2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen
By now you’ve heard all the Volkswagen turbo diesel fiasco. Residual values, VW stock prices, and brand image have all taken a beating over recent months. But, what’s been lost in all of the hubub is that there’s a new Golf Sportwagon. And, despite the diesel disaster, the Sportwagon deserves it’s time in the spotlight.
For those fans that were upset over the demise of the Jetta SportWagen, we have great news. It’s hasn’t really gone away, it’s just been re-designed, and renamed, as the 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen.
And that means it is now using VW’s fantastic MQB architecture, and the benefits of that are almost endless. It weighs less, is more economical, and despite shifting from Jetta to Golf nameplates, it even has about the same amount of space inside.
We’re certainly okay with the expansion of the Golf lineup, as it has always been one of our favorite cars. But what we’re not fine with of course, is the recent news regarding Volkswagen’s deceptive practices when it came to getting their TDI diesel’s emission’s certified.
We spent time in a urea-injected TDI equipped SportWagen back in the summer, before all of this came to light. And averaged 37.0 miles-per-gallon, which is actually better than the Combined Government Fuel Economy Rating of 35, to go along with 31-City, and 42-Highway.
We’ve always been huge fans of the TDI and have always gotten exceptional fuel economy results, but perhaps in retrospect we should have known it was almost too good to be true. It’s not a total disaster however, as independent testing has concluded that with a software fix, fuel economy might decline as little as 5%.
Ultimately it will be the consumers that will decide the TDI’s fate when and if Volkswagen gets things sorted out.
We also drove a TSI-equipped gasoline fueled SportWagen; and here we also bested expectations, averaging 33.3 miles-per-gallon of Regular. The official Combined is only 29, with 25-City and 35-Highway. Its legitimate Energy Impact Score comes in at 11.4 barrels of oil consumed yearly with CO2 emissions of 5.0-tons.
The 1.8-liter I4 in the TSI is rated at 170-horsepower and 199 lb-ft. of torque and is available with either a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission.
Compared with a Golf 5-door, there’s 12.0-inches of additional length, yet it rides on a wheelbase that’s actually been shortened by a bit. Overall length, however, is almost exactly the same as the departing Jetta SportWagen.
As far as design, there’s only so much you can do with the two-box wagon shape, the Golf’s take is without a doubt more purposeful and less bloated than the Jetta’s.
The forward portion of the interior doesn’t depart at all from the simple Golf theme, and we’re just fine with that. Material quality is good, and seat comfort better than expected.
Cargo capacity in the hold is down slightly to 30.4 cubic-ft., but after dropping the rear seat backs, the space expands to 66.5 cubic-ft. And that’s much more space than all of the rapidly growing subcompact crossovers have to offer.
And it’s much more fun to drive as well. Here at the track, it was as capable as we hoped, and handles way better than a car this big should. The extra 100-pounds or so of weight over the hatchback did nothing to compromise handling here; or ride quality on the way back to the office.
0-60 times were quicker in the TSI, as you would expect, though not by much. 8.7 TSI, verses 9.0-flat for the TDI. Both are a little sluggish off the line, while they wait for their turbos to spin up the boost.
So naturally, the TSI completes the 1/4-mile more quickly as well; taking 16.2-seconds to trip the lights at 88 miles-per-hour. Stops from 60 averaged a good 125-feet. Brake feel was great and fade was minimal.
With all of the pricy cars we test these days, at $22,215; the Golf SportWagen packs about everything you could want in a tidy, highly affordable package. 2016 editions tack on only a couple hundred dollars more. For the time being, the TDI is not available pending recertification. Expect about a three grand premium when it returns.
So, while VW’s deception has certainly tempered our enthusiasm for the 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, and it’s in fact difficult for us to recommend any Volkswagen at the current time, the SportWagen is still a good idea. But even good ideas need the proper timing to be great ones.
