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
@B1663R: sorry i was looking for an excuse to use that picture since VW launched that stupid commercial with the talking bug that sounds an awful lot like Sgt. Shultz #volkswagen
Ah Jalopnik, so predictable - everybodys' sister's uncle's cousin's ex-girlfriend knew a guy one time with a VW and it was crap. All I know is I've got everything in the family from a 30 year old Rabbit ITC car to a 3 year old GTI daily driver owned since new with the "shite" DSG and all of them see harder service than any new Toyota or Honda will ever see on the weekends (racing, track days, autocross etc.) with no problems. Per JD Power this is impossible.
As far as the myth of the the eco-friendly nature of electrics and hybrids ask yourself 2 things -
1. Where does the battery go when it's dead and what chemical by-products were generated making it's replacement?
2. For the plug in crowd - how much pollution was made generating the electricity that was sent down the wire to charge your battery? Don't forget the transmission losses.....
How many VWs and Toyotas started the last lemons race at MSR-H and how many were running at the end?
@rickerbr: At what VW is charging these days, they should be pretty reliable. I like VWs, but the only really attractive price is on the GTI, which is enough to make one at least look at the Japanese cars.
Transmission losses are a good point...it can be up to 50% from generation to consumer. Evil losses. But refining and burning petroleum is not very efficient either, relative to the ideal. It is more fun, though. #volkswagen
@rickerbr:
1. The batteries are valuable and get recycled. NiMH and lithium aren't particularly toxic, far less than the LEAD-ACID battery in every conventional car.
2. Electric propulsion is more efficient than burning gasoline to make heat and a little forward motion. So pollution goes down even with current mix of electric generation in the USA, and gets better with natural gas generation and renewables
@brandegee: Maybe there's some aging transmission line to nowhere with 50% losses, please tell us where it is. Meanwhile average transmission & distribution losses in the USA were a mere 7% in 1995. When know-nothing anti-environmentalists bring this tired talking point up, they overlook the huge energy consumption to produce, refine, and transport gasoline. It's been said (but I haven't reviewed the math) that you can send an electric car further on the electricity it takes to make a gallon of gasoline than an internal combustion engine can travel on that gallon. #volkswagen
My friend and his dad between them own 2 Volkswagen Passats (one was practically given to them) and they have been the most unreliable pieces of garbage. Every weekend, the dad is in the garage wrenching away at something. It's either the rear trunk cable, power window regulator, a check engine light, various vacuum hoses, various valves, sensors, need I go on?
In fact, every German car since the E30, maybe the E36, is a rolling nightmare of poor design and over-engineering.
@rickerbr: Ya, VW is das junk. Has been for years.
How about VW/Audi electric window regulators that broke from 1982-2000+ before they fixed it (if, in fact they really have)? How about the leaking heater cores VW sold to the public for OVER 10 years before recalling and fixing? Just 2 examples of the NUMEROUS quality problems VW has had for DECADES!
Do some research!
VW=Overpriced Junk #volkswagen
1. VW is smart enough to anchor their floormats and has been for 10+ years.
2. VW fixed their oil sludge problems
3. VW doesn't perpetrate the myth of the eco friendly nature of Hybrids.
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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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I KNOW NOTHING! #volkswagen
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As far as the myth of the the eco-friendly nature of electrics and hybrids ask yourself 2 things -
1. Where does the battery go when it's dead and what chemical by-products were generated making it's replacement?
2. For the plug in crowd - how much pollution was made generating the electricity that was sent down the wire to charge your battery? Don't forget the transmission losses.....
How many VWs and Toyotas started the last lemons race at MSR-H and how many were running at the end?
11/10/09
Transmission losses are a good point...it can be up to 50% from generation to consumer. Evil losses. But refining and burning petroleum is not very efficient either, relative to the ideal. It is more fun, though. #volkswagen
11/10/09
1. The batteries are valuable and get recycled. NiMH and lithium aren't particularly toxic, far less than the LEAD-ACID battery in every conventional car.
2. Electric propulsion is more efficient than burning gasoline to make heat and a little forward motion. So pollution goes down even with current mix of electric generation in the USA, and gets better with natural gas generation and renewables
@brandegee: Maybe there's some aging transmission line to nowhere with 50% losses, please tell us where it is. Meanwhile average transmission & distribution losses in the USA were a mere 7% in 1995. When know-nothing anti-environmentalists bring this tired talking point up, they overlook the huge energy consumption to produce, refine, and transport gasoline. It's been said (but I haven't reviewed the math) that you can send an electric car further on the electricity it takes to make a gallon of gasoline than an internal combustion engine can travel on that gallon. #volkswagen
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In fact, every German car since the E30, maybe the E36, is a rolling nightmare of poor design and over-engineering.
So I ask: how? #volkswagen
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The next fad: sodomisation without lubrication. #volkswagen
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How about VW/Audi electric window regulators that broke from 1982-2000+ before they fixed it (if, in fact they really have)? How about the leaking heater cores VW sold to the public for OVER 10 years before recalling and fixing? Just 2 examples of the NUMEROUS quality problems VW has had for DECADES!
Do some research!
VW=Overpriced Junk #volkswagen
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2. VW fixed their oil sludge problems
3. VW doesn't perpetrate the myth of the eco friendly nature of Hybrids.
oh and Deustchland Uber Alles... #volkswagen