For Just A Single Year You Could Buy A Manual VW Wagon With GTI Power: Holy Grails

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In 2009, Volkswagen introduced a new body style for its Jetta compact. The company took its best seller and gave it a long roof, creating the sleek Jetta SportWagen. The SportWagen is loved by Volkswagen fans all over, and there’s one that some enthusiasts consider the Holy Grail of Jetta SportWagens. For just a single model year in 2009, Volkswagen sold this new wagon with the 200 horsepower turbo four straight from the GTI. And yes, you can have it with a manual transmission.

Welcome back to Holy Grails, the Autopian series where we show off some of the coolest, most underrated cars that you love. After years of us yammering on about our own grails, it’s awesome to see what you have in store for us! We still have a pile of grails to work through, and we love every single one of them. If you know of a car that’s underrated, perhaps very desirable, maybe a little weird, or largely unknown, send it our way! I’d love to read about it.

In our last entry, reader Peter took us to France to experience a vehicular oddity. In the spring of 1993, Citroën introduced the Xantia, a family hatchback with spaceship looks from Bertone. Normally, this wouldn’t be much of a grail because there were 1,528,000 of these built. But there was a special and far rarer version of the Xantia called the Activa, and this combined a practical family car with the then-latest version of Citroën’s signature hydropneumatic suspension. This suspension was designed to give Xantia Activa drivers a soft suspension when driving on rough roads, and minimal body roll when cornering. The French hatchback can out-handle supercar legends and to this day holds a magazine’s record as the vehicle to complete its moose test the fastest.

Today’s car doesn’t involve a trick suspension system that can be difficult to maintain, but for some of you, that might be a good thing. Instead, it’s a punchy spec of an otherwise common car.

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L&B Auto

Last month, I got to experience my first Volkswagen Golf GTI. It was a wonderful experience and opened my eyes to why GTIs have remained so popular over the decades. A Volkswagen GTI gives you more than enough performance to make you smile, and it’s packaged in an affordable, practical body. If you must own just a single car that has to get you to work, cart the kid to school, and be a fun weekend toy, the GTI can easily be the tool for the job. And if you’re married to sedans, you could even get that GTI experience in a Jetta GLI. But what if you like your roofs long?

The Volkswagen Jetta has survived through seven generations. Through those generations, it not only became popular with enthusiasts, but it also became Volkswagen’s best-selling model by a wide margin. Today, Volkswagen’s crossovers take the sales crown, but the Jetta still moves decent numbers for a sedan.

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Volkswagen

As Volkswagen writes, the Jetta was born out of demand for a sedan version of the Golf. Launched in 1979 as a 1980, the Jetta offered drivers 76 horses from a 1.6-liter four, German style, good safety for the day, and good fuel economy. America was in an era of cutting down on emissions and good fuel economy was in vogue. The Jetta also offered buyers more features than other VW models at the time. Buying a Jetta got you a few more luxuries than a Rabbit such as an optional automatic transmission and full carpeting.

Volkswagen says that the Jetta really took off with its second generation. Launched in 1985, the new Jetta offered more of everything. It was large enough to seat five, had a more refined design inside and out, and its 1.8-liter four made 100 horses.

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Volkswagen

Owners got features like velour seats, power mirrors, and even a basic vehicle computer system. Mk2 Jettas could be had with four-doors or two-doors and this car was such a huge success that Volkswagen says that it outsold the Golf two-to-one. The Mk2 Jetta also remained in production for quite a long time. While the generation ended in 1992 for much of the world, China kept building them until 2013.

The Jetta would only continue to evolve over its generations. The third-generation Jetta, launched in the 1993 model year, got even more power thanks to another signature Volkswagen quirk: the VR6 engine. But perhaps the Jetta that most people remember was released in 1999 for the 2000 model year.

