Some Disturbing Trends in Dub Land........

The problem for the hard core fans is, there is no modern equivalent of the lightness and simplicity of the aircooleds, or the A1 and A2 series of watercooleds. VW has relentlessly gone bigger, plusher, and more upmarket and has lost the simplicity and sportiness that drew me to the brand in the first place. I did have an '02 GTI for a while, but it was more of a luxo-cruiser than the fun little beater that was the A1 GTI or Scirocco. I had both, and regret selling both. I miss my roccet more than the A4... Current driver is a Porsche 944 which is an acceptable replacement, but is falling apart and I don't have time to keep up with it, so I don't know what the next car will be. Maybe a Mk1 Scirocco S? I can dream... or maybe a Volvo P1800... or I could just finish my '55 Stude and drive that... but probably won't be a new VW.

nate

I'm not intending to be offensive but by that same logic you would have me believe that if I loved the United States of America because of the fair and just principles upon which it was founded or if I were more of the crowd who loved the Republicans under Lincoln that I should continue to love the country under a government that instead of building strong and robust economics with efficient bureaucracy is now building a shell that is flashy and glitzy (eg; Shock and Awe, "Smart" bombs, Imbedded journalists, etc) while quietly shifting their policies and practices to completely the opposite of their origins.

I seriously don't think new VW's are built to last as long as the old ones.

I also don't think that a President that racks up more national debt than the 42 previous presidencies combined and talks about the first use of nuclear weapons in War should be trusted or "bought"

-DruG

This is a recurring comment and I think VW needs to respond to it.

I would buy a new Passat tomorrow IF I felt reassured that it would be dependable, or if I believed that VW would live by the spirit of warranty.

The turbo I4 has all the power most of us could want, plus good economy.

I have read a ton of reviews. Many people rave about the Passat, but some have clearly been burned. Dealership inattention and arrogance seems to be fairly widespread, and there seems to be no help from VW when you get one of their stinkers.

I have owned two Passats, both of which were great cars. But I am leery of buying another unless management at VW swings some cojones and makes the company image one that inspires trust.

I had almost talked myself into buying a Camry, but am now leery of them as well. The new auto tranny is getting rants. Whether it is any good or not is yet to be documented, but lots of people don't like the feel, and believe it is defective.

Well said !

Here's where I'm at now. I'm about a year out from my next car purchase. I love VW, and would want more than anything to get another one. I have been called a "Fanboy" by many on forums such as this, in fact, because I have defended VWoA vehemently. However, when everyone else talks of the quality problems, lousy dealership service, etc., I wonder if I've just been lucky. The 4-year sales slump (US) was very hard to swallow. Now ,they are finally climbing, but last year was miserable compared to just 4 years before...(355K sales in 2001 vs 224K in 2005).What really scares me is that the bread & butter cars; the Jetta and Passat, are not selling in the numbers that the previous generation did at this point in their respective cycles, and the gains over last year overall are shrinking. In Jan. 2006 VWoA was up 28% over Jan 2005. In April (the last report), this has been reduced to less than 21%. With these new models, we should be seeing 40% jumps, and we aren't. The reputation has really taken a nosedive.If, in

A large cause of that was in '01 the product lineup was a healthy 2-3 years old. By '05, the Passat was out for 7 model years and the Golf/GTI/Jetta for 6 model years. VW's main products for the US were not staggered in terms of their life cycles and their life cycles were still probably 50% longer than their Asian competitors.

It might not be a defect. Some manufacturers have been doing this deliberately in order to warm up the cat faster for cleaner cold-running emissions.

That could be a mistake too. Volvo is no longer the REAL Volvo. Ford has 'assimilated' Volvo.

As I understand it, the Aisin transmission that was used rather successfully in years past has been redesigned to use about 20% fewer parts. Whether it is a positive move or a disaster is yet to be fully ascertained.

Two things come to mind:

1. The new Jettas are what 10 years ago would have been called a Passat. There is now a gap in the lineup (small sedan) where the Jetta used to be.

1. The bulk of the younger crowd that the new GTI's are aimed at can't actually afford one.

The new Golf/Rabbit might help matters some. That in combination with a US Polo/Pointer would really do the trick, IMO.

...Sean.

Actually, Volvo is the bright spot for Ford. The Volvo division is the only one turning a profit right now. Three things really impress me about Volvo: A) even though they only sell 1/2 of what VW does in the States, we are their largest market and they actually make mone; not much, but it's better than losing as VW is currently doing (hopefully this wil change soon), B) Volvo's safety and durability speaks for itself, and C) Many believe that the current S40 is what the Jetta V should have evolved into stylewise, and it is indeed a beautiful-looking car.

