Volkswagen announced two new performance variants this February. The Jetta is getting a GLI version that will be a sedan form of the GTI, with the 2.0-liter I-4 producing 228hp and 258lb-ft of torque. Europe will receive a 296hp 鈥淩鈥?version of the T-Roc crossover with a 4.9-sec 0-60mph time. It鈥檚 not coming to the U.S. But, it could be a signal of intent. The Tiguan could use a little zest. With VW already having GTI and R variants of the Golf hatchback, almost every small car now has a performance option, except the Golf SportWagen. What did the SportWagen get for 2019? The smaller 1.4T engine from the Jetta. Volkswagen should remedy this oversight with a hot version of the Golf SportWagen with a stick. Just call it a GTI wagon. The Golf SportWagen is an excellent base car. The formula was simple: keep the Golf handling and torque while adding cargo room. Volkswagen executed. It provides everything good about an SUV with much better driving dynamics.
Perhaps, I鈥檓 biased. I own two of them. I bought the FWD version with a manual. My wife liked it so much we bought her an automatic with AWD. That great base car has never been given an engine to flourish. Dieselgate hit the Golf SportWagen hard. The diesel was supposed to be the enthusiast hook. It still is for the retrofitted ones. Instead, the Golf SportWagen got stuck with just the base Golf engine. It鈥檚 not bad. But, it鈥檚 not mind-altering. Producing a hot wagon would not require an engineering miracle. If both the Golf and the Jetta can handle a 2.0T, there鈥檚 a good bet that a tuned version of the Golf SportWagen could. An especially good bet, since a quite similar car already exists as a Skoda: the Octavia RS245 wagon running on a 2.0T engine. There is a niche the hot Golf SportWagen could fill. Discerning GTI drivers don鈥檛 have a place to level up within the VW model tree. BMW pulled out of the American wagon market. Below the Audi Allroad and Volvo luxury level, there鈥檚 the Outback which sells strongly.
Instead of aping the Outback cladding and ride height with the All-Track, why not go after it with a driver-oriented wagon that accelerates from 0-60mph three seconds faster? Sure, Golf SportWagen sales declined markedly in the U.S. So did the Golf, the GTI, and the Jetta. The argument for juicing interest in those cars with performance versions should have the same validity with the Sportwagen. Most importantly, I need this car. My Golf Sportwagen has been a fine dad car. But, I still want a GTI when it鈥檚 not looking. I get wistful at the sight of black and red plaid. I already have one child, though. My PR team is deflecting questions on the timeline for number two. Downsizing to less cargo space would be a tough sell. A GTI wagon would be easier. Parents deserve some driving exuberance with their value and practicality. Volkswagen producing a hot Golf Sportwagen could provide it.
Exterior modifications are limited to a blanked-off grille, slightly different front and rear bumper shields, a tiny lip spoiler on the trunk lid, and some lower-body aero panels. Inside, the cabin is pretty much standard VW Jetta. The front seats are comfortable, with bolstering in the right places. On the models we drove, the seats were upholstered in a tasteful grey-and-black two-tone that lightened the cabin and extended to the door panels as well. The instrument panel, befitting a car for which the phrase "German engineering" gets used half a dozen times, is sensible, straightforward, and no-nonsense. The tachometer has been replaced by a power meter, with simple graphics that show when the car is operating up to the limits of its electric power, when it's recharging, and when it's coasting. Rear seats were comfortable too, and trunk space was less compromised by the air-cooled 1.1-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack than might be expected. The carpeted battery sits across the trunk at the base of the rear seat-back, but the split rear seats still fold down, retaining the ability to pass through skis or other long objects.
Trunk space in the hybrid Jetta 11.3 cubic feet, down 27 percent from the 15.5 cubic feet of the standard Jetta. Due to the greater fuel efficiency, VW has reduced the size of the gasoline tank to 12 gallons from the gasoline version's 14.5-gallon capacity. It should still give a range of 500 miles or so. We were disappointed to note that the 2013 VW Jetta Hybrid is recommended to run only on Premium fuel, though to be fair, that's common with many turbos even today. We did notice some oddities on the hybrid Jetta, indicating its age (it will likely be replaced with an all-new model for the 2015 model year, based on the upcoming new 2014 Volkswagen Golf). The adjusting lever for the power mirrors is located on the driver's door at an odd angle that requires crooking the wrist to use it. We've never seen a mirror adjustment quite like this one. The upper trim levels of the Jetta Hybrid with the keyless entry and Start button have that button located on the console, with a crude plastic blanking plate pasted over the steering-column hole where ignition keys insert in lesser models. And as far as we could tell in our pre-production models, no version of the Jetta Hybrid offers a USB outlet, which seems almost willful these days in a car aimed at early adopters. There's only an audio-in, a 12-Volt power outlet and on top trims, an iPod connector. Most hybrid offerings except the Toyota Prius tend to come in only one or two trim levels, with a limited suite of optional equipment available. Mostly, they're at the top end of the range.
