It's certainly a neat car and VW does a very nice job with overall feel, design, quality and use of materials. I think Japanese cars in the GTI's range have gotten rather ugly in their desperate attempt to stand out. And the quality of materials used inside has declined over the past decade or two.
But to call it Automobile of the Year seems to be overrated to me. I suppose the GTI is more relevant in Europe than it is in the US, hence the award. #vwgti
Car & Driver just ranked the GTI over the MS3 as well, even with the power deficit. The only thing that would make me hesitant about the GTI is VW's reliability issues that were resounding a few years back. I'm not sure if those are resolved yet. #vwgti
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@RocketScientist takes the edit button for granted: What I'd heard was electrical niggles and dealerships that were ill-equipped to meet service requirements. Good to hear your POV. Do you report to truedelta.com? #vwgti
I was still in the midst of my misspent youth as an automotive journalist when the Mk5 came out, and when I opined that the Mazda/Speed3 was better looking and had better steering feel and the only reason why everyone was so ga-ga over the Golf/GTI was due to leather/high-end plastics poisoning, I might as well have had bats flying out of my ears. You can't go wrong with either, but man, they're acting like this thing is the best thing since...since the MK1? C'mon. #vwgti
@Pessimippopotamus: Thanks! I needed a good laugh! That car is hilarious. The nose looks like it is off a custom pimpmobile Lincoln MKIII from about 1971. #vwgti
Ha! Karma is a bitch. [/cranky old man who loves manual transmission cars]. Seriously, though, when I drove the MK5 GTI for the first time, the DSG totally freaked out and went into some kind of limp mode. Whether that was a statement on VAG quality or DSG itself, I'm not sure, but it did result in a five-speed Mazda3 for my garage.
I wonder how they'll figure out a way to blame the drivers. That's what VW does. "You know, these transmissions are pretty robust, but if you leave them in auto mode like a sissy little girl, they wear out quicker. I hope you've learned your lesson. Here's your receipt. As you can see, shop incidentals came to over $30 because we had to eat so many Twix while fixing your car. How am I going to explain my fat ass to my wife? I'm going to blame you, that's how. Have a nice day."
@Ash78: And you wonder why they never were able to sell many Phaetons. Many said if they would have just branded it the Phaeton and left off the VW badge, they would have sold like hot cakes. Alas, no rich guy wants to hear it from the service center.
@maximum-sienna: A great car, but very poorly executed. Allegedly the whole thing arose because Piech was jealous of M-B and BMW execs showing up for meetings in their Q-ships. Sure, he could have used an Audi A8, but he wanted something with the core brand's logo on it.
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But to call it Automobile of the Year seems to be overrated to me. I suppose the GTI is more relevant in Europe than it is in the US, hence the award. #vwgti
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The local Mazda shop couldn't be bothered to provide a test drive.
The absence of torque steer despite all the midrange pull makes a compelling case for the GTI. #vwgti
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@CJinSD: It's not as if the Automobile was an influential publication.
Here's a Bentley Mulsanne to make you feel better. #vwgti
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It's the driver's fault anyway for paying attention to meaningless idiot lights.
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It's one of the best "automatics", though, so that's something.
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Sometimes, aye!
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...as a scapegoat
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