It should come as no surprise to many that I'm an avid Volkswagen fan (even though they've struggled a bit as of late). Their thoughtful attention to detail makes owning a Volkswagen a joy. The Touareg and Passat are gems, and the subtle refinements to the New Beetle this year are remarkable.
Not only does Volkswagen design cars that look good, the interior refinements are so far beyond almost anything else you'll find today. This is half of the battle for me. While many cars may look half decent on the outside, their interiors are crap. Volkswagen seems to pay as much attention to the inside as the outside. The knobs are conveniently located, the buttons feel like they're made of substantial material, and the dash menus are brilliant. My Jetta even shows me a snowflake icon when the outside temp drops below 40°. Could this be a case of VW realizing that interaction with a car happens on the inside? It's not just enough to make a cool looking car, it needs to work.
But this leads me to my VW gripe... Why doesn't Volkswagen bring the rest of their European lineup to the States? With gas prices on the rise, and sports compact cars more popular than ever, it stands to reason that the Lupo and new CrossPolo would sell well here. I mean, take a look at the CrossPolo. Maybe it's just the Firewheel orange, but I so want one of these. And at a starting price of what looks to be $16k-$18k, we're not talking a bag of rocks here. Is that too much to pay for a sports compact? Are American consumers still turned off by small automobiles? Or is Volkswagen just keeping back the good stuff for those who live across the pond?