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Volkswagen

The Mk4 Jetta was released with a handsome design that still looks modern over 23 years later. American Jettas from this time came with a variety of engines from a 2.0-liter four that made 115 HP to a 1.8-liter turbo four that made 180 HP and all of the way up to the big daddy 2.8-liter VR6 and its 200 horses. And if you were like me and like your engines all clickety clacky, you could get one with a 1.9-liter diesel making 100 HP.

If you’ve driven one of these, you probably remember the interior smelling like crayons. I had one, and it was slammed on bags with wide flares welded on. Volkswagen notes that the Mk4 is also the first Jetta to get a long roof.

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Mercedes Streeter

That brings us to the Jetta that we’re looking at today. Introduced in 2005, the fifth-generation Jetta further evolved the concept. The design rounded out and the interior became even more upscale. Volkswagen was big on technology with the Mk5, and buyers were treated to features like optional dual-zone climate control, active head restraints, emergency brake assist, electric power steering, and Volkswagen’s Direct-Shift Gearbox dual-clutch transmission.

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Volkswagen

The list of engines was pretty interesting, too. The base engine was a 2.5-liter inline five that made 150 HP. I like this engine because, with the right exhaust, it sounds like a baby Lamborghini. The aforementioned 1.9-liter diesel was still around and if you wanted Golf GTI power in a sedan body, you could opt for your Jetta to have a 2.0-liter turbocharged four making 200 HP. The Jetta GLI further offered some sporty bits like plaid seats, sport suspension, and sweet 17-inch wheels.

The fifth-generation Jetta went without a wagon at first. Volkswagen teased the Jetta SportWagen in 2007, but buyers had to wait until the 2009 model year for it to hit showroom floors. And when it did, Volkswagen managed to attract a number of enthusiasts. Quite a few of our readers own a Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, and even I have two Jetta SportWagen TDIs.

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Mercedes Streeter

Until now, I thought that the “holy grail” of Jettas was my Jetta SportWagen TDI with a manual transmission. I mean, it’s a torquey wagon capable of eating up some serious miles paired to an engaging transmission. For many enthusiasts, the only thing it’s missing is some brown paint. However, for reader Alex T and some enthusiasts, the real holy grail of Jettas was one that was sold for just a single year:

My nomination for my Holy Grail is the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen SEL 2.0T. For one year, VW offered the Jetta Sportwagen in the top trim (SEL), with the same engine as the GTI (2.0T TSI, 200hp, 207lb-ft) and a 6-speed manual transmission! Not only that, but these cars share the same chassis as a GTI, so suspension upgrades are simple and plenty. This is as close as VW ever came to selling a “GTI wagon” here in the US, and I would love to own one. As someone who has owned a 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI (I had upgraded this car with Golf R and Audi TTRS suspension parts, it was a great handling car) and currently owns a 2014 GTI, I can only imagine what my JSW would have been like with the power that my GTI has. This motor is also extremely tunable, and 250hp is very achievable with just a simple flash. This and the availability of factory upgrades/aftermarket support make this my Holy Grail car! See a motor trend review down below. Thanks!

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Volkswagen

Click here for the Motor Trend review that Alex T is referring to.

Somehow, despite my love for Volkswagen wagons, this one flew right under my radar. When Volkswagen introduced the Jetta SportWagen in 2009, the top-of-the-line model was the SEL. From what I’ve been able to find, this trim offered buyers standard features that were options in other Jettas, plus power inherited from the GTI.

On the outside, these looked like regular Jetta SportWagens. The only hint that you were looking at something different is when you saw the 2.0 badge on the back. But pop open the door, sit down, and you’re in for a ride. You’ll next notice the interior, which is well-equipped right from the jump. Dual-zone climate control is standard in these, as are heated real leather seats with position memory. You also got neat stuff like a Homelink system and a six-disc stereo system. Thus, the options list was thin and included only the option to get a DSG, a panoramic glass roof, and a navigation system.

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Facebook Marketplace Seller

Car magazines got to test a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen SEL outfitted with accessories from VW’s catalog, including a body kit and 18-inch Karthoum wheels. The Motor Trend reviewer found the experience of driving it enjoyable, but the accessories–specifically the 18-inch wheels–worsened acceleration, handling, and braking. How do big wheels do that? Well, they added 204 pounds that the car didn’t leave the factory with.

