If Volkswagen only sold a diesel-powered pickup truck in North America its current state of affairs would be ripe for a heart-hurtin’
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
country song all about its customers (and everybody else who breathes) being cheated, lied to, left on the side of the road (that’s another issue with respect to very low JD Power VDS and IQS rankings), and no doubt someone’s dog dying due to NOx emissions ingestion, but the Amarok TDI isn’t sold here and either way there’s no way the “new” powers that be in Wolfsburg will be able to sing their way out of this one no matter how melodic the tune.
This is where I’m forced to give you my personal apology. No, not for that lame-ass Slim Whitman intro, but more so for the 11 Volkswagen Beetle, Golf, Jetta, and Passat TDI reviews (not to mention the sole Audi A3 TDI review) I’ve done since the new "Clean Diesel" variant was launched for the 2009 model year. I’ve been unabashedly positive and even recommended this powerplant over hybrids for regular highway users, as its fuel economy is out of this world and there certainly weren’t any noted side effects, that is until now.
We
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
automotive journalists get the information needed to provide a new vehicle review from the car manufacturers, as well as various governmental and independent groups such as the EPA, CARB, NHTSA, IIHS, etc., and of course from our own experience behind the wheel. There’s no way we can test for emissions, so we take their word for it when they tell us the Golf Sportwagon TDI was worthy of its Tier 2 Bin 2 US Federal EPA rating and LEV-III ULEV125 California CARB rating.
Four days after the biggest car industry scandal I’ve ever witnessed (I don’t remember the Ralph Nader days) became regular banter on every TV channel, radio station (whether news or music), not to mention all the 24-hour news channels that are still having a heyday going into every minute detail, the story running
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
side-by-side with Hillary Clinton defending herself from herself, as well as a constant barrage of insults from The Donald, not to mention Trump’s own antics, the Pope’s visit to Cuba, address to the US Congress, arrival in NYC, and don’t get me started on the near incoherent babblings of Prime Ministerial wannabes in French with English translation here at home, the thickening VW “Dieselgate” plot takes centre stage, as big a story as any of these others, no doubt Hillary thrilled that we’re all concentrating on Herr Dr. Martin Winterkorn and his cronies instead of on her private email inquiry, ditto for Trump and his Muslim gaff, etcetera, etcetera… where was I?
Oh yes, four days after the Dieselgate news hit, I went to VW.ca to research this story
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
and find out that, lo and behold, not a single Golf Sportwagon TDI exists. Nor does Volkswagen Canada offer a regular Golf TDI, Jetta TDI, Beetle TDI or Passat TDI. They’ve all magically disappeared from their online presence and an all-new “Build a Model” car configurator is in place with various TSI engines being the only “option”.
While impressed at how quickly their web division responded to this crisis, I was honestly a bit surprised that no apology could be found anywhere on the site. I half expected to find a cutesy “Entschuldigungen :(” or maybe even a departure from the fahrvergnügen German shtick for a simple more humble “Sorry” front and centre, instead of the company’s unapologetic grab for money via the “2015 Volksfest
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Clearance Event”, recently replaced by the “10 Days to get a Jetta” ad or the “0% for up to 84 months” call to action. This would have been a good opportunity to say that there are no longer any TDI models being offered in Canada; yes, the Touareg TDI was initially pulled from the site, but has since been added back. The US site is the same: no apology and zero diesels initially, with the TDI now reinstated.
I’m sure the first thought of many current TDI owners was to go to the website to get information about what to do, and what they found would have only infuriated them further. Now, Touareg aside, their cars no longer exist and it appears as if VW just wants the entire sorry mess to go away. That’s certainly not likely, not even if
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
they replace their entire fleet with electrics. As it is, the only partially electric powered vehicle offered in Canada is the Jetta Turbo Hybrid; the e-Golf is also available south of the border. VW will want to promote its greenest side as much as possible right about now, because Clean Diesel isn’t a phrase it will likely utter again for a very long time if ever at all.
