The VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI is just full of surprises: It can be loaded full of both people and cargo, and with a full tank of diesel fuel, the car can get you more than 600 miles down the road. All of which makes it no surprise at all that the editors at KBB.com—the online home of the Kelley Blue Book team—named the Jetta Sportwagen TDI one of its “2010 Top 10 Road Trip Cars.”
The numbers behind this honor: With its back seats up, the car offers a healthy 32.8 cubic feet of very usable cargo room, and that more than doubles to a capacious 66.9 cubic feet with those seats down. But the really big news here are the Sportwagen TDI’s big-time fuel-efficiency numbers. Thanks to its clean-burning diesel engine, the Sportwagen TDI achieves EPA ratings of 30 mpg city/42 mpg highway/34 mpg combined, while still having a smaller carbon footprint than the Honda Civic. Notably, the Volkswagen is also eligible for the government’s $1,300 “Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle Federal Income Tax Credit.”
For drivers who want to enjoy the “road” part of the road trip as much as the destination, VW engineers worked diligently to ensure that the diesel-powered Sportwagen is no contradiction in terms. There’s a robust 236 lb.-ft. of torque under the hood to get drivers off the line with alacrity, as well as a dynamic suspension featuring MacPherson struts up front and a four-link rear setup that includes coil springs, telescopic shocks and a stabilizer bar. Drivers can even opt for one of VW’s advanced DSG dual-clutch six-speed automatic transmissions, with Tiptronic paddle shifters, for the optimum mix of performance whether it’s on the road or at the gas pump.
The cabin of the Sportwagen is eminently trip-worthy as well. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, cruise control, an eight-speaker sound system with auxiliary input jack, and a bevy of storage bins and cupholders.
For Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volkswagen America, the award is “further evidence of how Volkswagen is truly at home in America”—even if you’re leaving home for a summer road trip.
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