When Edmunds tested the same car, that publication’s tester found it able to reach 60 mph in 7.7 seconds, but it was slower in a slalom than a TDI, concluding that the chunky wheels don’t play nice with the stock suspension tune. Volkswagen says that without the heavy accessories, the Jetta Sportwagen SEL could dispatch 60 mph in as little as 6.9 seconds. CNET tested one without all of the accessories, and that reviewer praised the engine’s punch, though that review was focused on the car’s tech.

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L&B Auto

The suspension didn’t just disappoint reviewers, but enthusiasts too. Since it has a stock suspension, it apparently falls short of its GTI and GLI siblings. However, enthusiasts have found it easy to upgrade the suspension with parts from the VW family. Alex T said that they upgraded their Jetta SportWagen TDI to have suspension bits from the Golf R and Audi TTRS. Other enthusiasts on forums indicate that the aftermarket has a lot of options as well. Add in some plaid seats plus the proper wheels and you have yourself the GTI wagon that Volkswagen came so close to selling here.

In 2009, the Jetta SportWagen started at $18,999 for the S model with the 2.5-liter five. For $21,299, you were able to get the SE, which netted you synthetic leather, a better sound system, and a few more interior upgrades. Spending $23,590 got you a SportWagen with a 2.0-liter diesel engine. To get the king of the SportWagen lineup in 2009, you had to spend at least $25,990. If you didn’t want to shift your own gears, wanted navigation, and that neat roof, you knocked on the door of $30,000.

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L&B Auto

This car was a one-year wonder and it seems that nobody has any confirmed production numbers. Best guesses by enthusiasts place production at 4,500 units. By 2010, the Golf and the Jetta both got new generations. Meanwhile, the Jetta SportWagen still rode on the fifth-generation body but got a facelift to closer match its new siblings. Engine choices were also reduced to the 2.5-liter five and the 2.0-liter diesel.

Today, it seems that these cars are obscure. Enthusiasts on forums love them, but that’s about the only place you’ll find chatter about them. At least there’s a potentially good thing about the obscurity, and it’s that these can be found for cheap. I found three of them for sale. Sadly, just one has a manual transmission, but all of them are under $9,000. So, if you want to have a taste of GTI fun in a long roof, keep your eyes peeled for one of these.

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54 thoughts on “For Just A Single Year You Could Buy A Manual VW Wagon With GTI Power: Holy Grails

  1. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1992-ford-tempo-gls-sho-little-brother-that-you-didnt-know-existed/

    1992 for the Tempo seems to be a Unicorn year for you if you are looking. I only found out about them because of the S-box of the day comparo.

    1992 brought another minor refresh to Ford’s compact cars, and a big change to the GLS/XR5/LTS trims. Taking a play from the muscle car playbook, Ford wedged in a bigger engine from a larger car. The H.O. 4-cylinder was dropped, replaced with the 3.0L Vulcan V6 from the Ford Taurus. In the Tempo/Topaz, it made 130 HP (an increase of 30 HP over the H.O. 2.3L). A higher capacity 5-speed manual from the Taurus SHO was standard, with an optional 3-speed automatic. The suspension was stiffened even more and the 15” rims from the previous generation Escort GT were used. The exterior was augmented with a new front bumper featuring integrated fog lights, deeper side sills, and deeper rear bumper with a dual outlet exhaust tip. The 4-door Tempo GLS also featured a unique blacked out D-pillar. The sports interior was carried over, with the addition of a 120 MPH speedometer. Unfortunately, this last shot of adrenaline into the aging Tempo/Topaz didn’t light the sales charts on fire. In 1993, the GLS/XR5/LTS were cancelled making these a low production one year wonder.

