The Jetta body style was developed due in part to the Volkswagen marketing group’s observation that the North American market leaned more towards sedans as opposed to the Golf’s hatchback configuration. It has a definite European-inspired sporty flavour to its ride and handling, its interior appointments are first class and its shapely exterior design is easy on the eyes.

Standard and midrange SportWagens come standard with the 2.5-liter aluminum inline five that’s deployed across the rest of the VW lineup and makes 170 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Step up to the SEL model and the wagon comes standard with the same 2.0-liter turbo four that’s been lifted from the Jetta Wolfsburg and the GLI. These engines have been powering Jettas and Rabbits and GTIs for years, and in this application they’re no different.

Popping open the rear hatch presents you with 32.8 cubic feet of carpeted cargo storage behind the seats — actually less room than the last-generation Jetta wagon thanks to the rake of the SportWagen’s rear window. What space is available back there, though, is endlessly reconfigurable in enough ways to entertain even the most jaded organizational junkie. The rear load floor is articulated and can be reconfigured into divider walls to keep your goodies from flying about, and there’s storage cubbies under the carpet to hide your roadside unmentionables. The rear seatbacks fold perfectly flat and, when they’re so deployed, the Jetta opens up into a 66.9 cubic foot cavern. That makes the SportWagen able to swallow larger loads than small SUVs like the Saturn Vue (56.4 cu. ft.) or Nissan Rogue (57.9 cu. ft.).