“While it might not be everyone’s first choice in colour, the Jetta diesel’s Toffee Brown Metallic looks like a cold glass of root beer on wheels.”

VW has one of the most comprehensive diesel vehicle lineups in Canada.

Mercedes-Benz offers quite a few variants, as does BMW and Chevrolet has their Cruze Diesel. (Note: I’m talking about vehicles, not trucks.)

If you’re looking to go further on a single tank without moving into a hybrid, perhaps diesel might be the best option for you.

VW has a plethora of cars to choose from and an SUV. Therefore, whether you need something with lots of cargo space, a sedan that looks great, or off-road ready sport ute, VW has you covered.

For example, there’s the über popular Golf. The seventh generation vehicle was named the North American Car of the year for 2015. It’s not hard to see why.

There are quite a few body styles to choose from whether you want a three-door, a five-door, or a Sportwagon. And both the Sportwagon and five-door give drivers the option of a 2.0L, four-cylinder, TDI engine.

Horsepower specs come in at 150, while it produces an impressive 236 lb-ft of torque. That torque is reached as low as 1,750-3,500 rpm.

The main difference between the two aforementioned models is, that the Sportwagon is a new trim for 2015 and it has 860 L of cargo space. The five-door has 490L with the parcel shelf up and 670L with the shelf off.

The Golf TDI has a starting MSRP of $23,095 and the Sportwagon starts at $24,995.

But if neither of those models tickle your fancy, consider the Jetta TDI.

This four-door sedan is stylish yet yields some great fuel economy numbers; 7.7L/100km in the city and 5.2L/100km in the city. That’s on top of getting hundreds of kilometres out of one fill up.

Starting at just $22,490, it deserves all the praise it is given.

Having tested the Jetta TDI Highline trim (which starts at $29,690) you get such features 17-inch alloy wheels, a six-way power driver’s seat with manual lumbar support, fog lights, leather seating surfaces, a power sunroof, and LED signature daytime running lights.

While it might not be everyone’s first choice in colour, the Jetta diesel’s Toffee Brown Metallic looks like a cold glass of root beer on wheels. Yum. I found it to be refreshing and different. As for the ride and handling, this Jetta does not disappoint. One of my favourite features – aside from the 150 horsepower and 236 horsepower from its 2.0L, turbo engine – is how it handles. The steering weight gives enough feedback to the driver to make tight turns engaging. And when paired with the DSG transmission, not only is city traffic more manageable, but less work for your left leg!

If you find yourself towing a lot, or even wanting to go off the straight and narrow, consider the 2015 VW Touareg TDI. With ample room for five inside, this SUV comes with all the right touches.

The refreshed interior design and styling is highly appealing to those who want a posh truck, without paying the equivalent price of its familiar equivalents: the Porsche Cayenne Diesel or the Audi Q7 TDI.

The Touareg’s starting MSRP comes in at $55,275 and goes from there.

The Execline is the top-of-the-line trim and starts at $69,575. Okay, that’s a decent amount of coin, and it’s not for everyone, but all trims of Touareg come with the same great 3.0L, turbocharged, V6 engine offering 240 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque.

This engine is then linked with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The panoramic sunroof lets in a copious amount of daylight onto the Terracotta Brown Vienna Leather seats and into the cabin.

A strong point of VWs as long as I can remember is how its cabin says so much with saying so little. For example: the centre stack. The perfect combination of buttons and touchscreen make the infotainment so easy to use and one that is not hard to navigate.

Then there’s the fuel economy.

In the city, it uses an estimated 12.0L/100km in the city and 8.1L/100km on the highway. Not bad for a vehicle that weighs in at 2,130 kg and has all-wheel drive.

There are a couple more TDI options for you, too. There’s the larger Passat sedan and then there’s the funky Beetle.

Visit www.vw.ca for more information.

Contact the writer at alexandra [dot] straub [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca