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My comparison: 2010 small SUVs


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I did a small-SUV comparison last April ( http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-DC-Car-Examiner~y2009m4d12-Comparison-review-eight-compact-SUVs-Introduction ), but since then there's a been a new Equinox and Tucson and an updated CR-V. Time for a rematch!

 

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-1017-Autos-Examiner~y2010m5d10-Comparison-review-2010-compact-SUVs-introduction

 

In my standard format, it will go up one review per day. (If you prefer to read things all at once, check back next Wednesday and go through it all then.)

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Eighth Place: Volkswagen Tiguan S

 

2010_volkswagen_tiguan.jpg

 

Volkswagen knows its Tiguan faces an uphill battle when it's priced at more than $26,000, lightly equipped. That's roughly $3,000 more than the class norm, and more than $6,000 more than some of the others in this comparison with the same features.

 

Something that expensive is not going to be a comparison test winner. A first-place finisher does pretty much everything well, including its cost control. But the Tiguan had the potential to nonetheless rank highly, as the choice you would go with if you want the nicest compact SUV at any remotely reasonable price. And the Tiguan is in last place because it didn't live up to that potential.

 

Continued at link: http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-Autos-Examiner~y2010m5d11-Comparison-review-2010-compact-SUVs-eighth-place

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I havent found the draw to the Tiguan really. It doesnt really excel on anything. The interior is nothing special, rather bland, the engines are average, and it's prices high.

 

 

Plus be stuck with a name like TIGUAN and premium gas only. Both are deal breakers for many. What was VW thinking?

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Vw seems to be trying to be a slightly less expensive Audi alternative. If they can do that and make a profit, good for them.

 

Rumor is they've lost BILLIONS in the US market over the last few years, though.

 

 

 

Which is a danged impressive feat, when you consider how few cars they sell here.

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Vw seems to be trying to be a slightly less expensive Audi alternative. If they can do that and make a profit, good for them.

 

Well, with the rumored Passat replacement they appear to be going in the opposite direction. It's supposedly a lot more Cam-Cord like in style, content, and pricing. Perhaps they are finally getting the American market.

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Well, with the rumored Passat replacement they appear to be going in the opposite direction. It's supposedly a lot more Cam-Cord like in style, content, and pricing. Perhaps they are finally getting the American market.

 

The Jetta has been popular for a long time and the Passat used to be. I'm not sure exactly what caused the Passat to suddenly drop off the sales charts to the point where VW almost tries to discourage people from buying them.

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The Jetta has been popular for a long time and the Passat used to be. I'm not sure exactly what caused the Passat to suddenly drop off the sales charts to the point where VW almost tries to discourage people from buying them.

 

The Jetta has been popular....for a Volkswagen. Compared to other volume players in the U.S., Jetta sales just don't stack up. As for the Passat, it has never been incredibly popular on our shores. Reason? Content and price. You get nothing for your money except a German name.

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The Jetta has been popular....for a Volkswagen. Compared to other volume players in the U.S., Jetta sales just don't stack up. As for the Passat, it has never been incredibly popular on our shores. Reason? Content and price. You get nothing for your money except a German name.

another sweeping stereotype....Jettas = Chick car.....and usually High school or recent High School graduate....

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I wouldn't touch a VW product with a 10ft pole. No thanks.

 

 

I've always summed up VW like this:

 

They'll run like shit.... But they'll do it for 300,000 miles.

 

They'll never work right, but they'll never die.

 

AND they sound like Jetsons cars, BTW...

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I've always summed up VW like this:

 

They'll run like shit.... But they'll do it for 300,000 miles.

 

They'll never work right, but they'll never die.

 

AND they sound like Jetsons cars, BTW...

How many miles did you put on your '69 Beetle?

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How many miles did you put on your '69 Beetle?

