Road Test: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen
Over the last year, Volkswagen has introduced a total of five new models to the North American automotive market leading the company to begin its newest marketing campaign: 'Meet the Volkswagens.' Of the five new cars, three of the models have been family- and/or cargo-friendly vehicles such as the Tiguan, Routan and Jetta SportWagen. Like diesel engines, Volkswagen (and its European counterparts) is seemingly unwilling to give up on the station wagon design with the Passat Wagon and now the all-new 2009 Jetta SportWagen. With its friendly design and compact size, the Jetta SportWagen helps to bridge the gap between the Rabbit and the Tiguan giving consumers a more attractive alternative to the hatchback or crossover.Previously, we had the opportunity to test VW's newest wagon with the clean diesel TDI engine, but recently we were able to test out a more base model vehicle with fewer options and the standard gasoline engine. Competing against everything from hatchbacks and crossover to other station wagons, the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen has a starting MSRP of $19,075. The base SportWagen S model we test drove added a few options for an as-tested price of $21,875 - still cheaper than the Tiguan and slightly more than a Honda CR-V.
2009 VW Jetta SportWagen Exterior & Styling
Upon first glance, the SportWagen is identical to the Jetta sedan from the B-pillar forward, while the cargo area carries a similar design to the Rabbit's unique hatch and C-pillar. The large chrome shield front grille looks just as good on the wagon as it does on the sedan, and possibly even helps to compliment the SportWagen's long roofline. Even with a silver paint job (Reflex Silver Metallic), our test model came even managed to stand out from the crowd thanks to its unique roofline and the sporty 17-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels that were added as a $1,350 option. Compared to the Jetta sedan, the SportWagen's rear styling and sportier roofline and D-pillar equate to a sleeker overall appearance. If the increased cargo capacity isn't enough for some reason, the SportWagen also comes standard with matte black roof rack rails.
2009 VW Jetta SportWagen Interior
As much as we loved the interior of other VW vehicles we have tested in the past, it was nice to see what the base trim levels offered - and it was surprisingly pleasant. The dash layout and the look and feel of the center stack and center console are fairly similar to most other VW vehicles, but this base-model SportWagen gave us a sense of what the entry-level pricing gets you on this car. Seating for five passengers was adequately comfortable with dark gray, velour cloth seating appointments, and the driver's seat allowed for precise adjustment with the manually adjustable fore and aft position and seat bottom height and the power-adjustable seat back angle. We were not only surprised that the manual tilting and telescoping steering column was standard equipment, but how easy it was to get comfortable in the SportWagen. Even without a navigation system, it seemed there were an excessive amount of buttons on the center stack, but all were properly label and well within an easy reach from the driver's seat. To prevent the base model from looking too cheap, VW also added stylish metallic accents on the instrument panel, shifter bezel and door panels.
The main draw of the Jetta SportWagen is going to be the improved cargo capacity when compared to other similar Volkswagens like the Rabbit. Surprisingly, the Tiguan and the SportWagen share basic chassis components although the station wagon holds a distinct advantage when it comes to storing gear. With seating for five, the SportWagen can offers up to 32.8 cubic feet of storage space, but opens up to 66.9 cubic feet by easily folding the second row seats flat (for comparison, the Tiguan holds 23.8 cubic feet with the seat up and 56.1 cubic feet with the seat folded down).
2009 VW Jetta SportWagen Performance & Handling
The biggest difference between the Jetta SportWagen we tested before and this model is the standard 2.5-liter inline-5 replacing the fuel-sipping 2.0-liter TDI inline-four diesel engine. At times, the engine's 170 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque felt a little underpowered, but the optional ($1,100) six-speed automatic Tiptronic transmission took up most of the noticeable slack. With estimated EPA fuel economy of 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, the Jetta SportWagen is slightly more fuel efficient than the popular compact crossovers such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.
The overall experience of the SportWagen was just as its name suggests - sporty. The four-wheel independent suspension may not have allowed the SportWagen to corner like a sporty Audi Avant, but it handled as one would expect from what is essentially a taller and heavier Jetta sedan. In transforming the Jetta from a stylish sedan into a station wagon, Volkswagen did not compromise the car's overall look, feel or driving characteristics. Aside from keeping most of the crucial lines and curves that make the Jetta and Rabbit so unique, the extra sheet metal added only 55 pounds to the total weight - keeping the 3,285-pound station wagon nimble. The truth is the SportWagen feels like the small hatchback or sedan from which it is derived rather than a typical station wagon or compact crossover to which it will most likely be compared against.
2009 VW Jetta SportWagen Safety
In true Volkswagen style, the Jetta SportWagen offers high levels of safety from both standard and optional equipment. The 2009 Jetta SportWagen offers six standard airbags, active head restraints for driver and front passenger, three-point seat belts for all seating positions and electronic stability control. Our test model also added seat-mounted side airbags for the outboard rear passengers as a $350 option. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Jetta SportWagen five stars for side-impact protection and four stars for frontal-impact protection and rollover avoidance, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the car 'Good' ratings across the board and named it a 2009 Top Safety Pick.
Summary
For those in the market for an alternative to cookie cutter crossovers but can't do without generous amounts of cargo capacity, we highly recommend the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen. Toss in the car's fuel-efficient base engines (including the turbo diesel) and sub-$20,000 starting price, and the new Jetta station wagon is an easy economical choice.