Thanks, folks
Ordered floormats and the likes. Shoutout to tortoise who has patiently answered all my golf wagon related questions via email.
Beauty, pi! Perfect choice for you!
Can't believe a Trendline is almost $30k, but I shouldn't be surprised - all cars these days are expensive 
$27,340 with freight and PDI which seems pretty reasonable for an AWD wagon. Minus whatever discount you can get.
I'll just say that my final price inclusive of discount and taxes was about 30% more than 2015 used examples... of which there were few in stickshift, and none in AWD. Some adjustment for financing too. It was very reasonably priced IMO and with the cheap financing I thought I might as well go the new route - new model of course also has carplay (which would cost about 1000 to aftermarket in most cars) and auto headlights (which I don't know why VW didn't include for so long... my friend's 2010 GTI doesn't have it
)
I did test and like the comfortline model but the additional price didn't make sense - It befuddles me that AWD is $1500 whereas a glass roof and some fake leather, a marginally larger display, proximity key, and a few other things is nearly double that.
I think we'd all love to hear what sold you on the Golf over all the other vehicles you've been looking at. How does it compare to the Fit you're replacing?
Sure. I think the biggest thing was the fit was the first car I bought, and I bought it with my Fredericton driving experience. Namely, that meant that most trips I did in the past were quite quick and very limited traffic. Moreover I had access to my mom's van for road trips, So cabin noise was not a consideration.
By all respects the fit is an amazing car, and it's without question the car I'd buy in this class if buying again. Two things stopped me: 1) I didn't want to buy the same thing twice, and 2) it turns out I do a lot more roadtrips/highway driving than I initially thought. In stickshift the fit revs at something ridiculous (3400?) on the highway. It's also not a quiet car. It's also not that well insulated, and so AC is merely adequate, and heat takes a while since the engine is small. None of these are deal breakers but they did guide my replacement hunt.
I should mention that I was considering replacing my fit with an EV for the last little while. However, I live in an apartment and while the landlords were willing to install a charger, the flood response did not inspire confidence. Moreover, a new EV would be a fair bit more than what I paid for the golf for a lot less utility. I also do a lot of highway driving and EV wouldn't let me make a road trip to the maritimes for example. It was cool to test them though - in the PHEV space I'd go with a clarity for sure. EV I prefer golf EV to focus EV but good luck getting one. Will check out the leaf when my colleague gets his. Used C-Max did not pan out. Other used EVs are priced too high IMO. 2nd gen volt also felt too cramped.
Honourable mention: 2013 Lexus Ct200h. I really really liked this car. Cheaper than 2015 golf which is ridiculous IMO. However, it's too small for me when I have visitors or when I go camping. It'd also be difficult to transport bicycles with.
I test drove some used vehicles and new ones, and ultimately realized that the Golf was the best combination for what I wanted: quiet and in stickshift. The wagon is a guilty pleasure. Used pricing is somewhat insane, especially for the wagon, so I looked into new.
Turns out the dealer had a good price, and the 4motion available, tested that in the snow, and that sealed the deal.
This was a lot more than I planned to write - I'm sure I'll write more when I get the car (probably the end of next week).
