Used 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TDI S 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6M) Consumer Reviews
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I love this car more everyday!
Taj, San Pablo, CA, 09/18/2015
updated 09/22/2022
Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TDI S 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6M)
22 of 23 people found this review helpful
I enjoy driving. I've owed several cars, 4 VW's over 30 years, never a diesel. Last was a 2004 Jetta that I thought was the greatest. Recently I was seriously considering a 2015 Mazda3 5-door. Then I decided I had better go drive a couple VW's before buying anything. Drove a new Golf TSI and thought it was incredible. Then I drove this TDI Sportwagen. What a great car! I had never driven a TDI before. After test driving around town and on the highway, I had to have it. I opted for the TDI wagon, but I certainly would have been thrilled to drive away in any manual Golf. Didn't try any automatic transmissions. The response of the TDI feels wonderful, it's a great engine. Add MPG's and it was the obvious choice for me. I couldn't be happier with this car. UPDATE: OK, the diesel thing was announced a month after I bought this thing. I think VW is making the best cars in this range. I don't know if anything comes close to how much car I got for the money. I do t want to surrender this car, and I don't think I'll have to, but I've never owned a better car and I plan on driving this one forever (as I also know I may not be able to get another one). UPDATE 9/17: My opinions have not changed about this car. VW gave me back 1/3 of its price, so now I'm even happier about my purchase. 9/20 - I’m at 82k, as I’ve put very few miles on since the Covid thing. Have you heard of it? I’ve recently bled the braking system, drained and replaced most of the coolant. No repairs for the life of this car aside from replacing the latch mechanism on the hatch. Update: 96k miles. Still trouble-free. No repairs (beyond the latch mentioned above), and runs like new. VW has recently completed all emissions modifications (just gave me a new DPF, sensor, extended my warranty further, etc…Diesel fix Phase 2b). I won’t be selling this car.
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A Lot to Recommend
Dave Peterson, Spartanburg, SC, 08/15/2015
updated 08/30/2018
Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TDI S 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I've been driving gas and diesel VWs for 35 years, with my previous ride being a 312k mile 2002 Jetta TDI that's never had a major problem and still runs great, but time to move on. I considered a Passat, but bigger than I needed and drove like a large car, meh styling. I'd considered the now discontinued Jetta Sportwagen, but it had the lesser version of the TDI, blob styling, and just couldn't get excited. This new Golf Sportwagen snuck up on me, going from being unaware of it to in my garage in about two weeks. Even though the Golf has historically been positioned as their low end model series, in recent years it has enjoyed a rep as their performance series, with classic VW Euro handling, more sporty everything, and even higher end interiors. I really wanted a snappy handling car like my old Jetta and previous GTI, so as stated above the Golf series is the closest you can get in their line-up. This thing handles much better than a Passat, if not quite my older VWs. The S version has only 16" wheels, but my experience is that is good enough with good rubber. It jumps off the line quite strongly. Once underway it accelerates quite strongly for passing, even in top gear. It climbs a mountain pass without even downshifting. These high torque diesels are much less affected by grades or loads than gassers. The seats have been the only negative, definitely the most uncomfortable in nearly forty years of driving VWs. After about two hours my butt hurts! This obviously didn't surface during test drives. I've read similar complaints. I'd have to blame it on too firm cushioning. On long drives I lay down a little gel cushion which helps a lot. I understand the SEL version has softer seats. Another problem is the center console is the widest I've ever had, and I normally drive with my leg flopped to the right, and it presses into the console edge, which is uncomfortable on long drives. I'm trying to adjust my seating habits a bit. Also, getting in and out isn't as smooth as previous models, and it seems the door frame is a little further forward relative to the seat, the roof line at the door being a bit lower despite plenty of headroom, and there is a pronounced hump on the underside of the steering column. All in all, I need to scrunch up a bit to get in and out cleanly, but once in the car fits like a glove. The backup camera comes on instantly, unlike previous model years which had a lengthy delay. The entertainment system in older models is slow to respond to anything, and this year they’ve totally fixed all that with a new system. People have complemented my interior and VW has made improvements in most of their models interiors after taking heat in recent years. This Golf looks quite high end. With multiple extremely high mileage VWs in my family, not one has ever had a crack, tear, or any other failure of cloth, velour, or vinyl seating, and from the looks of it I expect the trend to continue. The exterior lines and styling make the best of the wagon body style. If it’s possible to get excited about a wagon, this car is it. It actually looks a bit sporty. The doors and trunk shut like safe doors as in previous VWs, a solidness competing Asian cars don't have. Everything about the construction of the car exudes quality. This one was Mexican made, but so were my last two VWs with over 600k miles between them with no major repairs or even body noises or rattles. The stereo is a pleasant surprise, not as good as the awesome one in my 02, but solid. It sounds like it needs more amp and better tweeters, with some distortion at moderately high levels that doesn’t sound like a speaker problem. I understand that the difference between this and the Fender system in the SEL is an amp and subwoofer. These speakers put out deep, solid bass at medium volume, but the amp runs out quickly. The whole electronics package is a big improvement over previous years, and I really like it. I wish they put in real USB, a common gripe, and the connector you plug their adapter cord into is recessed, and the cord has a stiff right angle connection that is tough to insert (don’t think of doing it while driving), and then only a foot long, which doesn’t give me much flexibility with my iPod. Luckily, once it synchs with the car you can do everything through the stereo that you can on the iPod, and easier. Adapters for other devices are available on eBay for $13 – don’t pay VW’s crazy prices. Every gas or diesel VW I’ve owned has beaten its EPA highway mileage in everyday driving. Tons of people have reported upper forties and fifties in the larger Passat automatic, so this in entirely believable. VW has always been conservative in their ratings. I've consistently run 46-47mpg despite most of its mileage being 75mph. So, this doesn’t have quite the light tossability of my old VWs, but is a car that you can do some serious driving in.
