The Golf wagon is a great car but we don't get it in the States -- VW sends us hatchbacks only.

One hopes the ones she wore were not previously used in space...

Ah that sucks! Comre border hopping and buy one :D

As far as I can tell from a little Googling, the Golf wagon sold in Canada is the exact same vehicle as the Jetta SportWagen sold in the US.

From a quick look at the Jetta TDI wagon on VW's website, it looks OK, but doesn't have some of the luxury features that my Passat wagon has, nor is the cargo space as big--it's sort of halfway between the Matrix-style hatchbacks and a real station wagon. One huge positive, though, is that it comes in a stick shift.

Subaru makes a nice wagon in the Outback. Well made a nice wagon. The 2011 redesign took it from a wagon to a cross over. But if you're looking for a wagon that is built well, anything up to a 2010 will work. And in snow/ice nothing will match it.

Very nice..

the Outback is a very nice vehicle.. also the WRX.. but in terms of stations wagons.. I believe the Outback is one of the most highly rated..

It's bleedin' enormous. It gets bigger with every redesign. The new one dwarfs an Impala. We're programmed to think of Asian cars as "compact," but the Outback is a parade float. How it got its greenie / tree-hugger cachet is beyond me, because it gets about 18 MPG. And I'm afraid I don't like the Outback for other reasons; the interiors seem crude to me and the ride / handling harsh.

I am on my 3rd VW Stationwagen now and I have done Southern Germany to Venice and back with 3 adults and 2 teens plus luggage like we were going to Turkey for 4 weeks. 8no we were on cruise for a week) All this on single tank of diesel and that was about 1.665 Km and some to spare.

This does how ever also depend on you own personal way of driving. Manuals are more efficient than automatics, shifting up faster plays arole, how you pull away at lights or stop streets, do you diving looking ahead and anticipating the traffic so that you don't have to use brakes excessively etc. It plays a role in how much fuel you will end up using. Then again those of us paying 10,- UDS and more for a gallon are probably more efficient now any way.

I don't know if It'd say it's enormous. But it is definitely bigger in 2011 than it was in 2010 and before. It went from a wagon to a X-over which I think was a bad move on Subaru's part. Now it's barely distinguishable from the 300 other X-overs out there whereas the previous model was one of a kind in the way it looked.

It gets better than 18 MPG. The 4 cylinder is about 30 hwy. And keep in mind that's with full time AWD. The vast majority of Outbacks are the 4 cylinder variety. Plus it has a high clearance so getting to the ski hills in a foot of snow is easy. Or offroading it with the kayak on the roof. That's how it became the outdoorsy preferred car.

The quality is also bulletproof and the cost is not bad. Low $20ks for the 4 cylinder. Compare that to $40K+ for the Audi wagon which is the only real alternative.

My inlaws have one with 100K+ miles and it runs like the day it came off the line. I've driven it a few times and there's nothing I can complain about.

Certainly from driving one it seems like a normal wagon to me (having driven an older Passat Wagon, a Saab Wagon etc.) It is certainly a lot bigger than the hatchbacks I have driven.

A quick look tells me that the Outback cargo space is 0.97 cubic metres, and the Gold / Jetta wagon is 0.93 cubic metres, so pretty similar in cargo space etc. (I had to look up the numbers, as I am more used to describing space as in 'how many large labradors will fit in' which I understand is not a universal term of measurement for some strange reason)

In terms of the luxury features, the Golf Wagon doesn't have a power seat, which would be nice, but I think I had everything else I wanted (heated seats, huge moon roof, tinted windows, nice stereo etc.)

Mine's automatic too - too many years of driving stick to miss it! I drive so much in town, I love automatics now, especially the VW as they really are very good.

Totally agree with you there. Now the Outback does battle against the Ford Flex, Chevy Equinox, Toyota Venza, maybe even the Buick Enclave which is the size of a C-130. As for its size... I get in behind Outbacks on the freeway and I'm struck by how much bigger they are than surrounding cars -- they tower over standard Camrys, Accords, Malibus, etc.

EPA has the 4cyl @ 19 city, 27 hwy, and I expect the 6cyls are a little worse... but I can't talk. My '99 Volvo V70AWD 5cyl gets about 17/24... it's a real brick. Our independent Volvo mechanic, BTW, says any Volvo built after 2001 or so is a real mistake -- and flimsy compared to the pre-FoMoCo cars. He's actually taken me through an older / newer comparison and you can see where stuff that used to be sheet metal started to be made of plastic, and rivets became IKEA-style plastic fasteners, etc. Wouldn't touch another Volvo on a bet. They were cheaping out to hold costs down (and pay for Swedish marathon maternity leaves with full pay, etc.) long before the Chinese sale.

Can't argue about the build quality and longevity of the Subies, I just wish there were more options between them and the Audi / BMW level.

+1. I hope someone in the auto business is reading this and decides to put something suitable into production before my Passat dies.

I agree with you about Volvos and their quality issues. Fifteen years ago they were on my short list, but not now. And Saab was too, but again, no longer. The company seems like it is teetering on the edge of dissolution.

My wife and I bought our 2009 A4 Avant (Loaded to the gills with options, no less...) as a demonstrator with only 7500 miles on it for right around $30k USD, so it was very, very inexpensive (I think list was $45k). All wheel drive, 29mpg, handles very well, and damn sexy (If you like wagons...).

I only wish we could've purchased the diesel here, as the long term A3 TDI rental I had in the UK was utterly brilliant. A stick would've been nice as well.

I rented a Peugeot 407 diesel station wagon ("estate") in the UK which was a brilliant car -- huge carrying capacity, a ball to drive with 5-speed (possibly six) manual shift, more than enough oomph, and I swear it returned about 50 mpg on mostly country-lane driving. I would buy a car like that in the States in seconds flat. Sometimes I think there's a conspiracy to keep the best cars from the US market.

Even the Ford Focus with a diesel and a 6-speed is fun to drive in the UK. There's no way I'd ever drive a Focus here, even the new one. Audi does import the diesel A3 to the US, but it's not AWD and it doesn't have a stick. I utterly hate having an auto, but didn't have much of a choice, as the A4 Avant has no other options in the US.

You're right, we got shafted, carwise...