We are 103,000+ car owners sharing real-world car information.

Join Us

TDI wagon replacement?

The Right Car for Me | TrueDelta

hquednau

Have liked my Jetta TDI wagon, but I will take the VW buyout offer. Spouse won't let me buy another VW (and shes right). So am looking at Volvo V-60.

Priorities: Exterior styling / Reliability & durability / Powertrain performance

Preferred Bodystyle(s): Wagon

Car Needs: Daily commuter / Long trips

Need minimum of 4 seats

Will consider both new and used cars
Maximum mileage: 40000
Maximum age: 4 years

Maximum price: US $ 35000

« Return to results

Sign in or join TrueDelta to post your own thoughts.

Sort responses by likes

Response from dfj240

1:19 pm July 2, 2016

The Volvo V60 is a fine choice. The Swedes have made the estate car very well for several decades now. I certainly don't find you off track.

The Subaru Outback would be my recommendation, due to its reliability and slight safety edge over the Volvo. Do not mistake me, I am in no way saying that the Volvo isn't safe. That'd be like saying pancakes taste better with anchovies and A1 sauce.

I do notice that exterior styling is important to you, which the Volvo definitely has the edge in. The Outback isn't ugly, but the Volvo is very sharp looking.

The performance will likely be about equal between the two, with a slight edge going to the Subaru in my opinion. The engines are a tie, but the Subaru has the better transmission and better overall drivetrain.

The fuel economy will be a point of suffering compared to the VW that you're coming from, but the Volvo definitely has the edge. The Subaru provides AWD as standard equipment, and the powertrain having to lug that around is at the expense of fuel economy. That being said, the Outback is still respectable for a full size estate car at 32 mpg hwy.

As a Subaru wagon owner (2016 Impreza), I have been extremely happy with Subaru. I can see why there is so much loyalty to the brand. We had an Outback before the Impreza and it was similarly awesome. I can also report that the insurance rates are quite reasonable on Subarus, especially if you get them with the available safety tech extras.

Other options in the wagon category include: BMW 3-Series Estate, Mercedes E-Class Estate, and Acura TSX Sportwagon (it died in 2014, but was excellent for the estate loving individuals like ourselves).

0

Link to this reponse

Subaru Outback
Volvo V60
Acura TSX

Response from LectroFuel

2:28 pm July 2, 2016

I agree with dfj240 that the Outback is your best bet. It is such a practical car and is extremely comfortable. Subaru has been building very good cars lately. There are so many great safety features that I've heard work really well.

Another great choice would be the Kia Soul. It has a funky exterior (which was one of your priorities). The new Soul isn't very fast, but is reliable and can carry many things.

The Prius V is also one of the only wagons and is a good choice. I own two Prii (not a V) and they are great cars that get great MPG and last forever. For your exterior styling priority, the Prius V isn't polarizing like the other Prii. I think it looks good. It'll get 41MPG combined on cheap regular gas, not diesel. The powertrain is very smooth, but the car is slow. I test drove one and liked it. The cabin is huge for a Prius. The car was recently refreshed and the pic to the right is the old car. ??>

I just wouldn't recommend the Volvo V60. It probably won't be reliable and the technology in the car seems like a decade old. I agree that the car is pretty on the outside, but the car just isn't a great value.

There aren't many wagons available today, so good luck!

0

Link to this reponse

Subaru Outback
Kia Soul
Toyota Prius v

Response from mkaresh

7:32 pm July 6, 2016

Response from Dnslater

1:29 pm July 7, 2016

I have the same issue. Selling back our 2013 Sportwagen TDI to VW later this year and I love wagons. Going the used route. Considering the Audi Allroad, A4 Avant, BMW 328xi wagon and Volvo XC70. Volvo V60 was on my list but it has significantly less cargo space than the VW. Not much more space than my wifes Impreza hatchback.

My issue is that VW did such a great job packaging the Sportwagen that most of the similar wagon's can't touch it in cargo space. Outback would probably check most boxes, but they are so common and are almost SUV-like in size these days. Not that fun to drive.

Newer Allroads and BMW wagon's are very reliable. Audi has come a long way in the past decade and the BMW inline 6 is a brilliant engine that is known to be bulletproof.

2

Link to this reponse

Volvo V60
Audi allroad
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen

Response from hquednau

11:50 pm July 11, 2016

Thanks for the comments. Just back from Europe; very depressed. How come they get all the cool wagons!!?? Still leaning towards the V60. Don't really need a ton of space, I just like wagons. The prius 5 would be reliable and thrifty, but I'd have to look at it every day, which would be a dealbreaker. I owned a number of Subarus, including the unicorn- 2005 Legacy GT wagon. Just can't see the SUV sized Outback as a successor to that car. Maybe the Imprzza sport. I think the non-VW Germans are out of my price range, especially if they are out of warranty. The search continues...