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2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen for sale near you
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- TSI SEL WagonMSRP: $12,998131 mi away
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"Show us a more well-rounded vehicle" - C&D
Scott, Englewood, CO, 07/31/2015
updated 01/27/2016
Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TDI S 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Seeing only two consumer reviews on Edmunds at this point is kind of disappointing for how great this car really is. I have the S trim, so now there's an SEL, and SE and an S review. I wasn't willing to buy up to the SE trim at this time, but I find a lot of value in the car even at the S level. I had bought the 2015 Golf TSI SE as well earlier in the year but kept finding that with 3 kids and a dog and road travel, the extra space was needed. However, in owning the SE, things like the sunroof, Fender audio, heated seats, RSWs, etc. were all nice, but I really liked how solid and quiet the Golf was to drive. It made driving easy, and that's what opened me up to try the S trim. It's a real shame this is a niche car all because of the influence of the truck/SUV on American mind sets. There are four things I've asked myself about this car, but I still give it a 5-star rating and two thumbs up. First, why no USB port?... just weird. I mean they don't even have an iPhone 5 adapter. If no USB port, then they should send an inventory of adapters to dealers to outfit each car. Second, why no heated seats on the S trim, when even the base Jetta with cloth has them? I live in Colorado and use the heated seats from time to time. Now I'll have to pay $450 for a local shop to install them (with most of the cost in labor). Third, (and this applies to all Golfs in general) why not just put a soft plastic upper panel on the back seat passenger doors and match up the quality of everywhere else in the car? My prior JSW had that. Lastly, I've heard the reasons why they dropped the IRS from the GSW and Golf TDI to accommodate emissions, and I find it tuned okay, but it just bothers me when I think about it. Update: Great car still.
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Great little wagon
Sally, New Holstein, WI, 08/18/2016
updated 02/19/2018
Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TDI S 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6M)
6 of 9 people found this review helpful
I bought my Sportwagen diesel 3 weeks before they announced the diesel scam. I got an incredible deal on both my trade in and the new car. I soon found out why. But! This is a great car. Lots of room for kids and dogs. It handles beautifully on the road. Turning is very smooth, unlike anything I've ever felt. Mileage on diesel fuel is outstanding. I average 40 mpg in the city. On the highway however, I get about 50 mpg. My fuel costs have dropped dramatically. I have and paid for "pulse" on the third brake which routinely shows up as broken on my info screen, now I just ignore it. I love this car, it's easy to get in and out of and completely fills my need for a vehicle. I have tossed around the idea of the buyback, but I love this car so much, I can't find anything else I want. I consider myself very luck to have the diesel. Winter in Wisconsin has proven to be no issue for the Diesel engine with the right fuel. So I'm 100% happy with this little wagon! 2/18/18 - After learning more about the diesel scandal - which was 100% intentional, I sold my car back to volkswagen and bought a different car. I will never have a VW again.
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Without peers under 30K. A truly great car.
Nicky, Los Angeles, CA, 07/08/2016
updated 07/17/2020
Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TDI S 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6M)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Plenty of space inside, seating and cargo. It goes when you press down on the pedal. Handles great, and the ride is more comfortable and heavier feeling than the competition. Since the VW buyout numbers have been published, I've had a test-drive in several good cars in the same price-range. None of them are in the same class as the Golf. The Focus wagon that everyone likes is cool, but it's appointed and built like an economy car. The interior reminds me of a seventies car, bucket seats with poorly cut/fit loose leather on cheapy buckets, like a Maverick or Mustang II. Subaru, I don't care for the current interiors, handling, and not my driving style. The Mazda3 is my favorite contender. It does not handle, accelerate, or ride the same as the Golf. The interior is pretty good, but too busy and plasticy for me. The difference in ride-feel alone would make you think the Golf costs 8 or 9k more than the Mazda. The 2.0 liter TDI is a blast to drive. Quicker off the line than one would expect, yet it behaves like a bonafide German cruiser. I love this car. 50k mile update: Bought better tires (P7s replaced oem Contis), did all regular maintenance. So happy I didn’t sell back to VW! 77k mile update: Since the last update I replaced the latch mechanism on the back hatch. Got it from a dealer for under $60. That is the repair history of my car as of 77,000 miles. No rattles. No issues. No nothing. This thing kicks ass. Just trying to prevent the rest of you from smashing it up! 81k mile update: (few miles driven during covid19): I have done no repairs in this period, just scheduled maintenance (which I've done 100% at home for the past 2 years). I have heard a creak from the driver's-side front at times on speed bumps. A mechanic inspected the suspension and told me it was not the result of any problem he could find. He suggested I observe through my next two tire rotations. It seemed to go away for awhile after that, but I still hear it, just infrequently. I don't feel anything when it happens. I will say that during this time of sheltering in-place, at some point I realized that I really missed driving this car. I've put some miles on cars for family members who are unable to get out during this time. I like cars, so I certainly enjoy driving and checking out different ones, but I'm always happy getting into the Golf. This is obviously not a luxury car, and it's certainly no sports car, but it has been a consistent, predictable, reliable, solid, sure-footed little car that combines utility with comfort, and it is still a ton of fun to drive. I bought the car with 60 miles on it. From that moment until I filled the tank yesterday, my lifetime average is just a hair less than 42mpg. At 5k miles my lifetime average was over 48mpg, but maybe 4000 of those miles were cruising 65-80mph for long stretches. This little VW is really good at that.
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