Do the conversion on the as tested price; $64K and change. Ouch!!

 

Saw a couple of these in Iceland this summer. Pretty nice.

Did anyone catch a towing number in the article? I could not find one. And I'm too lazy to go fishing on the net.

those mileage numbers look pretty sweet!

 

Those are nice. Of course, VW has no great rep of being problem free, and parts/service are generally more than a Honda/Toy/Kia, etc. But given all that, it would still be a nice option to consider.

 

Somehow I want to call it the Arnonk as in Westchester County..

 

The Amarok is a great vehicle. Not designed for the North American market (I hope they bring it here), but VW is not the worlds largest automaker by chance (yes there is some dispute). Their IQS and other ratings are somehat skewed by the typiclal VW buyer who is much different from that traditional North American buyer.

I've had at least 5 (maybe 6) VW TDI powered vehicles. One was destroyed on delivery day due to a dealer wiring error. Other than than I've never had a single warranty claim.

VW is a different animal than what the NA buyer is used to. VW is highly respected (above Toyota and Honda) in most of the rest of the world. There's a reason for that. The NA surveys are skewed. VW makes damned good cars.

 

VW is a different animal than what the NA buyer is used to. VW is highly respected (above Toyota and Honda) in most of the rest of the world. There's a reason for that. The NA surveys are skewed. VW makes damned good cars.

I concur with Joe, I currently drive a 2012 Golf TDI 6 spd manual 4 dr, 2 years and 30K miles later, not one issue with it. I hated the hesitation of the DSG and don't think I would ever buy one. I am averaging 42 mpg and drove from AZ to AL in January this year. We didn't see temps above 15 from Albuquerque to HV in our trip. Despite all the frozen intercooler claims out on the internet…I had no problems…I did warm it up for at least 10 minutes on 5 degree mornings in OK city and Little Rock. It's a blast to drive as a daily commuter as well.

 

There so many VW models to consider. i would never predict their reliability with such a broad brush. Or conversely, base it on only a small number of owners either. That would go for ANY vehicle.
I've always liked their designs personally. I think Range Rovers are one of the most interesting vehicles, albeit a less than stellar rep.
Of course the ones in other parts of the world may have 'better numbers' based on their own stats.

 

Every VW I've ever owned (and almost every VW / Audi owner I've ever talked to) has had lots of issues. Maybe things have changed, but imo VW = GM now.

 

I drove around Ireland for a month last year in a "Skoda". It's a Czech built car that's a VW subsidiary of some kind I believe. It was a nice diesel sedan with plenty of comfort & features. I think this model was called the "Superb". There were 4 adults on the trip & we REALLY enjoyed that vehicle. I was driving & found it to be a joy. We got bumped into it when they (Hertz) did not have the Open Insignia (same as Vauxhall Insignia or current Buick Regal) that we reserved. It was a nice step up. I also enjoyed the unusual pleasure (in my opinion) of a manual transmission in a larger sedan. Great on those tiny twisting roads/hills (unless you don't enjoy shifting of course). Great road trip.
Sure wish you could get that kind of vehicle over here . . . but I don't know what kind of price tag it might have. Anyway, I was impressed. 'Never heard of Skoda before (long "o" pronunciation).

 

They know how to do diesels in Europe, esp. German cars. Their need for them over there is greater. With more demand comes more interest in producing more and better ones.
I would be open to one as long as it was a proven model.

 

The Jetta, Golf, and Beetle that we buy in North America are made at the Pueblo Mexico factory. The Passat is made at the factory in Chattanooga Tennessee. Not sure where the Touareg, etc. are made.

It'll be interesting to see what the respective quality reports will be like in a few years, to see if they're tied to the workforce.

Aside from product quality, something that VW will have to do is improve the dealership experience. So far, I'm 0 for 2 in "The dealer treated me with respect".

Chip H.

 

The Jetta, Golf, and Beetle that we buy in North America are made at the Pueblo Mexico factory.

All Gen VII 2015 Golf's are made in Mexico now…The main reason I went with a Gen VI TDI Golf…Wolfsburg Germany. The only thing I would take from Mexico…Salma Hayek :act018:

I believe the Touareg is made in Belgium.

 

I don't know how much you can tie quality to assembly location. Sure, it is a factor but so are parts quality (and those could be made anywhere) as well as design (ease of service).
I would want to see the numbers. Right now I read True Delta and CR and they are fairly inline when it comes to the number of problems over the years.
Take recalls out of the equation and most Japanese based cars still come out the best, with few exceptions.
We've been on this merry-go-round before, maybe things have changed?

