DRIVER’S JOURNAL
Day 1: Picked up the 2015 Golf Sportwagon just outside of Calgary. First impression: nice colour. The wheels looked high-end and the panoramic roof is a bonus. First observations on the drive home: lack of highway power to overtake other vehicles, but I am used to six cylinders in a Toyota Avalon and company trucks with big V8s. The interior is really well appointed, and the leather seats are very comfortable and easy to adjust. Dash is difficult to read. The font on the information display is really small. Had a short learning curve to use the sound system but that is probably common on any vehicle.
Day 2: Thursday was just a trip or two to local shopping. No big observations. Groceries rolled around in the back hatch, since there’s no net.
Day 3: Friday was another work-from-home day, but I did do some local running about. I have noticed a delay on acceleration from stop signs, followed by a feisty acceleration that gives a feeling of losing control. Friday evening was a trip through the city from deep southwest to far northwest in the rain. A couple of spots had pooling and the car handled it adequately. The cabin stayed fog free despite the cooler outdoor temperature and humidity.
Day 4: Saturday was another trip back to the southwest from the northwest part of the city. No significant observations.
Day 5: Took an afternoon trip to Canmore. The Golf was solid on the highway and cruised along respectably at the speed limit. Cabin noise is totally acceptable. When a police cruiser raced past, then slammed on his brakes to cross the median, an alarm sounded warning of a car ahead quickly reducing speed — a handy feature. It was nice to have the sliding rear-deck panel to hide our items while we went hiking. On the highway, I noticed the right armrest is set back too far and is too low to use comfortably. It’s very easy to parallel park on downtown streets with the car’s high visibility and rear camera.
Day 6: Monday I drove it on the Deerfoot Trail in rush-hour traffic and noted good braking ability. Returning the car at the end of the test, I also noted that the fuel economy, for a small car with a four-cylinder engine, does not seem very efficient.