2018 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen gushes with value

The 2018 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen is brimming with practicality while being incredibly fun to drive.

With 66.5 cubic feet of cargo space and a base price of $23,680 plus $895 for destination, the Sportwagen can carry more than most compact crossovers while beating them on price.

All Golf Sportwagens are equipped with a 1.8-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder pumping out 170 horsepower and 184 to 199 pound-feet of torque, depending on transmission.

The Sportwagen comes standard with a five-speed manual. The available six-speed automatic transmissions carry the higher engine torque rating.

The most efficient front-wheel-drive, manual Golf Sportwagen can return an EPA-estimated 25 city and 34 highway mpg. The six-speed automatic gets 24/33 mpg and the all-wheel-drive version with its six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission returns 22/29 mpg.

This long-roof Golf can seat up to five occupants and can protect them with available features such as collision-mitigation braking, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. 

Unlike many compacts, the Golf comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard. An 8-inch touchscreen is optional, but the standard unit is 6.5 inches.

Standard 65-series tires wrapped around 15-inch wheels aren't much to behold, but do mute road surface imperfections nicely.

The top-tier Golf Sportwagen SEL starts at $30,245 plus $895 for destination and comes standard with a 12-way power driver's seat, dual-zone climate control and adaptive cruise control.

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