2016 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen Review: Curbed with Craig Cole

Americans LOVE crossovers, and it’s a real shame, because this fixation has completely blinded us to the viability of other automotive options. Options like the Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, a versatile hauler that’s the perfect antidote to crossover fever. It provides ample cargo room and luxuriant trimmings along impressive dynamics. What’s not to love? Well, that’s a good question.
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AutoGuide reviews the latest new cars with test drives, car comparisons and shootouts plus coverage of breaking auto industry news, auto shows, rumors and spy photos. Help shop for your new car with informative car buying tips and car recall news, and be entertained with feature stories, Top 10s and car review videos.

[@ironinquisitor3656]

I'm 20, and American, and I hate crossover SUVs. Crossovers drool and station wagons rule.

[@wisecountryman49]

As a european I agree with you totally. We love wagons here, but they are in a full battle with crossovers here as well. SUV's not so much because we have high fuel prices over here. Nothing is a more honest car than the wagon, and here in Europe will live longer than anywhere else.

[@trappenator96]

Wagons are sick.

[@mountainhobo]

Buy a dictionary.

[@greghamblin367]

You are GREAT Craig ... Like, you are the reason a lot of us watch AutoGuide. Keep up the good work. 🚘

[@laurenlalo153]

I have a 2016 sportwagen black on black on black and i love it!!!

[@blarkdexture8899]

Thumbs up for no music.

[@ayushanand2901]

Blark Dexture I thought there's a hair on my screen 😂😂😂

[@stephenmaturin2]

I wanted this car....badly. But it did not have enough grunt, instead I shelved out the $ for a 2017 330xi wagon. And that car...wow. 100% in love and this is coming from a huuuuuge vw fan. If only VW offered a GTI version of this car with all wheel drive. I guess they don't mainly because of a low profit margin combined with stealing sales from Audi.

[@tgamirov]

Henry Grimm apr+ tune would have given you gti power for only a few hundred dollars while retaining power train warranty. Better luck next time...

[@verbsinarow]

Awesome review thank you! I am more into wagons over SUVs or cross overs because of the MPG difference.

[@johne6081]

... not to mention the driving experience.

[@ilovemyhonda250ex]

my cousin got one of these he loves it

[@johne6081]

We bought one four months ago -- great car. (Other car is a 2001 Passat wagon, so you can guess where we stand.) I am royally pissed that VW is discontinuing the Sportwagen for 2020.

[@JoJoJoker]

Chris Christie ate all the other species out of existence.

[@bosse641]

Would love to own the Alltrack. ....so sleek and stylish. ...as well as practical. ....a great drive I'm sure. ......would buy it with the manual transmission though.

[@bosse641]

Hope they will bring an amazing TDI on the market in the near future.

[@voicemint]

My mother has had one for 3 years and she loves it, no problems whatsoever. I've driven it... and I'm impressed with it, except perhaps the handling isn't quite as precise as on my comparative Audi A3 sport wagon, and brakes should be upgraded. And yeah, the front end is kind of bland... I wonder if there's much in the after-market upgrades available for it.

[@infiltr80r]

Very cool car, reminds of the great Golf Variants of 90s. This with diesel and 4WD would be awesome.

[@freezor80]

I like wagons. I just wish there were a few more options and sportier options.

[@freezor80]

Give us the Sportwagen R!

[@STEVE33437]

I've owned 3 VW's. Loved all of them. However, I don't know if they can ever be trusted again after the Diesel fiasco. My current 2 cars are American & Japanese.

[@johne6081]

I do not understand the objection to the simple, clean styling. Of course our other car is a 2001 Passat wagon, and the car the Golf is replacing is a 1996 Audi A4.

[@wotm8870]

I'm 16 and my parents have this i can drive on my own and it is amazing to drive

[@paulpaplinski7443]

Waiting for the 2018 model year with improved interior and hopefully a better engine with DSG.

[@ryancarson8461]

Would it be possible for you guys to do a comparison with the Sportwagen and the Subaru Outback? I'm thinking to buy one of then but still have conflicting ideas.Thanks it would mean alot

[@BCJDM]

think about it this way, the sportwagen is more car like with optional fwd biased awd system and drives more like a car. The outback is more large suv like with a 50-50 awd system and almost 9 inches of ground clearance. You should just go out and drive both. buy the one you like more.

[@mexifinn7830]

Ryaka even better, throw in the Alltrack to compare!

[@shawnballinger2270]

I'll just add that the Outback has a CVT. Subjectively I've never driven a CVT based car that I would buy.

[@Ascension-wg7bj]

ryan carson ...Been driving my Subaru for 16.5 years. It's been extremely reliable. Subaru is excellent...their dealerships give outstanding service too. Looking to now buy the Golf Sportwagen. Subaru is too much.

[@leslielucci3182]

Subarus with leaky head gaskets, excessive oil consumption and CVT going bad early on, have really screwed over loyal customers for decades. Just yesterday noticed 5 oil spots on driveway from 09 Outback that needs a $3.5k head gasket job.

[@rowsdower12]

I have a very rare for the U.S. wagon. Mitsubishi lancer wagon, 2004. only model year. love wagons. because of image Americans don't like them. but I say that can be regional. Cause I see a fair amount of wagons, Subaru and VW where I live in MN

[@AndrewKNI]

Great video review. Nice car. Solid and dependable.

[@AndrewKNI]

I have owned 8+ VW's and they have been grand. But have seen the error of my ways and now buy from Asian countries!

