VW Toys with Giving Up the U.S. Mass Market, and Dealers Fume

Post by markvdb » Fri, Mar 11, 2016, 9:03 PM UTC

Swizec wrote: post #11

CalRobert wrote: post #10

Being the designated mechanic for my wife's 2005 Jetta convinced me that the only reason I'd ever consider a VW was the TDI. How the hell do teeth start falling off your timing belt at 60,000 miles and 4 years? How can changing a timing belt require so many special tools? How can a car be small AND slow AND handle like crap AND get terrible fuel economy? 25mpg is pathetic. Still though, a clean diesel getting 50mpg s…

Jetta is small? Looks like a big fancy car to me. This is a small VW: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Polo (and yes, nobody buys non-TDI volkswagens these days, at least not in Europe)

Post by skippytheroo » Fri, Mar 11, 2016, 9:07 PM UTC

dragontamer wrote: post #17

skippytheroo wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Jetta is pretty big. For some reason Americans seem to classify it as a small sedan in most articles.

Everything is bigger in Texas. I mean, America. Jetta is a compact car around here. Its just how it is. Personally speaking, I like the size of American compact cars (ie: what Europeans call mid-size). But everyone around me has a larger car than I do.

Post by douche » Fri, Mar 11, 2016, 9:16 PM UTC

skippytheroo wrote: post #23

dragontamer wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything is bigger in Texas. I mean, America. Jetta is a compact car around here. Its just how it is. Personally speaking, I like the size of American compact cars (ie: what Europeans call mid-size). But everyone around me has a larger car than I do.

Thats quite a fascinating difference in culture/preference. Most people I know think Jettas are "too big" unless you have a family of 5 and need the extra space. Don't people find cars even bigger than that awkward to park in crowded parking lots?

Post by S_A_P » Fri, Mar 11, 2016, 9:16 PM UTC

skippytheroo wrote: post #18

pcurve wrote: post #12

This may not be a bad idea, and it was a long time in making, even without the emission scandal. Ever since its decision to go mass market, quality of materials took a steep dive. They also looked very dull because engineering and production cost was putting constraints on design detailing. For the past 5 years, VW has been making cars that are duller than Toyota Camry of late 90s. They were given benefit of the doub…

The American variant of the Jetta was recently a stripped down cheapened version compared to the jettas sold elsewhere.They even removed the multilink rear suspension for the US model.

Post by skippytheroo » Fri, Mar 11, 2016, 9:25 PM UTC

douche wrote: post #25

skippytheroo wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats quite a fascinating difference in culture/preference. Most people I know think Jettas are "too big" unless you have a family of 5 and need the extra space. Don't people find cars even bigger than that awkward to park in crowded parking lots?

I can almost fit a Jetta in the bed of my regular-sized pickup truck... It's definitely a cultural difference - I always feel like I'm in a death trap, skimming along on the ground with no visibility, getting into a sedan or compact car. I also grew up in an area with a high rate of moose collisions, and you do not want to see what happens when you hit one of those in a vehicle that's lower than their center of mass.