2008 VW City Golf and Jetta First Impressions

[Tideland Prius]

These VWs we love to hate

When your name is Volkswagen, getting old is never easy. Booed for their lack of reliability, VW cars still managed to become popular, particularly because of their incomparable fun factor and their fuel-efficient diesel engines.

But recently, technology and emissions became a chief concern, and the automaker had no other choice but to suspend for one year the sale of its TDI-powered models, despite the fact that they represented a solid core. Fortunately, the executives at Volkswagen's Canadian division reacted promptly and smartly by introducing the City lineup. These Golfs and Jettas are more affordable since they rely on the technologies and features of the old generation.

Yet, the old stuff proved to be good enough to sell no less than 16,000 units in just one year. Not bad for a manufacturer whose total sales figures in Canada amounted to 37,500 vehicles in 2006.

That's why the company refused to abandon these popular offerings, especially since they made people forget about reliability issues. Now, the question is: how do you update such entry-level cars? The answer, quite simply, is to freshen up the styling and the list of amenities in order to make these little urban cars as inexpensive as ever yet more modern-looking.

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