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2016 Volkswagen Golf TDI SportWagen Review

You might think that after driving a Dodge Challenger Hellcat during the week of the Woodward Dream Cruise, seven days with a diesel-powered Volkswagen Golf SportWagen would be a letdown. You know, like following a shot of Jack Daniels with a sippy cup of Metamucil. But it ended up being perfect timing. Right at the end of my Challenger loan, I signed my name what felt like 1,241 times, handed over a very, very large check, and officially bought my first home. The SportWagen arrived on moving day, and I set about putting the longroof's hauling ability to the ultimate test, schlepping everything I own to my very first house. SportWagens, like Metamucil, can often be very good for you. The wagon's cargo area isn't dramatically bigger than the standard Golf – 30.4 cubic feet versus 22.8 – unless you fold the second row down. With the seats flat, the Golf SportWagen's advantage nearly doubles, to 66.5 cubic feet. But it's not just the extra space that makes moving things a lot easier. The rear hatch is more defined and sits atop a lower bumper. The load height is just 24.8 inches, while the tailgate opens to an aperture of 40.6 inches. It also opens high enough that your six-foot, one-inch author can stand tall below it. The load height is just 24.8 inches, while the tailgate opens to an aperture of 40.6 inches. In short, loading stuff into the back was a breeze. While you might expect the Golf SportWagen to make short work of a bunch of boxes, it was easy to add larger items into the mix. I hauled nightstands, a large desk chair, and even all four pieces of a king-size IKEA bed frame with a minimal amount of fuss. That said, Volkswagen uses nice materials in the cargo compartment of the Golf, so if you frequently move a lot of stuff, expect to see visible wear sooner rather than later. If you prefer to move people instead of things, rest easy knowing the wagon mimics the Golf hatchback's 35.6 inches of rear legroom. Moving locally meant a lot of back-and-forth trips. Between the actual move itself and the subsequent running around, I put 600 miles on the Golf SportWagen during my week-long loan. But with this car, I could have done way more and wouldn't have found cause to complain. It's the little details that make the Golf feel premium. The Golf's cabin is a great place to be.

Dealers, owners feel betrayed by VW scandal

Bob Rand bought his Volkswagen Passat last year for its clean emissions and high gas mileage. He liked the car so much he convinced his son and a friend to buy one, too. Now, as Volkswagen comes clean about rigging diesel emissions to pass US tests, Rand is desperately trying to sell the fully loaded model with white leather seats for $10,000 below what he paid. His sole bite has been from a man who offered $7,500 on speculation that he could resell it in Mexico. "Volkswagen was somebody that you could rely on for cutting-edge products and quality and all those things and now you find out that they're not above lying just flat out," said Rand, who plans to join a class-action lawsuit against VW. "That's probably about as bad a thing as a company can do is lie to your face when you're buying a $35,000 car." Rand's anger at the world's top-selling car company was echoed Wednesday by private dealers, auto wholesalers and owners across the US as fallout from the smog test trickery mounted. The US Environmental Protection Agency first disclosed Friday that stealth software makes VW's 2009-2015 model cars powered by 2.0-liter diesel engines run cleaner during emissions tests than in actual driving. On Wednesday, CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned and took responsibility for the "irregularities" found by US inspectors - a scandal that has wiped out billions in the company's market value and raised the possibility of criminal investigations and billions more in fines. The revelations left dealers sitting on hundreds of diesel cars they could not sell. Many also dealt with a flood of angry calls, emails and tweets from Volkswagen owners who felt betrayed because they believed they had bought a car that polluted less without sacrificing the good gas mileage and performance that comes with a diesel engine. "I think their feet should be held to the fire." - Joe DeCarolis "I think their feet should be held to the fire. I think apologies don't mean anything when something is so premeditated," said Joe DeCarolis, of Cary, NC, who owns a 2012 TDI Jetta Sport Wagon — a car he bought after careful comparison shopping for its clean emissions and good gas mileage. Dealers can't give customers good answers because Volkswagen hasn't said a whole lot, said AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson, the leader of the largest auto dealership chain in the US.

2015 Volkswagen Touareg TDI Quick Spin [w/video]

There are two particularly great things about diesel-powered cars: torque and range. The 2015 Volkswagen Touareg TDI has both in spades. We put 190 miles on our test car, and upon return, the computer claimed we still had 490 miles to go. We weren't even averaging the EPA-estimaged 29 miles per gallon highway. Plus, that's in a sport-utility vehicle with tons of room and a whopping 406 pound-feet of torque. That said, our most recent adventure with the Touareg wasn't totally positive. This thing feels decidedly long in the tooth, despite a 2014 refresh. Driving Notes The Touareg TDI's powertrain really is the star of the show. The 3.0-liter, turbodiesel V6 has been in service since 2009, but it's still a dynamite engine. With 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which can be called upon at just 2,000 rpm, there's no shortage of thrust under your right foot. Turbo lag is an issue when you get aggressive with the throttle, but don't drive like a boob and you'll be fine. ZF's critically acclaimed eight-speed automatic delivers that power to all four wheels. But where other ZF-equipped vehicles deliver a crisper, sharper character, the TDI's trans is tuned for a far more relaxed driving experience. Upshifts are leisurely; the eight-speed keeps you right in the thick of the Touareg's broad torque curve. The suspension tuning follows a similar philosophy. It's far more comfortable than dynamic, soaking up all manner of bumps and general imperfections with aplomb. That said, the Touareg does not feel floaty or disconnected – just smooth. The greasy bits of the Touareg are very desirable, but the package they're wrapped in is less so. It's not that the interior or exterior designs are necessarily bad – fans of Earth tones will love our tester's Black Oak Brown Metallic paint and Cornsilk Beige interior – they're just kind of bland, or anonymous. The switchgear and buttons come from the Volkswagen parts bin, and while they're fine on a $20,000 Golf, these pieces aren't as appropriate in a vehicle that starts at more than twice the price. The dash plastics and faux wood don't look as nice as what's inside an Acura MDX, or even a Jeep Grand Cherokee. This mid-level Touareg TDI Lux starts at $57,580.