Jetta Sportwagen offers power and lots of room, but doesn't gulp gas

VOLKSWAGEN The Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen. The wagon takes another step forward in its comeback with the introduction of the Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen.

With more consumers turning away from SUVs because of high gas prices, wagons are poised to capitalize by offering functionality with a far less thirsty engine.

The Sportwagen provides 32.8 cubic feet of trunk space, which is twice what the Jetta sedan gives in its trunk.

If you put the rear seats down, you open up 66.9 cubic feet.

But this car isn't just for hauling people and stuff — you can have a little fun, too.

There is a peppy 2.5-liter, 170-horsepower inline five-cylinder engine offered, as well as a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 200 ponies. The former is mated to a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, and the latter has a six-speed manual or the automatic.

Later, VW will introduce a diesel version of the Sportwagen.

This wagon, or wagen, has just enough power to make you confident that you won't get pancaked when you're trying to merge onto a crowded highway. Steering is quite responsive and the overall ride quality is surprisingly smooth.

Fuel economy numbers are attractive: 21 mpg city and 29 highway.

Pricing starts at $19,649 for the base S model and ranges as high as $27,740 for the uplevel SEL model, with the mid-level SE model somewhere in between.