Quote Originally Posted by GLC1968 View Post
We hadn't considered the Jetta sportwagon because good friends of ours has one and we don't want to be copy-cats. ;-) Actually, perhaps we will. Our closest Mazda dealer is also a VW dealer, so we will definitely do some looking around when we are there!

Off to investigate the BMW - maybe we can get a deal since we bought our MINI there?! ;-)
You need to look at the smaller engine BMW X1 that's AWD - there are a BUNCH of different versions, but the smaller engine one is cheaper and gets better MPG and I bet you anything that it's got plenty of power. It gets 30's MPG which is decent for a car that size. Dealer loyalty!!!

Quote Originally Posted by Blueberry View Post
MP - I didn't know you had a sportwagen too?? Funny!

Another vote for the TDI Sportwagen. I'm perfectly happy with mine. It's fun to drive, and I really love the range (great mileage + big tank = 450 miles between fill-ups routinely). Don't know about ground clearance, but haven't run into an issue with it. I will say I took my FWD Golf a lot of places it probably shouldn't have gone without a problem. It's definitely higher off the ground than something like a Fit.
Funny! Yeah we got it in December. Em had been driving DH's old Audi S4 which had over 200,000 miles on it and the (original) clutch was starting to go. We wanted her to have something safe that could also double as a family/dog vacation car. It's great. So many bells and whistles for a car in that price range.

The lack of AWD is the only bummer, as putting chains on in the snow isn't fun. It really depends on how much time you think you will be spending in the snow. We spent the Christmas/New Year holiday week in the snow, and ended up leaving the chains on for most of the time. I'd have no worries about taking it on dirt roads, etc. The clearance is good.