Right now you can go onto the US Fueleconomy.gov website to see the numbers VW used to tout as real, as they haven’t been removed as of yet. We were told the 2015 Golf Sportwagen (as it’s referred to there) TDI was good for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equal to 289 grams per mile (or 4.3 metric tons per year/4.8 US tons per year), which gave it a very positive 8 out of 10 rating for C02 emissions, while it received a tailpipe and upstream GHG rating of 4.3 and 1.3 respectively. The California Air Resources Bureau (CARB) gave it a stellar LEV-III ULEV125 rating
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
along with 6 out of 10 for smog pollutants, but nevertheless the TDI got a US EPA Certified SmartWay stamp of approval, complete with a nice green and blue leaf stem that turns into a dreamy clean highway logo.
I really don’t know who we should trust less, Volkswagen that rigged the on-board computers (ECMs) within some of its diesel models to fool emissions testing equipment so they would pass with flying colours knowing that as soon as they got back on the road they’d be spewing out 35 times the level of lung damaging NOx filth than legally allowed, or the EPA itself for not actually testing most vehicles it gives its various stamps of approval to, rather leaving it up to the industry to police itself. Yes, that’s right. Volkswagen and other automakers do their own emissions testing and hand it in to the EPA, which then takes their word for it. Ditto for Environment Canada. Expect this to change, quickly.
NOx,
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
by the way, isn’t short for noxious, but rather are much more harmful emissions than CO2. According to the EPA, NOx pollution is a combination of nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter. Exposure has been linked to a range of serious health issues such as increased asthma attacks and additional respiratory illnesses, which can be harmful enough for some to require hospitalization, while exposure to ozone and particulate matter are even associated with premature death due to respiratory-related or cardiovascular-related effects. Children, the elderly and people with pre-existing respiratory disease are at higher risk.
If you’ve ever visited a busy city that doesn’t adhere to automotive emissions regulations
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
as strict as ours, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. A city like Manila, Philippines, which I’ve traveled to multiple times and stayed at length, is extremely polluted from diesel emissions, so much so that each time I arrive my eyes sting for the first few days until they get accustomed to the dingy smog, while my lungs also feel congested and tight, and I don’t have any specific eye or lung conditions. Closer to home, I remember arriving in Los Angeles as a kid in the mid-’70s (in the reverse-facing third row of an Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wagon no less) and being amazed at the intensity of this same type of sooty smog, a problem that improved dramatically after CARB and the EPA came into existence and automakers were forced to make changes to reduce tailpipe emissions.
While I could go on ad nauseam regarding the problem VW finds itself in and how it
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
affects all of us, let alone those who’ve personally invested in one of VW’s 2.0 TDIs, plus how that investment will no doubt drop significantly in value even after the automaker’s “fix” is in place, which incidentally has yet to be announced and will likely reduce performance and increase fuel consumption so therefore said owners won’t be all that willing to swallow the pill they’re being fed causing many to sue (this is already happening in various class actions), not to mention how all of this will affect Volkswagen’s independent dealers that have invested millions apiece and were also fed this falsified information before unwittingly sharing it with you (so try and remember to go easy on them when you’re trading your TDI in to the very people who sold it to you in the first place, as it’s the dealers who’ll be left cleaning this mess up for VW, and they had nothing to do with it).
There are a lot of good people at Volkswagen (most of them) who’ll be hurt too. The
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
automaker’s stock has already taken an unprecedented beating and will likely continue to nosedive as more affected diesel engines get added to the list (with total affected vehicles now over 11 million units), high level firings are announced, layoffs of its 600,000-plus workers result, dealerships start laying off and some eventually closing, market share erodes, and global governments enact penalties that will likely run into the tens of billions, the fallout that could potentially crush the German automaker. It’s a sad state of affairs all-round.