Specifications
- Engine: 1.8 liter I4
- Horsepower: 170
- Torque: 199 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 8.7 seconds
- 1/4 mile: 16.2 seconds @ 88 mph
- EPA: 25 mpg city/ 35 mpg highway
- Energy Impact: 11.4 barrels of oil/yr
- CO2 Emissions: 5.0 tons/yr
2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV
Nothing Like The Equinox You Used To Know
General Motors may have slowed their EV plans a bit, but they’re still committed to an all-electric future and have many full battery-powered options to choose from across multiple brands, the latest of which is this Chevrolet Equinox EV. Now, it’s nothing at all like the gas-fueled Equinox we’re all familiar with. So, let’s find out if batteries are better.
General Motors has made the biggest EV push out of all the big three American carmakers, coming up with the dedicated Ultium platform that now underpins a host of trucks and SUVs throughout their brands, and even Honda has made use of it. GM’s latest Ultium-based EV uses a familiar name, the Chevrolet Equinox EV. And not to worry, this is not a replacement for the gas-powered Equinox, just a parallel path for those more comfortable joining the EV world with a familiar name.
And like its counterpart, the Equinox EV comes standard with front-wheel drive, rated for as many as 319 miles from its 213-horsepower motor and 85-kWh battery pack. Adding a rear motor for all-wheel drive boosts output to 288 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque, but drops range to 285 miles for our ’24 test vehicle, though ‘25s get a bump up to 307 miles.
Though even our ‘24 AWD appears capable of well over 300 miles as we were on pace for 329 miles in our driving loop. 150 kW max charging speed delivers some 77 miles for every 10 minutes on charge. And using 35 kWh of electricity per 100 miles earns the Equinox EV a good efficiency rating.
Much like every other Ultium-based vehicle we’ve been in, Equinox EV’s ride quality is quite pleasant. But where it really stands out is in exterior design. Available in both LT and RS families, the Equinox EV is easily the sportiest-looking Ultium vehicle we’ve seen yet. Its long 116.3-inch wheelbase is 8.8 inches longer than the ICE Equinox. As with many EVs, there’s lots of active LED lighting elements; plus, flush door handles and smooth body panels to help aero efficiency.
Very little body roll and quick steering added a playfulness to the process that made the Equinox feel smaller than it is.
Of course, the dedicated EV platform allows for a very spacious feel inside, with plenty of room for five adults and 26.4 cu.-ft. of cargo space in back; folding rear seatbacks leads to max of 57.2 cu.-ft. An AutoSense liftgate is available for hands-free operation.
2RS comes with some very nice cloth heated seats that Chevy calls Evotex; but more impressive is the 17.7-inch widescreen infotainment setup. In addition to looking great, it responds quickly to inputs, is Google-based, and features EV-specific route planning through the MyChevrolet App. There are multiple settings for regen braking, including two for one-pedal driving; plus, there’s a regen-on-demand paddle behind the steering wheel that works like a hand brake.
There was enough torque here in our all-wheel-drive tester to spin up the tires a bit at launch, and when it did hook up, it left the line with a decent amount of thrust. Enough to get to 60 in 6.1 seconds, almost 3 seconds quicker than we got in the ICE Equinox just a few months ago. The power flow stayed consistent the whole way down the track, with no major upticks or drop-offs throughout the 14.9-second quarter-mile, finished at 91 mph.
It felt equally smooth and steady through our handling course, very little body roll and quick steering added a playfulness to the process that made the Equinox feel smaller than it is. Results were very consistent in our 60-0 panic braking test. A short 116-foot average, stops were smooth and straight.
‘24s are still available, with prices starting at $43,295 for a 2LT, but a base 1LT that goes for just $34,995 arrives for ’25; adding all-wheel drive is a pretty steep $3,300 increase.
The Chevrolet Equinox EV is an incredibly nice SUV regardless of what’s under the hood. GM has certainly built some impressive EVs recently, but delivering a family friendly EV with this much range for this low of a price is probably their most impressive feat yet. That’s why it earned our recent MotorWeek Drivers’ Choice Award for Best of the Year, and why you should have it on your list if a sensible EV purchase is in your future.
Specifications
As Tested
- Motor Setup: Dual Motor
- Battery Size: 85-kWh
- Horsepower: 288
- Torque: 333 lb-ft
- EPA Range: 285 miles
- Peak Charging Rate: 150 kW
- 0-60 mph: 6.1 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 14.9 seconds at 91 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg): 116 feet
- MW Test Loop: ~ 329 miles