I had a 2001 Golf made in Germany and my current 2004 Golf is made in Brazil (or Mexico? I haven't looked that closely). I can't tell the difference between the two, except there have been some minor upgrades over the years (VW is constantly fixing nits)...not in features just in the way things work. For example the magazines complained about the disc brakes being grabby the year I bought the first one, and this has been (silently) fixed since then.
Also the suspension seems better sorted out this time around ... just a little firmer, but very supple. And a slight exhaust drone between
60-80 has been subdued. I was expecting to go to aftermarket dampers right away, and maybe a new muffler, but now there is nothing I want to upgrade to....except a Mark V, but only a few years into its run when most of the nits have been "fixed."The other thing I have come to grips with, is that it would be nice if VW designed cars and the Japanese built them, but that isn't going to happen, so if you want bragging rights about how bullet-proof your barely ergonomic, non-side curtain air bag car is, you have to buy Japanese, but if you want bragging rights about stability control, regular PLUS side curtain airbags, 4 wheel discs with ABS, etc., not to mention great "driveability", then you're stuck with a less than perfectly well made car.