Volkswagen Reviews

What’s Wrong With Retro? The VW Beetle Vs. The Chrysler PT Cruiser

In the July 9 issue of Automotive News, J. Mays declared that retro designs for automobiles have become passé. Why should that matter? Because this announcement comes from the very man who spawned a huge retro trend with his 1998 design for Volkswagen’s New Beetle. The popularity of that design led to other retro-tinged imitations, such as BMW’s MINI Cooper, the Fiat 500, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Challenger, and many, many more. [...]

2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo: More Trick, Less Chick

I wasn’t thinking of my long lost GTIs when VW called to offer me a chance to drive the new Beetle Turbo. Frankly, I wasn’t much of a fan of the “New Beetle”, finding it longer on promise than on substance and just too “chicky” for me. The bud vase was too gay even for me, and the whole thing just seemed too cutesy. I don’t care if the ’73 Super Beetle had one giant gauge: I hated the damn thing. Besides, the interior was a sea of unhappy plastics. [...]

2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

When you go to buy a Volkswagen, their best cars almost always have three letters or numbers at the end of the model name: GTI, TDI, VR6. The sixth generation, 2011 Jetta, on sale for a little over a year now, has been met with some pretty strong criticism. Reviewers took one look at 2011’s cheapened interior, and suspension, and had three letters of their own; “WTH??” [...]