 2013 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI Clean Diesel. Click image to enlarge |
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Long-Term Test: 2012 Toyota Prius C
Manufacturer’s website |
Review and photos by Jonathan Yarkony
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2013 Volkswagen Golf Wagon
When searching out vehicles for long-term tests, we try to find something that will serve us well in our daily lives, yet is something that our readers will find of particular interest. Well, it doesn’t get much more perfect than the Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI Clean Diesel.
Our readers have voted with their clicks that this is one of their all-time favourites on Autos.ca, and we can see why. Quietly handsome, with a functional and high quality interior, it’s a car that handles as well as anything on the compact market, yet delivers hybrid-like efficiency on the highway with compact SUV cargo space. I think my family of three, soon to be four, will find it an ideal transport and a relief at the pumps compared to some of our recent rides, and Social Editor Mike Schlee also finds it an ideal combination of style, refinement, and efficiency.
  2013 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI Clean Diesel. Click image to enlarge |
Only yesterday we took delivery of our Candy White Golf Wagon Highline, and it is handsomely equipped, though not cheap for a compact car at $33,785, plus a $1,395 Freight & PDI fee. Part of that price is the $890 Navigation package.
However, Golf Wagons start for as low as $22,975 (okay, even that’s not cheap for a compact) for a Trendline model with a 170-hp 2.5L inline-five cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission. The gasoline engines can be ordered with a six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode for $1,400. Some notable standard features include roof rails, power windows (one-touch up/down for all windows with pinch protection and remote opening/closing), power mirrors, keyless entry, 16-inch steel wheels, rear wiper, cruise control, good interior lighting (front, rear, and cargo), cargo cover, 60/40 split-folding rear seats with centre armrest that includes cupholders, air conditioning, AM/FM/CD stereo with eight speakers, eight-way manually adjustable front seats and steering wheel adjustable for height and reach.
It features a healthy list of safety features and structure, which earns it an IIHS Top Safety Pick (with Good ratings in all categories), though it is not yet rated by the NHTSA.
    2013 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI Clean Diesel. Click image to enlarge |
The Comfortline trim adds 16-inch alloy wheels, black front grille with chrome bars, heated front seats, leather steering wheel, and chrome window accents starting at $24,225. The Comfortline with the 2.0L TDI Clean Diesel and six-speed manual transmission is $27,025, with a similar $1,400 charge for the automatic transmission, but in this case, it is a twin-clutch Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), which mimics automatic operation with manual transmission parts. The Comfortline TDI also bundles in fog lights, side curtain airbags front and rear, and an engine block heater.
Volkswagen has added a Sportline trim for 2013, packaging the 2.5L gas engine and manual transmission only with 18-inch alloy wheels, sport seats with Alcantara cloth inserts, sport suspension, panoramic sunroof, multifunction trip computer, multifunction steering wheel, keyless push-button start, and Bluetooth phone connectivity, voice command, touchscreen infotainment system, and premium 10-speaker stereo for $27,975.
The Golf Wagon’s top trim is the Highline trim, as tested, and it is only available with the 2.0L TDI Clean Diesel. Seems like a brave move to isolate that powertrain, but Volkswagen probably knows their customers, and if the past few generations of Jetta Wagons on the road are anything to go by, most of them are sold as diesels.
This generation of the TDI makes 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, not a recipe for thrilling performance, but enough to pull solidly off the line and deliver an accelerative punch at any speeds. This trim adds 17-inch wheels, automatic climate control, multifunction steering wheel, multifunction trip computer, media device interface with iPod/iPhone cable, satellite radio, Bluetooth phone connectivity with streaming audio, leather seats, and a panoramic sunroof that spans almost the entire surface of the roof for great natural lighting in the cabin.
We picked up the Wagon with 222 km on the odometer, and plan to rack up many miles commuting and travelling on any long-distance voyages, the particular forte of diesel engines.
Our first impressions were that the interior seems somewhat plain and unassuming, but is very easy to use (didn’t hurt that we were in a Tiguan with very similar controls last week), and the materials were of a quality that we are used to in Volkswagens of years past, unlike the current Jetta and Passat, to some degree. The engine is a sweetheart, but as the weather gets colder, we’ll see if the temperature affects its performance, and we’ve heard reports of rough DSG transmissions, so we’ll keep an eye on that.
Pricing: 2013 Volkswagen Golf Wagon Highline TDI Clean Diesel
Base Price: $31,495
Options: $2,290 (DSG $1,400; RNS 315 Navigation System $890)
Freight & PDI: $1,395
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $35,280
