For those who are looking for a cheap car that's "German" to get from point A to point B, look no further, this is the car for you.
Now on to the bad.
I sat down one day, surrounded in the hard plastic interior, and literately made a list of what's wrong with this car.
In no particular order...
> When the wipers are on I can hear a tick coming from the cheap plastic dash board. Maybe it's a relay ticking?
>When I had the heater going, I could hear the blower motor squeaking.
>The suspension in this car is cheap and far from being labeled "european taught." I took a gander underneath the chassis, no aluminum whatsoever and the rear suspension is a cheap twist beam setup (not independent suspension). Put it this way my Tiguan CUV can out handle this car.
> It has a 5 cylinder engine- even though it had enough "pep", I wish it had a little more pep.
>The interior did have tight gaps and seemed to be screwed together good, it was still rattled and cabin noise was more predominant than other VW's I have tested.
> The radio shuts itself off every time I turn the key to the "off" position. That got annoying real fast when I shut the engine off and I wanted to sit in the car and listen to the radio.
>I can't turn the traction control off (to let the tires spin in the deep snow).
>The center armrest does not adjust or slide like other 'dubs.
Also, the padding on all the armrest is too thin.
>When you shut the door, it makes a rattling sound. When you shut a door on a German car, it should make a solid "thud". Like when bird hits the ground when you pick one off from 100 yards away.
>The gas gauge is electronic, which is not accurate. There is not enough tick marks.
>There is no engine temp readout, which seem to be a trend on many new cars these days.
>The seats are vinyl, which does look nice but they are not heated.
On a side, I did find the seats to be very comfortable.
>The "steering feel" is horrible! It's way too over boosted and numb. I tested jeeps that had more steering feel.
> The interior is cheap plastic. It's more like an American or Japanese car. When I sit in a german car, I want to feel like I'm settling down into buttered cream. I wan't to be wrapped in soft and good quality materials. This car made go "ewwww" every time I sat in it.
The reason why Volkswagen made this car the way they did, was to attract people who buy Japanese and other budget cars. Ok, I understand. I hope VW doesn't try and make these changes to all of their lineup of cars. Which I highly doubt they will.
Like I said earlier, this is not a Volkswagen. If your a car enthusiast, steer clear of this car.
On the other hand, if you just want a car to get around in, this one is as good as any other.
I know it looks like I don't like anything about this car and I'm being very critical towards it. And you're right, I am. This is a german car (or rather a car from a german company), and german cars are supposed to tick certain boxes, this car ticks none of them.
There is hope! In the near future Volkswagen will release the GLI version of this car. The GLI will have a turbo charged four cylinder engine, a much better (sport) suspension, and should have a much better interior. My tip, wait until the GLI makes it's debut. My guess is it will start in the $24,000 range, it will be worth it. The GLI will check pretty much all of the german car "boxes."
NOTE: Page still under construction.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask.
