German Car Zone

Yannis · 05-17-2006, 03:52 AM

VW GTI gets top marks from Consumer Reports

The Mazda MX-5 and Volkswagen GTI posted “Excellent” overall scores in Consumer Reports‘ testing of five sporty cars for the June issue. The GTI, which is a sporty version of the VW Golf, is now the top-ranked sporty car under $25,000 among the 11 different coupes and sedans recently tested by Consumer Reports. The Miata ranks best among three roadsters selling for under $35,000. The test group pitted the latest generation of the venerable Miata against the newly-introduced and boldly-designed Pontiac Solstice, which posted an overall score of “Good.” The two remaining vehicles in this test group, the Honda Civic Si and the Ford Focus ST, posted “Excellent” overall scores. The Focus’ overall test score tied that of the previously-tested Subaru Impreza WRX.

“The MX-5 Miata and GTI were both standouts in Consumer Reports’ testing,” said David Champion, senior director of CR’s Auto Test Center in East Haddam, Connecticut. “The Miata is great fun to drive, with extraordinary handling and a slick powertrain. The GTI excels in its refinement, performance, and safety equipment.”

What Consumer Reports said:

The GTI is comfortable, well-finished, powerful, and fun to drive. It delivers capable handling, a relatively comfortable ride, a well-crafted interior and a surprisingly roomy back seat. The GTI ($23,975 MSRP as tested) is propelled by a 200-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that is both smooth and powerful. The standard six-speed manual transmission has appropriate gear ratios and is easy to shift. Braking distances are short.

Top Secret · 05-17-2006, 03:54 AM

Rightly deserved. That's really all I can say.

Brookside · 05-17-2006, 07:50 AM

I've noticed that over the years Consumer Reports has seemed to be biased towards Japanese manufacturers.
They've consistently given out poor marks to German cars...particularly Audi, VW and Mercedes while finding something to praise for Japanese cars.
Sometimes it's seemed like the perception of the glass being half-empty or half-full- ie,
the German cars coming up short with something lacking while Japanese brands have some saving grace attached to their models.
For them to finally single out a car they like from Germany (besides the BMW 3 series) is cause for a minor celebration.

Carbon · 05-17-2006, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James

I've noticed that over the years Consumer Reports has seemed to be biased towards Japanese manufacturers.
They've consistently given out poor marks to German cars...particularly Audi, VW and Mercedes while finding something to praise for Japanese cars.
Sometimes it's seemed like the perception of the glass being half-empty or half-full- ie,
the German cars coming up short with something lacking while Japanese brands have some saving grace attached to their models.
For them to finally single out a car they like from Germany (besides the BMW 3 series) is cause for a minor celebration.

Lol, well Consumer Reports rates cars as appliances rather than from a standpoint of a car enthusiast. Japanese cars are just better appliances than ones from other countries. I've said for months now that the new GTi is a great deal at that price for what you get in the U.S.

BMW_Dude · 05-17-2006, 01:42 PM

The GTI deserves this, I'm so glad that VW started making proper GTIs, after going off track!

Andaluz · 05-17-2006, 02:18 PM

The VW Golf GTI MK5 is a great car indeed. A true Golf worth of the GTI name.

But I would take the new Ford Focus ST over the GTI.

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German Car Zone

VW GTI gets top marks from Consumer Reports.