Behind the Wheel - 2010 Volkswagen Golf - Economy Without the Ennui - Review - NYTimes.com THE Volkswagen Golf is proof that there is more to motoring fun than a cooperative powertrain and a well-designed suspension. The window sticker is important, too, especially when it shows a nicely equipped hatchback priced at just over $18,000 with estimated highway mileage of 30 miles per gallon. The new 2010 Golf is the sixth generation in a line of small cars that dates back, in the United States, to the 1975 Rabbit. The car is better known as the Golf, although apparently lagomorph-loving marketing types have sometimes badged it the Rabbit, a less-than-heroic moniker most recently used for the 2006-9 model years. For 2010 it is a Golf once again. The new model is still a front-wheel-drive hatchback with two or four doors, assembled in Wolfsburg, Germany. There are three models: the Golf, the high-mileage, diesel-powered Golf TDI (rated 42 m.p.g. on the highway) and the 200-horsepower sports-oriented GTI. Prices begin at $18,240 for a two-door Golf with a 5-speed manual transmission and $19,940 for a four-door, which comes only with a 6-speed automatic. The cheapest Golf TDI diesel, a two-door, is $22,939, and the least expensive GTI, also a two-door, is $24,239. A jump from two doors to four costs $600 for either the TDI or GTI. The entry-level Golf is so pleasing because it is so good. I drove a two-door on the demanding roads here, about 25 miles northwest of Ann Arbor. These are roads often used by auto company engineers doing development work - the turns and surfaces make it seem as if the road builders" goal was not to design safe here-to-there routes, but to challenge suspensions. On such roads, the Golf's suspension shows its multitasking versatility. When the pavement is bad, the suspension has its guard up, protecting the Golf's occupants. But it is also ready on roads with surprising turns and odd banking that could fling a quick-moving vehicle into the woods. There is some body lean under hard cornering, but the Golf steadies itself and moves along. The steering is quick, with nice weight and good feel. One disappointment is a soft brake pedal. The Golf has a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder engine rated at 170 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 revolutions per minute. The engine handles the car's 3,000 pounds quite nicely: VW says the Golf goes from zero to 60 miles per hour in 8.1 seconds with the automatic and 7.8 seconds with the 5-speed manual. Fuel economy is rated at 23 m.p.g. city and 30 m.p.g. highway with the automatic and 22/30 with the manual. The Golf I tested had the optional ($1,100) 6-speed automatic. With the transmission in its regular Drive setting, the engine speed needs to be above 3,000 r.p.m. for a quick and strong response. Putting the transmission into "S" tells the computer to care less about fuel economy and delays the upshifts. That keeps the engine speed in a higher, more responsive range and makes the Golf feel much more eager. For those who want the best fuel economy, there is the TDI, which also has a sport suspension. The diesel engine is a 2-liter turbocharged, direct-injection 4-cylinder that is clean enough to be sold nationwide. The TDI is rated at 140 horsepower and an ever-ready 236 pound-feet of torque from 1,750 to 2,500 r.p.m. A 6-speed manual is standard, and a 6-speed Direct Shift Gearbox, which functions like an automatic, is a $1,100 option. The car has an E.P.A. rating of 30 m.p.g. in town and 41 m.p.g. on the highway with the manual and 30/42 with the automatic. VW claims a zero-to-60 m.p.h. time of 8.6 seconds with either the manual or Direct Shift Gearbox. The new car's dimensions are virtually unchanged - meaning the package is wonderful for one or two people who can use the back seat for cargo. Rear legroom is limited for adults, with barely enough room for a six-foot driver with a six-foot passenger directly behind, though still better than most compact cars. With the two-door, however, getting into the back involves something akin to a contortionist immunity challenge on "Survivor: Wolfsburg." Like most hatchbacks, the Golf is a marvelously flexible creation. Folding down the split rear seat creates 46.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity, which is about what Ford offers behind the second row of its midsize Explorer S.U.V. With the rear seat up, there is 15 cubic feet of cargo space, matching the trunk space of many midsize sedans. Volkswagen is known for turning out handsome, well-assembled interiors, and the Golf's qualifies. Even the cloth upholstery is attractive. The driver's seat offers good thigh support and is height-adjustable. Still, changing the angle of the seatback requires an awkward reach back to turn a knob. The good news is that the knob allows minute adjustments that are impossible on most cars with easy-to-reach, but clunky, levers. The controls are easy to find and use. The biggest problems are a general lack of storage and smallish cup holders that may not meet the needs of Americans accustomed to extreme hydration. The Golf comes with all the top safety equipment, including electronic stability control and side-impact air bags. After crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - including a new roof-strength test - the four-door Golf was rated a Top Safety Pick. A spokesman for the institute, Russ Rader, said the results did not apply to the two-door Golf, which was not tested. Reliability has been an issue with recent Volkswagens. The automaker was rated second to last in J. D. Power & Associates" 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study, which looked at how 2006 models had held up. But Consumer Reports magazine says its reliability studies show Volkswagen has been improving; the magazine rates the new Golf among the most reliable small cars. In the end, the standard Golf beguiles with neither speed nor cornering ability, but with its overall charm. The Golf combines practicality and distinctive style with a suspension that can either comfort or, to some extent, cavort. And the window sticker is nicely done, too. INSIDE TRACK: Putting some fun into frugality.