  2. I had no idea these existed! I’ve got a 2014 Sportwagen TDI, six speed and in an even better color than brown–VW’s excellent Tornado Red. When my Dieselgate warranty goes out next year, I’m gonna chip it. Nothing major, and I want to retain the factory emissions equipment. Should be able to get it around 190hp and 330 ft-lbs of torque, depending on the tune. It’s already lowered and has a rear sway bar so it handles quite nicely too. All said and done, my goal is to have created a GTI wagon. I had a 2009 GTI that was also lowered, the two cars drive almost identically (and they should since they’re the same platform). Apparently the TDIs even use GTI brakes.

  3. I’ve had a 2013 JSW TDI for close to three years now – manual, sunroof, about 60k miles – and I love it. When I bought it, it was either the JSW or a GSW Alltrak. I decided I didn’t need to spend another $5k to get the Alltrak when the cheaper car would get me everything I want plus better fuel consumption. Slight regrets about the powertrain now given the cost of diesel, but it’s a great wagon. But a year or two before I bought my car, in my long period of casual wagon-shopping, I found a 2009 JSW 2.0T for sale on CL in Florida. Prior to that car, I didn’t know that variant ever existed. It was a well-kept enthusiast’s car with some mild modifications on it. I don’t remember what happened – my attention moved on, it sold, whatever.

  4. Alex T here! Thanks! In hindsight, I should have sent in some photos of my car for the article, I have some cool photos of the car on track. But for anyone interested, my 2013 JSW TDI had the following: MK6 Golf R springs, dampers and rear sway bar, Audi TTRS solid front control arm bushings and strut mounts, MK6 Golf R “Talladega” wheels, MK6 GTI pedals, steering wheel, shift knob and plaid seats, Dieselgeek Sigma 6 short shifter with their “super pin” and “first gear getter” (best shift feel you can possibly get in a MK6), and a few other odds and ends like the front subframe locking kit, Evolution skid plate etc. This car was a blast on the street and on the track, but I couldn’t refuse the offer Carvana made me for it during the height of the pandemic car pricing surge. No regrets especially given that I’m in a MK6 GTI now!

  5. And speaking of that 2.5-liter inline five, I drove a rented 2014 A5 Beetle that had the updated version of that engine that made 168HP.

    It’s a very sweet engine and surprisingly efficient given the displacement and level of power. Basically that New Beetle with the automatic got the same fuel economy (around 7L/100km) as a 2005 Ford Focus Wagon with the 2L 4 cyl and the manual transmission… which made 42HP less and was far less smooth/pleasant.

  6. I nominate for the Holy Grail — 2009/2010 Toyota 4Runner 4-cylinder

    The N280 may have been around since Obama took office and you can still buy one new – remarkably – but there was a brief time in post-recession USA that you could technically buy one with the 2.7 4-cylinder same as the Tacoma.

    But so far I can’t see anybody did. I keep diving into the classifieds to see if someone was brave enough to plunk down cash for a snail-crawl variant of the 4Runner at a time when nobody bought SUVs.

    If anyone can find it, it’s the queen of marketplace madness.

  7. In Brazil VW sold the Parati GTi for almost 10 years, all with stick shift. The 1996-98 models even had a bump in the hood due to the much larger size of the intake manifold of this engine.

    160hp in a 1000kg car. It was a rocket

  8. I test drove one of these in Mason City IA in 2010 and the want was strong, but the wallet said no. Happy to see this better looking (and powered) version of the Mk.V JSW make the ‘Holy Grails’ list.

    The other ‘Holy Grails’ in this same breadth would be the MY 2015 only Mk.VII Golf SportWagen TDI. The last of the oil burner VW wagons before Dieselgate killed them. I believe that also makes it the last oil burner manual wagon available in the USDM.

    1. Glad to see I’m not the only one to think the 2015-only Mk7 Golf/Jetta/SW TDI would also fit the “holy grail” as defined here.
      (for the record, I never thought of my own ’15 6sp SW TDI as anything more than just daily reliable & economic transportation)

  9. Hello again, it’s your resident VW apologist/enthusiast. So I have to disagree with anyone buying this car in 2023. The 2.0t is not known for living a long and healthy life, the 2.5 or TDI are both better at this point in the depreciation curve.

