2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen

Pros: Fantastic MPG, Features, Cargo Space

Cons: No Homelink, Voice Controlled NAV or phone calling.

Summary: I just bought a 2010 Jetta Sportwagen diesel (TDI) and am enjoying it. Apparently they listened to the criticisms posted here for 2009 because they definitely fixed them. The radio is great and the iPod connectivity works well with full radio touch control. Phone calls are answerable via the steering wheel and handsfree. My first check of MPG indicates 30 mpg in city driving with AC. I haven't taken a trip yet but the dynamic consumption meter on the car indicates I am getting 47 mpg driving with AC on the interstate highway around 70 mph. Considering the car has 400 miles on it that is excellent. The best part is that I have the cargo capacity of a Ford Escape 32 to 67 cu ft. with better highway mileage and potentially better city mpg too. Considering that this vehicle is about $5K cheaper plus has a tax credit that is a good thing. I do have the Continental tires the other poster mentioned but have no troubles so far. I too know from experience that tires are warrantied by their dealers not the car dealer. I went through that once too. The sportwagen is a great car for the money. I traded an Infiniti G37 that was a year old to get better MPG. While I miss the sporty extreme power I rarely could use it anyway on my commute but I paid the price for having all that power on tap at the premium pump with 16.5 mpg. city. If you are looking for a car with great cargo space and mpg and build quality then go look at one of these.

Updated on May 27, 2010

I forgot to mention that the only reason I do not give the Sportwagen a 5 star rating is that it has everything but homelink, voice calling and foglamps. I had these on the Infiniti and miss them. Even though the Jetta is less expensive, Volkswagen should offer these common options as accessories at least. The latter two items are on the car in other countries.