2

Link to this reponse

Response from Dnslater

7:19 am July 12, 2016

Ironically I just returned from Germany and I agree about the cool wagons there as I am also selling back my TDI wagon. This has reinforced my desire to get a used BMW or Audi Wagon. You might consider a lightly used one in your budget. Can find one certified pre-owned fairly easily in your price range. I'm looking in the $20k range myself so I will need to go a little higher mileage. The previous generation BMW wagons used the inline 6 through 2012 which is known to be bulletproof - much less problematic than the turbo BMW engines. New V60 is sexy and is also a solid choice.

My wife has a 2014 Impreza sport. Car is ok but CVT is lackluster, engine has less power than the TDI wagon, and space is far more limited behind the seats. AWD handling is nice. Car just feels cheap after sitting in the VW. Sister in law has an Outback. Big vehicle and now a full blown SUV. A new Legacy GT wagon would be perfect.... if only.

VW is releasing the Golf Wagon Alltrack this fall in the U.S. and it is terrific looking. Price will likely start at $30k which is getting closer to the Volvo, but the new Golf Wagons have a big space advantage over the German/Swedish compact wagons.

I'm probably repeating much of what I said in my first post, but I love talking wagons.

2

Link to this reponse

Response from dfj240

10:11 am July 12, 2016

Hquednau, I agree completely. It astounds me that more people don't flock to cars like wagons/estates. Form and function together in my opinion. Pair it with a manual transmission and some sporting aspirations and that's a match made in heaven for me. I know what you mean about the Outback for sure. It has become huge. We had an 06 Outback, which is the same size as your unicorn (jealous, btw) Legacy GT, and it was pretty much perfect. We now have a 2016 Impreza Sport Limited with all the trimmings. I agree that the VW is a more refined place to be, but the Subaru felt better to drive in my opinion, and, more importantly, my wife's opinion. The AWD is great. The comments above about the CVT are... well... it's a CVT, there isn't really a good one is there? Certainly not a great one. Subaru does do a very good job in comparison to a lot of other brands, but in the end, it is a CVT. The power is not there for me, but does a decent enough job moving around in traffic. 148 hp is less than our old Outback 2.5i by a little over 25 hp, but the Impreza is slightly smaller. On the topic of size, the Impreza wagon is now almost the exact same dimensions as the Legacy/Outback from the mid/late 00's, but with a shorter boot. The cargo space is definitely not Legacy sized, but it suits us just fine with 2 kids, and all told, isn't too bad. Subaru does do a pretty good job with the plastics and the arrangement to maximize what space it does have back there. That being said, the Volvo sounds like it could be decent, I'm just not a huge fan from a durability standpoint. In my experience, they tend to get squeaky and creaky when they age. This was always unsettling to me. It felt like the car was on it's last leg even though all other indications were that it was fine and had miles left. I had a good friend who was/is an absolute die hard Volvo enthusiast, and I would always tease him about the squeaks saying that he was harboring church mice to save them from rat persecution. He would always get bothered a bit and say, "It's a Volvo, they just do that over time." Anyway, I do wish you the best in your search. I personally have decided on a 2008-2014 Subaru WRX STI hatchback. I was going to get the new 2016 WRX/STI, but the lack of a wagon/hatchback has me discouraged. I have always been a massive wagon enthusiast, so I share the sentiment in trying to find a great one. That 05 Legacy GT with a manual might have been the best all around wagon that has ever existed. At least in my opinion. Happy Hunting! Last note: Another couple under-the-radar wagons that are great all-rounders are the early 2000's Saab 9-5 Aero 2.3 Wagon, and the mid-late 2000's Saab 9-3 SportCombi Aero. If you could find a 2007 SportCombi, they come with the excellent F-series 6-speed manual, which is a wonderful transmission.

2

Link to this reponse

Response from mkaresh

10:55 am July 12, 2016

Buick might offer the next Regal as a wagon, but if they do it probably won't be soon enough for people returning VWs.

1

Link to this reponse

Response from hquednau

9:11 am September 9, 2016

Thanks for all the comments! The non-rational part of my brain took over. I found a Volvo C30 R design with a manual and kind of fell in love. With less than 45000 on the clock, it was just about the same $$ as VW will offer for my scandal-ridden Jetta. So it's not a diesel, not a wagon and likely not all that reliable, but man it looks great and is loads quicker!

2

Link to this reponse

Response from Dnslater

10:55 am September 9, 2016

Thanks for following up. C30 R Design is a great option, I would love to own one. Unfortunately I need 4 doors. I have probably settled on a lightly owned MK7 GTI for my Sportwagen TDI replacement after the buyback. I was thinking the pre-owned 328ix Wagon route, but it turns out the MK7 GTI has more back seat space and almost as much cargo space.

Good luck!

1

Link to this reponse

Response from NormT

2:17 pm July 20, 2017

Your new 2018 Buick TourX is here. With 2.0T and Twinster AWD with torque vectoring makes it the best kit at $29,995 starting price.

0

Link to this reponse

Buick Envision
Buick Regal
Sign in or join TrueDelta to post your own thoughts.

Return to top