.7 on the highway. For the curious, the TDI diesel nets 7.5 and 5.6 respectively.

This new engine is smooth and quiet; way ahead of the 2.5L five-cylinder that it replaces in terms of efficiency and performance. It’s rated at the same 170 hp, and produces only a few more lb-ft of twist at 185. The difference, though, is in torque delivery. The old engine achieved peak torque at 4,250 rpm; this new one gets there at 1,600 revs and holds it right up to 4,200. The result is a flexible powerplant that makes the transmission’s job just that much easier.

Connect with Autos.ca