Especially when factoring in how good the 2015 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagon is. I pulled my notes from my trusty smartphone and thought, this being a car review, I should publish them, for what they’re worth. Let’s remember that the Golf Sportwagon
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
may no longer be available with the TDI engine, but it still comes with a very impressive 1.8-litre TSI powerplant capable of quick acceleration and reasonably good fuel economy, not to forget cleaner emissions ratings.
Remember the EPA and CARB numbers quoted before? The same car with the 1.8 TSI engine was shown as being cleaner prior to September 18, when the EPA issued Volkswagen group a Notice of Violation (NOV) of the Clean Air Act and the Dieselgate maelstrom began. Well, at least cleaner for smog pollutants. Its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are actually worse (or more specifically the rating was worse) at 305 grams per mile (or 4.6 metric tons per year/5.0 US tons per year), which gave it a less positive 7 out of 10 rating for C02 emissions, while it received a
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
tailpipe and upstream GHG rating of 4.6 and 1.1 respectively. CARB gave it a very impressive PZEV rating along with a shocking 9 out of 10 for smog pollutants, and of course the EPA pinned it with the now somewhat tarnished SmartWay badge of honour. And while I’m not going to make the same mistake as I’ve done previously and simply take these numbers on Volkswagen’s good name, the regular unleaded powered Sportwagen shouldn’t fall into the problematic TDI camp due the fuel type’s inherently lower NOx emissions, so it’s a safer bet.
The TSI makes 170 horsepower, which is 20 more than the TDI, although its torque output is 51 lb-ft shy of the diesel’s twist at only 185. Just the same they’re similarly quick off the line, although the gasoline-powered wagon gets a five-speed
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
manual instead of a six-speed unit in base trim, or optionally a six-speed Tiptronic automatic instead of VW’s renowned six-speed dual-clutch automated DSG. Up to this point most TDI owners likely wouldn’t mind replacing their car with a TSI variant, this version even available in the same Silk Blue metallic paint as my tester, but I’m pretty sure the majority of current owners didn’t buy their Golf Sportwagon TDI’s for VW’s Clean Diesel claim, but rather for its claimed fuel economy. The juxtaposed Clean Diesel marketing term might have helped them feel a bit better about saving a bundle on fuel, but in reality the car’s numbers had them sold way before VW was forced to measure up to tougher regulations.
The 1.8 is estimated to achieve 9.9 L/100km in the city and 6.1 on the highway with its five-speed manual, or 9.6 city and 6.7 highway with its optional six-speed Tiptronic automatic,
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
whereas the TDI was touted to get 7.7 L/100km in the city and 5.2 on the highway with its six-speed manual or 7.5 and 5.5 with the six-speed DSG. The only way disgruntled Golf Sportwagon TDI owners will see fuel economy like this will be for VW to retrofit the aforementioned Jetta Turbo Hybrid’s drivetrain that achieves 5.6 city and 4.9 highway, but that’s a car built on an entirely different platform architecture so it’s not likely possible. Either way, diesel people aren’t usually hybrid people and vice versa, so it’s a moot argument.
Now that I’ve set up the argument of a 2015 Golf Sportwagon TSI (or at least I tried), here are my relevant notes interjected with relative commentary for your perusal. First off, why I shall miss the TDI: “The 2.0-litre diesel delivers strong immediate acceleration during takeoff with plenty of power available as speed ramps
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
up. I especially love the TDI on the highway when you can travel for hundreds of miles without refueling, saving money at the pump and time along the way. And the wagon’s impressive cargo hauling capability makes it my favourite one of the Golf bunch to do so in.”
Yes, one day we may see the TDI back with a urea emissions system installed, and one with larger urea tanks to handle a greater proportion of the diesel additive than is currently being used by other diesel producers, some which have already been called out for not meeting their emissions claims in real-world driving (yes, this story won’t only affect VW, but others as well, calling into question the entire emissions testing process while potentially digging the truth out about others that have been cheating the system and still more that have inadvertently built engines that don’t meet standards while on the road), but until that happens those
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
of us who have enjoyed VW’s torquey TDIs and their incredible highway efficiency will only have stories left to tell.
