Diesel and sport are two words that don't belong in the same sentence even when the word wagon is also there to keep peace. Really what we're talking about is a minivan without sliding doors or a third row. VW's diesel-driven midsize model is cod liver oil for the car lover's soul - good for you but difficult to swallow. In exchange for sluggish acceleration, you get mid-thirties cruising mpg. At least the automatic is a better partner with the tiny (2.0-liter) turbo diesel than the stick-shift box fitted to the Jetta sedan in our Four Seasons fleet. The automatic may be slow off the mark but it never stalls the feeble diesel, something the stick does every chance it gets.
Don Sherman, Technical Editor ...next page >>