SportWagens, ho!

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The perfectly practical and Teutonically tough 2008 VW Jetta SportWagen has broken cover. Most normal people would just call it a wagon, but let’s indulge Volkswagen on this one. When it hits the showrooms this spring, it will have a 2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine (making 170 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque), running on gasoline and returning 21/29 miles per gallon, city/highway. There will be a 2.0-liter diesel-powered model, but that won’t arrive until some time in the fall.

Starting at just below $20,000, standard equipment includes a five-speed manual transmission (a six-speed Tiptronic auto is also available), an eight-speaker audio system, two roof rails (having just one would suck), three power outlets and six airbags. And for a wagon, it has quite a nice rear end, doesn’t it?

-- Colin Ryan