I haven't test drove the Golf TDI yet since it's so high in demand and most dealers here in southern Cali are out of stock..however, there are a few Jetta SportWagen available... I decided to test drive one yesterday, and man, it was a pretty good car.... the suspension tends to drag a little.... and it feels like more of a sturdier car...yet, I'm going to be missing out on the loads of standard equipment that the Golf offers...
Any opinions....
It seems like a question of how much cargo space you need. I bought a Golf TDI a couple weeks ago, and it's fun as hell to drive. Maybe not quite a GTI, but the same general driving characteristics - tight & nimble - and 40 MPG. Plenty of room for 4 passengers, the main size difference is in the trunk area, which is quite a lot smaller.
In contrast I drove a SportWagen a few months ago because all the specs looked good, but it drives like a hippo on Qualudes. It drove about like my 1997 subaruy - everything about it was loose and sluggish.
So, if you need the cargo room, see if you can live with the handling. If you don't need a wagon, the golf is a lot more fun to drive.
Just my two cents...