VW’s six-speed automatic is a refined unit that makes Mercedes’ newer seven-speed gearbox feel antiquated by comparison. I didn’t use the manual shift mode much, which speaks to the capability of the transmission in automatic mode to be in the right gear at the right time. Mostly I preferred the transmission’s sport mode, holding lower gears longer and being more apt to downshift at the appropriate times. All of this fun comes with a fuel consumption penalty, so choose your shift mode wisely. I saw 10.3 L/100 km after a week of city driving.

Electric power steering replaces the electromechanical unit from last year’s car, to no ill effect. VW’s trademark intuitive steering response has survived intact. Braking feel is improved over the old car, with less sponge in the pedal’s travel.

Of course, with a new generation comes new styling, inside and out. When we were shopping for a new vehicle (cross-shopping the Golf Wagon with compact crossovers), the biggest drawback for the Golf to me was its styling, which borders on frumpy. It’s a little too rounded overall, and with taillights that remind me ever so slightly of a 1984 Ford Tempo (an unfair stretch, I know), a refresh was in order even when that model was new.

The new wagon ticks the right boxes from a styling standpoint. As with other seventh-gen Golfs, the new car is more angular and its taillights are more in line with those of the standard Golf hatchback. The lighting on this loaded tester adds a further does of style with those U-shaped running lights. It’s a little more muscular, a little less bloated, and it’s just what the doctor ordered.

The changes inside have equal impact in terms of modernizing this wagon. The symmetrical look of the old car’s centre stack has been replaced by one that is more of a continuation of the instrument panel and is angled slightly toward the driver. It’s a variation on what I loved about the E46 BMW 3 Series, the fourth-gen Subaru Legacy, and current Kia Optima’s dashboard design, and it’s been pulled off nicely here.

The 5.8-inch touch screen, while nicely integrated, is on the small side for a top-trim car. Trying to cram too much information onto a small screen can be a challenge, and VW has dealt with this by incorporating a proximity sensor to shift the display when a person’s finger gets close. Pretty slick.

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