“You can’t always get what you want,” exclaimed Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones’ 1969 hit of the same title. That lyric rings true for many American car enthusiasts, who longingly look to Europe’s hatchback- and wagon-saturated market. Normally liftback lovers must admire from afar, but we recently got a rare chance to sample some of Volkswagen’s European models on an ice-covered lake in Arvidsjaur, Sweden. Unfortunately, after playing in the snow we must report back that our country is missing out on some excellent VWs that blend sensibility with driving aptitude. The latter is largely thanks to VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, which luckily is still found in VW’s American SUV offerings.
Station-Wagon Heaven
The Passat name is still familiar in America, having only departed after the 2022 model year. Europe received a new generation in 2023, sold exclusively as a wagon. This author grew up in the back seat of a B5-generation Passat wagon, which boasted a handsome design, a spacious cargo hold, a leather-lined interior, and a mix of dynamic competence and structural solidity due in part to a platform shared with the Audi A4.
The modern Passat Variant (that’s European for “wagon”) struck many similar notes in our limited on-road and extensive on-ice driving. Not only does the liftgate rise to reveal a capacious cargo area, but the rear seats are vastly roomy, with plenty of stretch-out space for this 5-foot 11-inch author. The cabin is wrapped in high-quality materials, and while there is an overreliance on touchscreen controls, the screens themselves were large and fairly straightforward to navigate.
The Variant we drove was motivated by a turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel four-cylinder producing 190 horsepower, and while not especially zippy, it felt capable on the road. But it was on ice where we were most impressed by the Passat. With stability control off, the 4Motion system deftly divvied up power through the rear axle’s multiplate clutch. The throttle wasn’t incredibly responsive, but it wasn’t hard to get the Passat sideways, and once there it exhibited a graceful balance, allowing for long slides. Most wagon owners won’t drift their family cars en route to the school drop-off line, but the balance implies a reassuring sense of control that any parent would want with such precious cargo on board.
We also drove the Passat’s battery-electric counterpart, the ID.7 Tourer GTX. VW initially aimed to sell the ID.7 stateside in sedan form before canceling those plans in January. On public roads, the ID.7 Tourer matched the Passat’s quiet, comfortable operation, albeit with more punch from the 335-hp dual-motor setup. The roomy cabin had lush materials and unique touches like a small gauge cluster screen showing only the most crucial information for a cleaner look.
The ID.7’s higher curb weight made it trickier to control on the icy lake, however. The AWD system is rear-biased, with a 282-hp motor on the rear axle in the GTX. With stability control off—a function not yet available in VW’s EVs but which the company said it was developing for production use—the ID.7 was the easiest car to get sideways, a light blip of the reactive accelerator shooting a jolt of power to the rear wheels.
But the car’s heft, touchy pedal, and vague steering also made it the most challenging car to keep sideways, exhibiting a propensity for a pendulum effect where the rear end quickly swung out of control. Most owners will probably never encounter such circumstances, but it speaks to how the added weight of electric platforms detracts from driving dynamics. Still, the ID.7 Tourer, one of the few electric wagons available worldwide, is a competent alternative to the sea of electric SUVs. It would’ve been a unique proposition in the U.S. had it ever come here.
Hatchbacks Galore
Despite the event’s focus on the 4Motion system, we took a spin in the wee front-wheel-drive Polo GTI. The baby brother to the Golf GTI measures around eight inches shorter and packs a 204-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. While not particularly quick, the Polo stood out for its approachability. It has just enough power to be fun, but it was easy to recover from mistakes given the hatch’s propensity for understeer. The Polo GTI seems like a great beginner’s hot hatch.
Returning to all-wheel drive, we hopped into a prototype for the Golf 4Motion, which goes on sale in Europe this summer. Powered by a 201-hp four-cylinder, the 4Motion uses a similar rear multiplate clutch setup as the Passat along with XDS+, VW’s simulated, brake-based limited-slip differential. The Golf 4Motion can send nearly 100 percent of the torque to the rear axle and proved to be incredibly well behaved on the ice, both easy to slide and easy to catch. Sadly, non-GTI or Golf R versions of VW’s hatch likely won’t return to our shores.
While we can’t always get what we want, Jagger reminds us that, sometimes, you get what you need, and the best car to whip around VW’s ice course was the Golf R, which has been refreshed for 2025 and will continue to be sold in the U.S. While it’s sad to see the manual transmission depart, the seven-speed dual-clutch is among the best automatic transmissions, and the paddles responded quickly as we slid across the frozen lake. The direct steering inspired confidence, and the electronically controlled clutch packs nimbly distributed the torque between the wheels to keep the car traveling in a straight line, even when we were pointed sideways. The Golf R felt incredibly intuitive on ice, the sort of car you don’t need to think to drive—you just drive.
We look forward to a more extended, on-road drive of the 2025 Golf R soon, but we won’t stop dreaming about VW’s enticing European wagons and hatchbacks.
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
