Volkswagen of America, Inc, today announced pricing of the all-new Golf SportWagen. With a starting Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $21,395 for the 1.8T S model with manual transmission, the latest SportWagen features more standard equipment, increased fuel efficiency, and more space than the outgoing Jetta SportWagen S model. The TDI Clean Diesel model starts at $24,595, a reduction of almost $2,000 over the previous base TDI model price.

Hybrids come in all sizes these days, with even large SUVs offering eco-friendly mpg sippers in an effort to draw more buyers.

But one of the key categories for hybrids remains the compact car, and there’s quite a bit of competition in this area from both the U.S. and foreign automakers. One consistent competitor is the Honda Civic, which continues to wage a strong fight in the compact hybrid battlefield.

I recently spent some time in a 2014 Civic hybrid, and I’m back with a full report.