Review Car

Volkswagen is presenting at the Auto Mobil International (AMI) in Leipzig (2nd to 10th June 2012), four new versions of the Series CC, Scirocco, Beetle and Polo.

CC Sporty R-line
Making its debut at the AMI, the R-line version of the CC. Facilities include a new front bumper on the exterior, including vertically mounted chrome bars in the glossy black finish, the lower grille. Special side sills, 17-inch aluminum wheels with five double spokes and integrated into the cover of the fog lights complete the package element chromium. In the interior there are scuff plates with R-Line logo and a leather sports steering wheel with function keys. The grille and the steering wheel also decorates an R-Line logo.

vw scirocco gt

Second premiere of Scirocco GT
Thirty years ago the first Scirocco GT drove off the assembly line. This tradition takes VW now continues with the debut of up to 210 horsepower, the new Scirocco GT. The color bands on the body are in the style of racing cars of the 70s and 80s on the hood, roof, including roof spoiler and tailgate of the eye. There are also red brake calipers (210-PS version), special front and rear bumpers, side skirts, and sidebars exhibited in body color. In addition, VW mentions the color of the trim strips matched mirror covers, 18-inch aluminum wheels with high-sheen black trim, a diffuser and GTS badges on the front fenders. Interior is dominated by black and red with the Scirocco GT also celebrates the legendary golf ball shift knob as his comeback - because there was not only in the first Golf GTI, but also in the Scirocco GT in 1982.

For guitar fans: Beetle Fender EditionThe Beetle is the first and only car in Europe that can be a sound system of the Fender guitar and amplifier manufacturer can be ordered. Against this background, VW presented at the IAA 2011, a study that was intended as a tribute to the legendary U.S. company, the exclusive Fender Beetle with a 400-watt sound system. The production version making its debut at the AMI. You can order the new Beetle version in black and black with pearl effect. Black, therefore, that the many chrome details - to have an effect - including the standard 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside the striking two-tone wood in the design of many Fender guitars executed Dash Pad, including chrome fender logo. Standard equipment includes sports seats, air conditioning and the Fender sound system with USB interface. Market launch is in the fall of 2012.

Premiere of the Urban Mass Cross Polo White
Parallel to the German market in Leipzig also shows VW Polo Cross the Urban White. The special model is available as a single cross polo in white with pearl effect. Are also tailored exclusively to the new version, the choice of white or black painted 17-inch alloy wheels. Standard equipment also includes a black roof rails, Black mirror housings and tinted windows in the rear. The interior is dominated black - as a contrast to the white exterior paint. Standard equipment includes cloth and Alcantara sport seats, air conditioning, cruise control and a CD radio.

GCBCs The Bad 8 features just two new nameplates for 2015. Six contestants remain from last year, as an insufficient number of new vehicles have been awful enough to replace them. As was the case last year, these are the vehicles that would be least welcomed in GCBC Towers driveway, probably rejected for the long-term even if welcomed briefly. 

Lets put it this way: Do you want to get us something for Christmas? Dont get us any of these vehicles.

Theyre listed here for a number of reasons, some for just one reason. Whatever the reason, its bad enough to cause your sales analyst of choice to reject the car so completely that Id prefer to own anything else on the market; to reject the car so completely that you, too, should strongly consider avoiding it at all costs.

One key premise behind modern car reviewing suggests that, in 2015, theres no such thing as a bad car. But that doesnt mean you cant do better. In the case of these eight cars, you can definitely do better. Its not about reliability or durability or outright performance - its about desirability, and the point at which desirability lines up with perceived value. These eight vehicles have their pluses, but the minuses – however few or however many - far outweigh the positive side of the ledger.

Click any of the images to be taken to the models Sales Stats page. Dont forget to check out GCBCs The Good 12, the list of vehicles you should definitely park in GCBC Towers driveway on Christmas morning.

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	Acura RLX Im already nodding off. Not that the RLX needs to be terribly exciting, but at this price point it needs to be a great car, regardless of its dullness. But there are no redeeming qualities. Alternative: Cadillac CTS
	BMW X4 The X4 is an X3 with less space and less design acumen. But it costs more than the X3. Your mother taught you to avoid situations like this, which is why you dont eat expensive salads for lunch. Alternative: BMW X3
	Buick Encore Slow and somewhat ponderous for such a small package, the Encore does two things very well: be small, and be quiet. If only your children could do the same. If only the Encore did more. Alternative: Honda HR-V
	Fiat 500L We say this isnt all about reliability. And its not. But in addition to being awkward, slow, and slow to shift, the 500L is also dreadfully unreliable. Alternative: Kia Soul
	Honda Crosstour Not only is the Crosstour ghastly, its been ghastly for a long time. Honda keeps chugging along, more than five years in to the cars tenure. People do want this type of car; just not this specific car. Alternative: Subaru Outback
	Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG Edition 1 This is from the company which sells such class as the S600. Imagine that S-Class buyer seeing this tasteless hatchback parked alongside in a Benz showroom. "Oh, but its fast," isnt enough. Alternative: Porsche Macan S
	Mitsubishi Mirage This car was behind the times when it arrived in September 2013. Time has passed. The world has turned. The Mirage is still inexpensive, but it feels cheaper than ever. Alternative: Nissan Micra
	Nissan Versa Sedan How to design a cheap car by the numbers. A new car needs one powertrain, four wheels, a few seats, one steering wheel, four brakes. Humans want more, however. "More" is not in the Versa sedans vocabulary. Alternative: Honda Fit

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RECOMMENDED READING
2014s The Bad 8
2013s The Bad 8
Every Vehicle Ranked By November 2014 YTD U.S. Sales
Every Vehicle Ranked By November 2014 Canadian Sales
2015s The Good 12

Perhaps it’s age or jaded eyes. Maybe it’s a desire to move the conversation forward. It might even be experience. One way or another, I’ve become increasingly less likely to allow exterior styling to garner more than a passing mention in my reviews of cars, trucks, SUVs, crossovers, and minivans.