 

I only had it for a winter, but the odometer read 49,000 on it. How many times it flipped in thirty years is anybody's guess, but true to form, it would break down every 400 miles or so and leave me on the side of the road setting distributor points.

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I only had it for a winter, but the odometer read 49,000 on it. How many times it flipped in thirty years is anybody's guess, but true to form, it would break down every 400 miles or so and leave me on the side of the road setting distributor points.

I put an electronic ignition on mine, i got tired of adjusting pitted points....once adjusted the valves 180 degrees wrong too....interesting sounds....

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The Jetta has been popular....for a Volkswagen. Compared to other volume players in the U.S., Jetta sales just don't stack up. As for the Passat, it has never been incredibly popular on our shores. Reason? Content and price. You get nothing for your money except a German name.

 

The Jetta consistently sells 100k+ units per year, and the Passat used to as well.

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The Jetta has been popular....for a Volkswagen. Compared to other volume players in the U.S., Jetta sales just don't stack up. As for the Passat, it has never been incredibly popular on our shores. Reason? Content and price. You get nothing for your money except a German name.

..and a really crappy German name at that. :hysterical:

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Used to is irrelevant, and the Jetta hasn't moved 100k since 2006.

 

The Passat-------I'd love to know when VW last moved 100k of them. They only sold 30k in 2007.

 

Jetta sold 108k last year: http://media.vw.com/index.php?s=43&item=546

 

That's good for 20th best-selling car in the country, beating such cars as the Sentra, Mazda3, and Cobalt.

 

 

The previous generation Passat was a fairly big seller; the current one I don't think cracks a thousand units a month.

Edited by DC Car Examiner
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Jetta sold 108k last year: http://media.vw.com/...p?s=43&item=546

 

That's good for 20th best-selling car in the country, beating such cars as the Sentra, Mazda3, and Cobalt.

 

 

The previous generation Passat was a fairly big seller; the current one I don't think cracks a thousand units a month.

 

Well, it's certainly not 'consistently' over 100k.

 

BTW, most of the Passat volume is in the Passat derived CC these days.

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Well, it's certainly not 'consistently' over 100k.

 

BTW, most of the Passat volume is in the Passat derived CC these days.

 

It was 98k and 97k in 07 and 08, 108k in 09 and on track to crack 100k this year. I guess I should say "consistently at or above 100k," but it's unquestionably a high-volume product.

 

VW counts the CC separately from the Passat. It sells much better, though it's still no volume leader.

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Seventh place: Ford Escape XLT

 

2010_ford_escape_3.jpg

 

As the best-selling small SUV in the country, the Ford Escape can hardly be a bad vehicle. Rather, despite underpinnings that are nearly a decade old, this SUV drives pleasantly and has a space-efficient interior. It would be difficult to find a major deal-killer vice. This was enough to get the Escape into the top half of last year's compact SUV comparison. And despite its underwhelming finish here, the Escape is not among the worst in its class – the poorest of the small SUVs weren't even invited to this comparison.

 

But even as the Escape lacks major flaws, it also lacks major strengths against a class of tough competitors. There's little draw that would encourage someone who drives the Escape back-to-back against the competition to go with the Ford...

 

Continued at link: http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-Autos-Examiner~y2010m5d12-Comparison-review-2010-compact-SUVs-seventh-place

Edited by DC Car Examiner
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It's interesting that the XLT grade Ford Escape comes with matte finish unpainted exterior door handles, while the base models of Escape's siblings (Mercury Mariner & Mazda Tribute) have body colored painted door handles...

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it's unquestionably a high-volume product

 

Unless you measure it against other compact cars.

 

One of these days I'll crunch VW's losses over their annual US sales, as compared to Ford's, to give you some idea how much money they've lost in the US.

 

Or better yet, you could do it and write an article about it.

 

----

 

Whatever may be said about the Jetta, I doubt that VW is satisfied with its sales figures: look no further than their ambitious goal of hitting 400k per year in a year and a half if you want evidence.

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