The good news with respect to the TSI variant is that “Volkswagen has taken it’s beloved Golf wagon and given it the latest style treatment, enhancing it’s front fascia with a revised grille, beautiful new LED enhanced headlamps, a reworked lower valance with new rectangular fogs, a more stylish profile with attractive new rear quarter windows, gorgeous new optional machine-finished 17-inch alloys with black
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
painted pockets on 225/45R17 Continental ProContacts, and the pièce de résistance in my (more) humble(d) opinion being all-new taillights with VW’s new L-shaped character LEDs glowing from within. The similarly shaped rear quarters get a sporty rooftop spoiler above and a nice new diffuser-style valance below, with twin pipes protruding from the drivers side, reminding that VWs are usually more about go than show.”
This is where I’d interject something witty about how wonderful the powertrain is, yadda yadda yadda… although to that end the TSI is a wonderfully reactive engine that actually feels sportier off the line than the TDI, revving more freely and making slightly more alluring noises.
Volkswagens have mostly been a cut above the norm inside, although others have caught
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
up to the German brand, partially because VW has downgraded its interiors somewhat. Nevertheless, “soft-touch synthetic surfaces can be found across the entire dash top, right down to the midway point of the instrument panel, while the door uppers are finished in an even nicer soft padded surfacing. The door inserts get a padded leatherette treatment, while large armrests just below improve the quality and feel of their padded leatherette and also add stylish exposed stitching.”
“The seats are by far the best in class, with excellent side bolstering and plenty of lumbar support that can be electrically adjusted to satisfy almost any aching back if the therapeutic three-way seat heaters don’t solve the problem first.”
What’s
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
more, “LED reading lights and entry lights cast a soft glow over everything, highlighting the nicely detailed piano black lacquered instrument panel surfaces, metallic trim and carbon-look inlays.”
“The infotainment display makes its own light and adds plenty of colour too, while its controls feature both hover- and touch-sensitive capability, actually making the icons larger when you bring your fingers near the touchscreen. The navigation system worked flawlessly throughout my test week, and rear camera with guidelines was helpful, although active guidelines are always better.”
My Highline trimmed tester’s “dual-zone auto climate control is easy to use and provides plenty of ventilation,
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
something I appreciate more than my partner, making its two zone design especially appreciated.”
“The switchgear might not be quite as good as in Jettas past, with hollow steering wheel stalks that used to feel more solidly constructed, and the same for most of the other buttons and knobs throughout (the HVAC dials were even a bit wiggly), but they’re better than any other brand in the mainstream class and therefore VW hits its mark well. Likewise, all roof pillars previously came fabric-wrapped, where the new wagon only gives you the premium treatment at each side of the windshield, but once again you won’t find many compact rivals that do likewise, so how can I complain?”
“As
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
expected, you won’t find a soft-touch glove box lid in the Golf either (Audi doesn’t even offer one in its A3, A4 or A6), but the quality plastics used and solidity in how it closes, plus its oh-so plush velvet lining, puts the Golf way above its peers.”
“Rear seating is excellent too, with ample room all-round and seats that provide good support, even for the lower back, while a nice folding armrest with dual integrated cupholders adds to comfort and convenience.”
Convenience in mind, “the way VW does cargo compartments is also amongst the best in the biz, the tonneau cover moving backwards or forwards in small increments so that you can completely cover, partially cover or totally uncover your belongings, or instead you can remove it easily before folding the seatbacks forward
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
via pull handles on each side of the cargo wall. When you do, they fold down and lay flat without any additional assistance, rare in this category or any. The centre pass-through is also a big help. Additionally, I love that the rear seatbelts remain in their predetermined slots when putting the seats back into their upright positions, instead of getting trapped between the seats and sidewalls, as is the case with most other wagons, hatchbacks and CUVs.”