But after feasting my eyes upon a second-generation Audi TT sitting in my driveway – even in 90s yellow; nearly nine years after we first saw the second-generation TT and some 16 years since the first TT went on sale; with the third-generation TT already revealed and about to go on sale – how can my lips be silent?

THE GOOD • It looks so good • Real cargo space • Delightfully compact • Plenty of power • It looks so good

THE BAD • Lots of dollars • Rides stiffly • Rides more stiffly in Sport mode • Cayman steers/handles more sweetly • Wait for the new one?

This 2015 TTS Coupe Competition convinces me that the second TT is the most attractive of Audi’s three TT iterations. I grew to dearly love the first, but it could be faulted for looking the same coming and going. The forthcoming Mk3 TT seems somehow more formal, more serious, and less visually distinct from the (handsome) Volkswagen Scirocco.

This, however, is a visual stunner in both overall form and in detail. 

From the bulging fenders to the artfully arched roof and the properly proportioned grille, it’s deserving of credit for its general aesthetic alone. But the aluminum-finished mirrors and rear wing struts are eye-catching details, the 19-inch wheels are conversation starters, the strakes that lead into the foglights bring further cohesion to the front end. Moreover, the design as a whole testifies to the fact that new cars don’t all look the same. And though it originally went on sale around the time Peyton last won a Super Bowl, the Mk2 Audi TT appears wonderfully current.

2015 AUDI TTS COUPE COMPETITION Base Price: $ $62,795 * As-Tested Price: $65,295 * Drive Type: all-wheel-drive Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch automatic Engine: 2.0L DOHC 16-valve turbocharged four-cylinder Horsepower: 265 @ 6000 rpm Torque: 258 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm Curb Weight: 3263 pounds Length: 165.3 inches Width: 72.5 inches Height: 53.0 inches Wheelbase: 97.2 inches Tires: Dunlop Winter Sport Tire Size: 255/35R19 Passenger Volume: 2093 litres Cargo Volume: 371 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 699 litres EPA City: 22 mpg EPA Hwy: 31 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 11.7 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 8.4 L/100km Observed: 16.9 mpg Observed: 13.9 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1995 in fees. MPG fuel economy ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency. L/100km ratings from the Canadian Office of Energy Efficiencys new 5-cycle testing for MY2015 vehicles.

At least on the outside.

You’ll use a key to start the car. There’s no backup camera or much of the on-alert safety gear (there are backup sensors but no blind spot monitoring, for instance) you now expect in $35K+ mainstream sedans, let alone premium brand cars costing around $65,000. The navigation screen, which works with a less than impressive version of Audi’s MMI, is a bite-sized 6.5 inches. The cabin certainly doesn’t rank among the quietest I’ve encountered in the last number of months, either.

None of this is unexpected for a car which traces its design back to the era of the sixth-generation Chevrolet Malibu. (Yeah, it’s that old.) But no matter how good the TTS looks outside, and no matter how high the material quality is inside, these specific elements recall a bygone era, and not in a nostalgic way.

What the outgoing TT lacks in modernity it ultimately makes up for by consistently providing a memorable experience. Granted, the TT, even in this special edition one-of-500 TTS Competition guise, is not among the purest driving sports cars. Yellow baseball stitching and a freaky rear wing can’t make it so. The steering lacks feedback. The brakes may be slightly overservoed in grand Audi tradition. The ride is ultra-stiff when sport mode is engaged and just plain busy when left in normal.

Yet with less than 3300 pounds to cart around, a quick-shifting dual-clutch 6-speed transmission, and all-wheel-drive traction, 265 horsepower is a far larger number than it initially sounds. The TTS Coupe accelerates to 60 mph in five seconds, shifting more intelligently and promptly the harder it’s driven. It’s a delightfully compact package, and with torque to spare, it darts through traffic like an 80s French hot hatch on nitrous.
While not quite as practical as an 80s hot hatch (or a current Volkswagen GTI, for that matter), the TT does feature a (barely accessible) rear seat, a usable 371-litre cargo area, and the ability to send power to all four wheels. The BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK, and Porsche Cayman can not make the all the same claims.

The departing TTS starts at $62,795, about $9000 more than the base TT. Our test car, supplied by Audi Canada, rang in at CAD $65,295, or about $3900 more than the Chevrolet Corvette.

But the Corvette chases a different market, right? Sure, in the sense that the Corvette is intended for a buyer who still exists.

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net Click Any Of Images For A Larger View

See, the TT’s market may have moved on, not just from the TT but from its compatriots. Oh, the arrival of a new TT will produce a short-lived spike in demand. But is it any wonder BMW’s own sales boss, Ian Robertson, questioned whether the sports car market will ever fully recover from post-recession lows? 

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• Historical Monthly & Yearly Audi TT Sales Figures
• 2014 Audi SQ5 Driven Review
• 2014 Audi S4 Driven Review

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Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche combined for more than 40,000 TT, Z4, SLK, and Boxster U.S. sales in 2003 but only 15,000 TT, Z4, SLK, Boxster, and Caymans last year. While the Corvette was roundly outsold by the aforementioned quartet in 2003, Chevrolet sold 34,839 Corvettes in 2014.

Corvette vs. TT? Hey, if I’m the self-appointed final arbiter on the subject of Audi TT styling, shouldn’t I also be the one to decide which car to buy when all 500 global copies of the Coupe Competition are snatched up?