Need a lot of stuff hauled in a decently priced, agile, well-equipped, good looking family-oriented wagon? Look no further than the base 2012 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen S. This 5-passenger, 5-door compact wagon boasts nearly 67 cubic feet of cargo space with the split-folding rear seats down, while featuring a pass-through rear center-folding armrest, fold-flat front passenger seat and under-floor rear storage bin besides. Not only that, but this Golf-inspired wagon sports standard 16-inch steel wheels, a roof rack, cloth upholstery, heated, power-adjustable front seats, and front and rear floor mats to go along with telescoping tilt-wheel steering and cruise control. And that’s not all. Remote power door locks, power windows and heated, power-adjustable outside mirrors join with standard air conditioning, an 8-speaker, single-CD-player audio system and Bluetooth hands-free communications technology to round out this feature-heavy base trim. Options, meantime, include carpeted front and rear floor mats, a rear spoiler, uniquely Jetta splash guards and 16-inch alloy wheels.
Powering the front-wheel-drive (FWD) 2012 Jetta SportWagen S is the standard 2.5-liter inline 5-cylinder engine (I5) that puts out 170 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque when mated with the new-for-2012 6-speed manual transmission. Mileage with the 6-speed stick is estimated at 23 mpg city/33 highway, while a 6-speed shiftable auto-manual transmission with sport mode is also available for this base trim, with mileage in the range of 24/31.
Standard safety features in the 2012 SportWagen S include 4-wheel antilock brakes (ABS), traction and stability control, front and rear head airbags, front side-mounted airbags and a front head-restraint whiplash protection system. Additional safety items include daytime running lights, turn-signal-integrated mirrors, a remote antitheft alarm and a post-collision safety system.