That’s it for the notes, but something the Golf Sportwagon delivers that very few if any other compact vehicle offers is SUV-beating size aft of the rear seats or when they’re fully folded. The numbers (in this case) don’t lie, its cargo volume measuring 860 litres (30.4 cubic feet) with the rear seats in place and 1,880 litres (66.5 cubic feet) with the 60/40 split seatbacks laid flat.
In
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
the end, I really enjoyed time spent in the new 2015 Golf Sportwagon TDI, and while I appreciated the fuel economy of the diesel I would have no doubt enjoyed the Golf Sportwagon TSI experience just as much, while its base price is less expensive than the 2015 TDI’s price was at $22,495 plus $1,395 for freight and pre-delivery prep compared to $24,995 plus freight, plus my TDI Highline tester previously started at $34,195 with the Tiptronic autobox, the same car with the TSI engine available for just $31,895. It’s a car that deserves our respect, although unfortunately it’s produced by a carmaker that’s lost a lot of respect, a great deal of trust, a ton of share value, loads of money, and so many more tangibles and intangibles that there’s no possible way to know exactly what the long-term fallout will be.
I personally believe Volkswagen will survive this corporate catastrophe and be a better car company coming out the other side, but it may require a complete bailout via the German government by the time the dust has finally settle from fines, class action lawsuits, dealer lawsuits (depending on their agreements), lost revenue, idled plants, and other negatives. The “too big to fail” phrase probably fits
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
this scenario well, however, as VW is too important for Germany’s economy for it to simply disappear, so you’re likely safe to buy a new Volkswagen if you like the idea of this superb wagon fitted with its excellent gasoline engine, but I’d be more inclined to recommend buying Volkswagen AG stock once the storm dies down, as it should be completely tanked by then and a good bet for a long-term rebound. I’m not going to pretend to be a stock market analyst or anything of the sort (enough false claims have been made recently, and “Michael Ross” I’m not), but some things just make sense. Under new more transparent management they’ll likely follow the rules better than any other carmaker on earth, rising from the ashes completely refocused with its newfound target being environmental steward number one. I would like to see this happen, but VW shouldn’t be forgiven easily and not without sufficient penance, and when our hearts collectively
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
soften it should be because of real signs that all the necessary changes have been made.
As for my readers, especially those who purchased a VW TDI on my recommendation, all I can give you is my heartfelt apology. I was duped, and therefore so were you. So far I haven’t been given an apology from Volkswagen, and likely won’t get one. You’ll probably get a “tail between the legs” letter to go along with your eventual recall notice (or at least you should), but the next time I hear from VW it’ll probably be press release from their PR department, and instead of a “we’re sorry for lying to you” statement it will be a promotion for their new 2016 Passat TSI, or something along those lines. It’ll all be positive spin about a car that probably deserves much of what is said, but in the back of my mind,
 |
| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
will I be able to believe any of it? More importantly, will you? Sure, ex-VW AG CEO Martin Winterkorn gave the world a terse apology before resigning his position, his estimated severance package said to be in the €60 million ($66.9 million USD; $87.8 million CAD) range if VW is brave (or foolish) enough to pay it (that could cause another hailstorm of unrest amongst customers as well as shareholders), but apologies aren’t easy to get in today’s “put on your game face and keep moving forward” business world. An apology is an admission of guilt, and even though the automaker has admitted to its own guilt, it must feel that saying sorry could only make matters worse. I happen to disagree.
In the end, it’s been nice knowing you TDI. You provided miles and miles of low cost smiles, and despite your penchant for belching eye irritating, lung congesting NOx emissions, we’ve had some good times. You’ll be sorely missed, but life goes on. Just how well life will go on for Volkswagen and its mostly TSI engine lineup will have to be seen. Over the short term at least, they’d better stock up on KD at Walmart, because pickin’s ‘ll be thin. I’m hearin’ another tear your heart out country tune startin’ up…
©(Copyright Canadian Auto Press)
