Category: Volkswagen

The mid-size sedan market is extremely competitive, but has been losing sales to the booming crossover sport utility vehicle market. SUVs provide the usefulness buyers want without making the sacrifices that used to be required. Carmakers now can make their cars "cars" again.

The all new VW Tiguan gives Volkswagen a much needed competitor in the hot compact crossover SUV market. Competing with the likes of the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape, Tiguan has to be outstanding to win in the consideration set including those vehicles. Is it good enough?

2017 Honda Civic Si brings enthusiast-oriented driving to the Honda Civic small car lineup. Exterior, interior, powertrain and chassis upgrades differentiate the Honda Civic Si from the rest of the Civic lineup.

The VW Atlas crossover enter the American SUV market at a time the market is booming. It is a competent XSUV going up against some serious heavyweights like the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot.

AutoPacific surveys new car and light truck buyers annually to determine how satisfied they are with their vehicle and what changes they want made. Based on this owner research, AutoPacific calculates the vehicles that owners want changed the least. The people who have purchased the vehicle are the people it was designed for. The data result in the AutoPacific Ideal Vehicle Award. Every year there are some results that stand out. The 2016 awards are no different.

Bentley Motors of Crewe, England has begun production of the 2017 Bentley Bentayga and vehicles will begin arriving in the United States in May, 2016. Ho Hum, just another SUV for an overstuffed market, right? Not so. The Bentayga is a very, very special piece of work.

The sixth generation of the venerable Volkswagen Golf goes out with a bang. With the seventh gen Golf coming for the 2015 model year, the 2014 Volkswagen Golf is the highest scoring Compact Car in AutoPacific’s 2014 Ideal Vehicle Award research.

The 2014 Volkswagen Passat is the highest scoring Mid-Size Car in AutoPacific’s 2014 Ideal Vehicle Award research. The Passat designers, planners and engineers knew exactly what their customers want and provided it. The 2014 Volkswagen Passat is at the top of the list against an enormous group of very competitive mid-size cars.

The iconic VW Golf is renewed with the seventh generation car coming to the USA beginning in June, 2014. Having been launched in Europe in 2013, the American market has had to wait a year before getting hands on this newest generation of the car. The Golf is very evolutionary in styling both interior and exterior. At-a-glance, it is clearly a Golf but with a bit more attitude. Its 5-door hatchback bodystyle has basically the same proportions as before. Clean styling with Germanic conservatism. The interior of the car is very straightforward with good ergonomics. Visibility is excellent.

AutoPacific's Ideal Vehicle Awards for 2o13 are given to brands and vehicles that best meet the expectations of their buyers. The person driving the car does not want it to be bigger or more powerful or have better info/entertainment systems. Based on the results of over 52,000 respondents, the IVAs are owner-based awards that can serve to give car and truck buyers an idea of how well manufacturers have designed vehicles with their customers in mind.