    I know it’s a big jump but double your 9k and get the mk7.5 gsw 4mo with 6 speed. It’s what VW should have been making since the end of the qsw (more on that one day) left production in the 80s. Alex T, stop by Cleveland and you can take mine for a ride. You’ll be trading in your gti before you pull back in.

    Also, avoid sunroofs. VW can’t seem to make drains.

    1. I have a ’19 GSW 4mo 6MT I bought new. 7 months after purchase, it got (deep breath) – is38, MST intake, TTRS clutch, S3 short shifter, Unitronic tune, Koni SAs, Golf R springs, Golf R rear bar, 312mm front brakes, 18″ Pretorias, Michelin Pilot Sports. IE downpipe a few months later. Lots of fun working on a new car. Total invested: about $29k.

      It is a perfect little ripper and hysterically quick considering its origins. It hangs with a buddy’s 997.2 4s ‘vert in the lower gears. Suspension is more tied down without creating a rattletrap. I wouldn’t do anything differently (except check the toe again after the suspension settled!). I haven’t touched a thing almost 3 years on.

      1. That is a well built ride. my wife gets the gsw as her DD so I am not allowed to do any fun stuff yet. it’s on coils and running heritage wheels but that’s all. I got her to agree if the 1.8t ever goes I am vr swapping it. Once prices come down to reasonable levels I’m buying a his to match and once they hit 2k prices I’m buying all of them.

  10. A4 (mk4) Jetta wagons were available circa 2004 with the 180hp 20v 1.8T with a manual. Also a desirable North American veedub grail!

    Add just the basic chip-intake-exhaust mods and it has enough scoot scoot to make you skeet skeet!

  11. It’s actually really easy to have this kind of experience in the modern era. You can’t get it in factory form (in the USA anyway) but it’s not at all difficult:

    If you have a Mk7 Sportwagen or Alltrack, the very mildest Stage 1 tunes will get you into the neighborhood of 230 hp on 87 octane, no hardware modifications required. (A tune like this from a reputable company like APR or Unitronic will cost you about $1,000 installed.) The same-gen GTI makes 213 hp from the factory, and has a power-to-weight ratio of about 1 hp to 14 lbs, depending on trim. Sportwagens and Alltracks weigh a bit more, but with a basic tune you’re right around the same ratio—a little better or a little worse, depending on exactly what you have. Like the Jetta Sportwagen of old, pretty much any suspension components that will bolt onto a Mk7 GTI will bolt onto a Mk7 Sportwagen or Alltrack. And, of course, they can be had with a manual transmission and even AWD if that appeals to you.

    You could do worse.

  12. While somewhat rare, everyone seems to forget the MK4 Jetta wagon GLX. They came equipped with a VR6 and the same close ratio 5 speed found in the GTI and GLI. more difficult to find are the automatic models with the complete GLI interior trim complete with leather seats and faux burlwood trim. Mine IS much like a slightly slower GTI that can bring enough home from Costco to make a prepper smile. Fun and utilitarian.

  13. Man amazing like 5 holy grails in one column including comments;). I think we need a definition or description before the holy grail becomes the new my car is 1 of 100 made (in ghis color, this model year, this color interior, with this size tires, with a dent in this particular place)

  14. Nice pick for this week.

    The wheels from the MT article don’t add 204lb over stock though. Thats just the total weight of the wheels and tires. The delta from stock to VW accessory wheels is much smaller.

    Also, it’s not the added weight but the fat that it has to be rotated that affects the performance

  15. This couldn’t be any more of a relevant holy grail to me right now!

    Here in the UK, the estates have always been Golf’s, the saloons normally called Jetta, but the mk4 was the Bora, mk3 Vento. The estates have never had any of the powerful engines until the mk7, when we got a Golf R estate.