[@loudionne3491]

Andrew K, Northern Ireland Used to buy Honda seen the error of my ways and buy VW if I bought Asian it would be Hyundai or Kia

[@AndrewKNI]

Currently have a Hyundai which is grand, although VW build quality def has the edge.

[@TheCockyPerry]

Do you know if the 8th gen will be offer in wagon in North america (Canada) Or it is dead??

[@myvenusinuranus]

I love wagons

[@BIGWEBB88]

Long live the wagon

[@nylonsteel]

Just test drove the 2017 4motion and my only concern was the Mushy Brake Pedal feel just as you mentioned ...very weird and not confidence inspiring . This or the new Impreza....still cant decide.

[@MaxMotoYYC]

VW quality went down so bad in the last 4 years even for the ones built in Germany. How much is on hour in the shop?

[@raydavies3278]

Great review,you deserve more likes.

[@travisbaugh-allen2830]

Two Liter??? I thought it was a 1.8 turbo?

[@winnaar2263]

All 1.8 motors are pinched 2.0 with turbo

[@chinmaybotekar1205]

Gti wagon, or even better R-wagon 😏😏

[@Broba_Fett]

Chinmay Botekar Europe has one but if course we will never get that.

[@emac282]

would really like to get the sportwagon but I heard the standard automatic transmission is not the best compared to the dsg. which the VW Alltrack has. Will you do an ep on that car?

[@johne6081]

The standard automatic transmission is excellent. If you don't like the way it revs in sport mode or lugs in standard mode, just shift it manually, as I do.

[@javiermauriciohigueramora2261]

Why did you said tdi engine has problems???

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

reliability? anyone have an opinion?

[@farcinue]

I would buy a Mazda 6 wagon or the Subaru Levorg if they were available in the US. I want the extra length over the Golf Sportwagon, Focus, or Mazda 3 so that I can fit a 6' surfboard without having to wedge it between the front seats (b/c it would probably spear me in a crash).

[@ds2453]

So the 2017 has less cargo space than the outgoing 2014? The 2016 looks larger in the rear

[@johne6081]

What's weird is that it is a bit taller, slightly wider, and only about 3" shorter than my 2001 Passat wagon, yet the Golf has significantly less cargo volume, even though the lost 3" of length seems to come out of the rear seat legroom, rather than the wayback. The independent rear suspension may have something to do it. I still consider my 2001 Passat wagon the metric against which I still judge all other cars, and none has matched its ideal size and configuration, not to mention sideward and rearward visibility.

[@lloyd18ish]

good review gee

[@lelandgaunt9985]

I’m working on mine sleeping it at the moment.

[@marco1173]

Considering a lease of one of these for the wife. If I can get it for under $200/mo with 0 down I'll jump.

[@runforit420]

As a Toyota executive had mentioned, this generation's children won't want to drive what mom and dad drive. That's why minivans went out of fashion this decade.

[@hagbard72]

2016 again?? They already have the 2017 out.

[@mfmf100]

Bolus?

[@yeaitsthatguy1309]

when it come to car commentary, great job man. Next time just leave the animals out of it.. #justsaying

[@timwilson3435]

Why Pandas?

[@cosmodave69]

Did anyone else think of Ed Norton's kick to the back of the skull after demanding they "Bite the Curb!!" Sweet Dreams.

[@lukehoisington4236]

I want the 2017 Mazda cx5

[@markrakov6009]

i would suggest you get the vw

[@jacobreed47]

This dude talks like a robot

[@josephdeguzman450]

Have you watch an episode of catch a predator..?😆😆

[@ElieAnquetil]

What a dumb comparison with pandas.

[@kellenniles4581]

ŠKODA Octavia Estate is better

[@anngo4140]

I can give up as many Chris Christies as I can to see people stop hating on wagons.

[@Adamk24]

Pandas really are the worst

[@keeganhamilton4251]

I totally agree that wagons are awesome, but I do not want to be sitting on the ground when driving.

[@mohamedmorsy9651]

How much did VW pay you for that review?

[@swanblake]

Just too much money for an unreliable vehicle. Wish other would offer a manual wagon under 30k

[@swanblake]

Scarey but I would take the CX5 over this all day. Betterinterior and exterior. Not to mention reliability, resale, and driving character

[@doctorofspiritualnomics]

$30K for an ugly car with less than 200 hp and torque. No thanks, Jeff.

[@infiltr80r]

I find it strikingly beautiful. It doesn't attempt to be too much like most cars nowadays, and that's a plus.

[@lelandgaunt9985]

I left the stealership at 23.

[@mountainhobo]

Oh, stop whining. Crossovers are just big wagons. And if you really want to see what original wagons looked like in the 1920s, you would be shocked -- they were just like today's large SUVs. So stop getting hung up on silly marketing buzzword du jour. Focus on practicality and driving dynamics.

[@trilingualkid]

looks like a tampon on wheels

[@senduran35]

Craig still a virgin?

[@DripExplains]

Yuck

[@TinLeadHammer]

Lame attempt to be funny. As for practical, it is not as good as you paint it. The rear seats do not fold down completely flat, the front passenger seatback does not fold forward, the hatch window does not open separately. The original Matrix was practical, with all of the above plus plastic cargo floor plus railings plus Toyota reliability. As for beautiful interior, come on: the cover of the ignition lock stares me in the eyes, and fake aluminum never was classy. All in all - a typical meh VW. But want to say big thanks for colors of the fall!