Sad day for car lovers as three wagons are axed

Australia’s insatiable appetite for heavy, high-riding SUVs has cut short the lifespan of three attractive passenger cars.

This is a dark day for wagons.

Volkswagen has pulled the pin on station wagons that served as a counterpoint to high-riding SUVs, announcing that they will no longer be part of the brand’s local line-up.

But the good news is that performance cars are becoming cheaper, and that punchy new electric models are on the way.

Sadly, the VW Golf Wagon – including the high-performance Golf R Wagon – is no longer available to order, as VW is focusing on more popular SUVs.

Volkswagen has stopped sales of the Golf R Wagon.

The brand says folks who have already ordered a VW Golf R wagon should still get their car in the next few months, but that it is too late to take fresh orders.

Order books for the Golf R hatch remain closed as VW attempts to clear a backlog and deliver cars to customers who have been waiting months for their new wheels, with orders expected to reopen later this year.

SUV-dodging folks looking to avoid a crossover will be disappointed to hear that the Volkswagen Passat and Arteon have been discontinued.

Volkswagen’s Arteon Shooting Brake is no longer available in Australia.

Both were available as handsome wagons that were better to drive and arguably more stylish than the blocky Tiguan crossover.

Entry-level manual examples of the VW Polo hatch have also been discontinued, as have diesel-powered VW Tiguan crossovers.

Folks looking for a modern VW with punch and practicality could consider rapid versions of the brand’s upcoming electric car range.

The Volkswagen Passat has been cut from the range.

VW has confirmed that the new ID.4 and ID.5 electric cars will arrive in high-performance GTX trim with 220kW of power in the second quarter of 2024. The all-wheel-drive models build on standard rear-wheel-drive versions that have around 150kW of poke.

Those models will be followed by a smaller VW ID.3 GTX closer in size to the VW Golf.

VW says it is too early to confirm details surrounding the ID.3 GTX.

Volkswagen’s ID.4 is on its way to Australia.

Folks who don’t want to wait a year to get hold of the electric hot hatch can snap up stock of the VW Polo GTI and Golf GTI.

Supply of the turbocharged hatchbacks is returning to local showrooms.

Recognising that stock shortages have made hot hatch prices volatile, VW has adopted drive-away pricing for the GTI duo.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI benefits from drive-away prices.

The Polo GTI is now available from $39,990 drive-away, while the larger Golf GTI costs $55,490 drive-away.

That’s about $5000 less than what VW had been charging for the models – and $15,000 less than what dealers have been asking.