sorry, "the pretentiousness of those who don't want one"? does the lack of a market for that car here in the US necessarily mean that the people who aren't buying it or wouldn't buy it are pretentious? the fact is there's not enough of a market to make it profitable here. yes, part of the reason is that fuel is cheaper here so people have less of an issue having one suv and one sporty sedan. personally, i loathe SUVs and would never own one. i love european hatches and wagons in general, and our other car is a VW Passat wagon w/ awd and the 2.8L audi v6 engine. great car, luxurious for the price, nice for cargo, etc. compact hatches like this one, in general, though, do not have as much space in the back as people think. the reason i ddin't want to get a golf or a wagon version of the jetta (beyond the fact that they don't share nearly as many components with audi as the passat, and the VR6 engine just doesn't do it for me) is because those hatches really don't have a ton more room than a true mid-size sedan with fold-down rear seats. in a honda i owned prior to my first benz, i was able to fit 20 or so packages of laminate hardwood flooring - in the back of an accord sedan with folding rear seats. i might have had a little more clearance in a hatch, i admit, but i think mid-size wagons are the way to go (vs. compact hatches) if you're married or have a family and need serious cargo room, vs. someone who owns a hatch to fit DJ equipment or other stuff. IMHO...
