Golf Variant to be Next Jetta Wagon

It’s been a long wait, but Volkswagen has (finally) introduced the GolfVariant, which is German “carspeak” for station wagon. Up until the end of last year, Volkswagen was still selling the Mk.IV Jetta Wagon alongside the new generation Mk.V car, so this model is well overdue. As the slightly confusing North America vs. Rest of World naming scheme dictates, the Golf Variant is going to be our Jetta Wagon. With the fifth-generation Golf/Rabbit/Jetta, the front ends are essentially the same, with the same headlamps and hood; only the grilles are different. What’s more, as pictured, the Golf Variant features our Jetta’s chromed front grille appliqué as opposed to the Golf’s single-color grille and bumper which makes for an easy transition for the North American market.

Volkswagen has taken every aspect of the Variant’s utility into consideration. For instance, the taillights are completely different in design from the Rabbit or the Jetta, anddo not encroach on the tailgate in order to create the widest load width possible. The wagon also features an optional panoramic sunroof like the Audi A3’s Open Sky system, but it’s been tailored for load-lugging as well. The sunroof ends overhead where the load space begins, and doesn’t affect the overall interior volume height.

By all standards, the new Golf Variant is an effective load hauler. Volkswagen says that this little wagon can carry 24.3 cu-ft worth of luggage from floor to roof with five passengers on board, and 17.8 cu-ft if complete rear vision is a must. When the rear bench is folded flat, that volume swells to 54.7 cu-ft. Volkswagen must’ve added some mule DNA into the mix, as the Golf Variant has an extremely high payload too; depending on whichpowertrain option is selected it ranges between 1,338 - 1,386 lbs. Unlike a four-legged beast of burden, it’s a lot easier to load up the Golf Variant, as the load height is a mere 22 inches tall.

The car will be available in Europe at launch with “two gasoline engines”, and the usual array of diesel engines, the top of which packs 140 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, which we can imagine being one of the top sellers. Who could ignore that kind of pulling power met with a cost of only 42 mpg and the availability of the six-speed DSG gearbox? Our North American cars will presumably get the 2.5-liter inline-five with the GTI/GLI’s 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct injected inline-four as an option. With the New York Auto Show just around the corner, we think that the Jetta Wagon will make its grand debut at which time we’ll be able to fill you in with more details.