    I have a mk6 Golf diesel estate, basically identical to your (black) Jetta Sportwagen. It’s a workhorse/dog car/van done 180k miles and has been utterly reliable for the past 80k’miles that I’ve owned it for.

    One of my wife’s work colleagues recently bought a mk5 Golf estate GTI import from Japan, which appears to be even more focused than the Jetta SEL 2.0T you mention.
    Apparently it was for the Japanese market only, with his thought to be one of only two imported here in the UK, you can see his very car reviewed here:
    https://youtu.be/6eulH7lpqL0
    it’s absolutely stunning, and so weird to compare to my own very similar but utterly different golf estate.

    Any way, it’s so relevant to me right now because he kindly chauffeured my wife and I to our wedding three weeks ago! Regrettably we didn’t get a photo with the car, but huge thanks to Liam anyhow. Please go and give the video above a look.

  16. Makes me a bit twitchy to see a history of the Jetta laid out for a rebadged for the US Golf, but I understand the issue. Glad they wisely corrected the name for the following generation of the car.

    I sometimes wonder how many slightly different parts have been ordered in error for them over the years when the Sportwagen name was left out of the specifics. One of the pitfalls of badge engineering.

    1. Forgive my ignorance, but aren’t the Jetta and Golf basically just different body styles of the same car, with the other differences between them being on the level of what you might expect from different trims of a single model? A wagon is closer in form to a hatchback than a sedan, but having the Jetta and Golf as separate names is more
      of a marketing than an engineering distinction, surely.

      1. They used to be, with the Jetta being the sedan of the Golf. Starting with this generation that stopped being the case. They share a design platform, but the Jetta is a more US aimed car with a longer wheelbase, slightly plusher ride, etc. There are no interchangeable body panels, and much of the running gear is also different.

      2. For a while, the Jetta sedan didn’t have independent rear suspension, as a cost cutting measure. Can’t remember if that was the MKV or MKVI generation. The Golf retained the independent suspension, as did the Sportwagen. They only badged the Sportwagen as a Jetta here in the US, I believe most other countries got it as a Golf.

  17. And here I thought only BMW’s smelled like crayons.
    Recently I was thinking the last Golf Alltracks would be just about perfect with a GTI or R motor, and some plaid seats of course!

  18. Sorry, but I gotta dissent on the GTI’s engine. After driving both engines (Mk Vs) on highway jaunts, I’ll take the 5-banger all day. It has Buick 455-like torque and just pulls like a locomotive. On long mountain uphill grades, you don’t even have to downshift- it just grunts up the hill like it wasn’t even there.
    Sure, the GTI’s 4 has more power. But I didn’t find it as useful as the 2.5’s torque.

    1. There’s nothing wrong with that! The 2.5 makes some great noises and I hear that they’re pretty reliable, too. If they’re as good as you make them sound, I reckon I’d love one of those, too. Maybe I’ll try one out after I buy a house with enough storage for all of my cars.

      1. Don’t buy a ‘house’, just buy vacant land and weld 2 old busses together into a house. Then keep buying busses to add to your ‘house’.

    1. OH NO! I think I may have removed the “u” when tweaking the headline. How embarrassing! Thank you so very very much. Can I blame it on Kinja?

    1. On behalf of all VW enthusiasts: you got all the nice toys and are clearly the favorite child. I will now return to the cupboard under the stairs.

  19. Would add the 2010 VW Passat wagon to the holy grail list. This was the only year you could get a 2.0T with DSG, was a mid-size wagon, and nicer interior than the mk5 golf.

    Would also add the 2009-2011 Audi A6 Avant 3.0T. Nearly a large size wagon with a 3.0T supercharged V6. Only a 6 speed auto but enough power and torque where MT is not missed.

    I have had ny Mk6 GTI 6MT DD for 11 years and the wife has the A6 Avant and its got me thinking of getting an a6 sedan of the same vintage.

  20. Oh sure, the one year I resolve not to buy an awesome used car to hoon in, you have to make me aware of something THIS amazing. Geez, thanks Mercedes.

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