I have two big dogs that will not fit in a sedan. I was driving a Hyundai Elantra Touring (wagon) which was a great car, but it reached a 142,000 miles and was time for a new vehicle. I was a VERY loyal Hyundai fan, this was my 5th Elantra. I did not want an SUV as one of my dogs who is older was get arthritis in his back legs and the height to get in was a concern. I am also one of the rare Americans who really prefers driving a stick shift. I went back to Hyundai but the Elantra GT, which I could get in a manual, but that car did not have nearly the room of the car I was replacing and also had an uneven load floor. I also checked the Kia Soul (only get a very basic car with a manual) the Mazda 3 (also to small of a cargo area) and finally I went in to VW. The dealer had a black 2016 manual S Sportwagen. I tool it for a drive and fell in love. The car has great get up and go and was filled with good tech for the price. The only thing that I was disappointed with was that it did not have leather seats. The dealer quickly resolved that issue, as they work with a local company to install leather, and they did an amazing job, and installed 2 tone gray/black leather in the car for me. There are 3 things that I wish the car came with that it does not have. I wish you get a moonroof with a manual transmission. I wish it had Auto headlights, had that feature in one of my previous cars and loved it, and the 16" wheels that it comes with are okay, but the 17" & 18" wheels on the SE and SEL trim models are much more attractive. I will most likely upgrade at some point. The car has 21,000 miles on it so far, has been bullet proof for reliability. Both VW dealers that I brought the car in for service where fantastic. They were quick and efficient and I got the car back when promised (this was a HUGE downfall for Hyundai - Oil Changes were always a minimum of 3 hour waits). I am fairly easy going on my car, and tend to shift between 2500 -3000 rpm and I consistently get 33 -37 MPG in mostly city / rush hour traffic. Prior to me moving into the city, I had a 100 mile commute of mostly highway which the car was averaging 41 - 43 MPG all the time. Overall great car, love the room. As long as the car is stays reliable, I think I am going to be a life long VW owner.