 

Volkswagen stops sale of Golf, GTI over steering issue

They've messed it up already! Note: the ones made in Europe have been out for a year….no word of this over there.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/car-news/volkswagen-stops-sale-golf-gti-over-steering-issue

 

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/faulty-volkswagen-dsg-gearboxes-reported-in-europe-46766.html

http://www.carsguide.com.au/comment....au/comment-why-vw-inaction-over-reliability-will-dent-sales-26343#.U8bTKbEuLVI

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rticle-2507401/Volkswagen-recall-cars-worldwide-faulty-gearbox-light-fuses.html

 

I am not a VW guy, but I was just looking over the VW brochure for the truck. Of course this is just an exercise since the truck is not available in the US.

Relative the RL, I noted these few things.

Available in manual Tranny and auto (8 speed)
Looks like a nice truck and comes in a bunch of configurations
No Trunk, one way tailgate.
Towing based on configuration up to 7000lbs.
MPG (configured similar to Ridgeline) 24mpg
top end electronics incl Bluetooth, 4gb flash, and an SD card slot
engine is 2.0 diesel in various configs
found a price in S. Africa. Top end model converts to $48,000

YMMV

 

No HP/Torque values for that 2.0 diesel?? Nice numbers otherwise.

 

Nice features. I would think tariffs, etc. are quite high in places like S.A. Based on features you mention I would think it would be priced very close to our domestic trucks.
Maybe a few thousand less than the S.A. price for the top one.

 

Does anyone know when LBJ's chicken law expires? I think FIAT may be planning to import a light truck from Turkey named Diablo or Doblo, sometime in 2015.

 

I'll bite: What the heck is LBJ's Chicken law????

 

Answered my own question..... interesting:

The chicken tax is a 25% tariff on potato starch, dextrin, brandy, and light trucks imposed in 1963 by the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson in response to tariffs placed by France and West Germany on importation of U.S. chicken.[1] The period from 1961–1964[2] of tensions and negotiations surrounding the issue, which took place at the height of Cold War politics, was known as the "Chicken War".[3]

Eventually, the tariffs on potato starch, dextrin, and brandy were lifted,[4] but over the next 48 years the light truck tax ossified, remaining in place to protect U.S. domestic automakers from foreign light truck production (e.g., from Japan and Thailand).[5] Though concern remains about its repeal,[6][7] a 2003 Cato Institute study called the tariff "a policy in search of a rationale."[4]

As an unintended consequence several importers of light trucks have circumvented the tariff via loopholes—including Ford (ostensibly a company the tax was designed to protect), which imports the Transit Connect light trucks as "passenger vehicles" to the U.S. from Turkey and immediately strips and shreds portions of their interiors in a warehouse outside Baltimore.[1]

Not unusual for Gov't to fall over itself getting in the way.

 

You answered your own question, but it's not as simple as that. For example the VW Amarok is a fine vehicle, but was intentionally excluded from the North American market due to the Chicken Tax. To circumvent the tax on a foreign built vehicle costs thousands of dollars. VW does not need North America and will not spend that money. They are dominant in the rest of the world.

Our laws prevent us from getting the latest and greatest version of many things. Our diesel engine laws are the joke of the world. We could END our dependence on OPEC oil by just using diesel engines like the rest of the world does. The oil industry lobby controlls congress. I don't want this to be political, but they buy both sides and have the public fooled into thinking that modern diesels are smelly, slow, and loud. None are true.

Can you imagine how much it would mean to world peace to be able to tell OPEC that we don't need their oil. They would revert to the stone age and kill each other like they've done for 5000+ years because each believes that God told them to do something.... but we wouldn't have to get involved because their oil doesn't matter.

We learned NOTHING from the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo. It still goes on today. We are an IGNORANT voting public that are too afraid to stand up to the oil lobby and hold our politicians accountable.

If you like the current situation keep voting for a Republican or Democrat. Both are bought by OPEC. Why not have a spine and vote Independent? I know it won't happen, but the truth is just a few changes in that direction would instill fear into both parties that you cannot imagine. They would be forced to do what's right for the country for a few years at least.

The Chicken Tax is just a single example. It didn't stop GM and Chrysler from moving their pickup truck production to Canada and Mexico. Over 10,000 people lost their jobs within 30 miles of my home, but they are legal under the Chicken Tax. And we as taxpayers bailed both of them out with NO guarantees that they would maintain production facilities in the USA.

It's really all our fault. We keep electing the same people over and over again, but expect diferent results. BTW, that's Einstien's definition of insanity.

 

Glad to see you guys are wide awake this morning!