Well, it spoke for itself 10 years ago. Not anymore. At least here in europe. It is just an ordinary car nowadays with a marketing accent on safety. With it's own load of mechanical and electrical problems.

I agree, it is really nice looking (if we ignore the center console). But again, here in europe it is ridiculously expensive. Jetta V is cheaper here.

Why the Polo sedan isn't brought in I don't know. Made in Brazil (inexpensive) and Americans love sedans. So VWoA...what's the problem? Where is it?

Not so sure about that (affordability), but they are aiming it at 18-25 year old males for sure and sort of alienating other market segments..

Agreed.

One more thing: I realize that the new Jetta has become larger and less affordable for the younger crowd, but I actually like the fact that VW is trying to lure older buyers. I'm 47 years old. I like 4-door sedans. I don't chip my engine to get more horsepower or have the desire to have a stereo that can be heard a half-mile away. Part of my original post implies the alienation of people in my age group. Most people my age are stuck in the air-cooled era, and I see what VW is trying to do by making the sedans larger. They are trying to get the average middle-aged person to look at a Passat or Jetta instead of a Microbus that was built 40 years ago- They went too far with the W-8 Passat and the Phaeton, because they were overpriced for EVERYONE, unless you commanded the salary of a CEO. What I want to see is everyone in the VW realm to come together. I agree that we need the Polo here, but I doubt we'll ever see it. The closest thing will be the new low-priced Rabbit. Of utmost importance is the absolute need to correct the past quality issues; those perceived or otherwise. Even though I personally feel that Consumer Reports is blatantly biased toward the Japanese, that really doesn't matter, because the Average Joe will pick it up, read it, and take it as Gospel. With that said, I'm very anxious to see the 1st-year results of the new VW models in the April 2007 issue. If the new 2.0T and the 2.5 cars have as bad of ratings as the previous generation, then VW will be in serious trouble. On the other hand, if there is marked improvement, this will save them, and my confidence will be restored.

I Love that center console, especially with the Aluminum option. As for mechanical/electrical problems, I've heard that Volvo has much less than VW. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.

What is a bright spot for Ford might not be so bright for the customer. They have sold a lot of crap before.

I dont remember the exact details, but Volvo isnt necessarily Volvo any more. One of them is a relabeled Japanese car IIRC. On some of the others, Ford has adapted some of its platforms and technology (which certainly hasnt been much to brag about in recent years).

I wonder if they incorporated the traditional Ford 'square wheel ride' characteristics into the Volvo line.

I admit that the Ford 500, which has Volvo genetics, is as nice a looking car as I have seen come out of Ford in a while. Do 'looks' beget quality and dependability? Dont know.

Well, if you drive the car for some 3 years, it is really nice piece of style. Not a very practical one (I mean the "compartment" underneath), but still, a bold move. Now, imagine you want a new radio. Something like XM or Sirius, or just some kind of "mp9" which could be mainstream in 2010. What do you do? Put the second radio into the glovebox? In the normal car I would just switch the radio maybe with a little help of some adapter panel.

Nobody knows yet, as the new S40/FordFocus2/Mazda3 are the new cars on the market. As for the old S40, which is technicaly the same car as Mitsubishi Carisma, there were a lot of different problems. They got better after the facelift in '2000, but still. The S40 owners I personaly know have plenty of "stories" to tell as well as ones driving vw's. Then again, you can't really compare, as the new S40 is based on the platform of Ford Focus mk.2 and produced elsewhere. Or if you look at the S80 with its funny multiplex bus where a lot of electronics are talking to each other using the single "board network". Which is OK as it saves some copper, but gives you _real_ headaches when something goes wrong.

Mind you, don't get me wrong, they are really nice cars. But not much different in terms of reliability to everybody else. I know that customer reports and such is not an indicator. But if I take look at the european "breakdown statistics 2005" (collected by the ADAC, the organisation which gives you technical assistance on the road), then in the "middle class" the Volvo S40/V40/V50 '2005 are taking the last

Look for yourself:

Of course, it does not say how serious or expensive the problem was. It just says, somebody could not continue driving.

You probably mean previous S40, which is similar to the Mitsubishi Carisma, and both produced in the same NEDCAR plant in Holland.

It is not just relabelled. It looks different. The sound insulation is much much better. The materials are better. It is tuned differently, so it actualy feels different.

Why? The Ford Focus (designed in europe) is a very nice car to drive, as far as the suspension is concerned. I know, that the USA got some "economy" models without the real corrosion protection and sound insulation. But then again, it costs much less in the USA.