$40,000 for a Jetta? Yes, the GLI is back

Volkswagen is a mass-market brand, but there’s nothing cute, cuddly or cheap about any of its models. On the contrary. The typical VW car or SUV (sport-utility) is designed and executed more like something you’d expect from VW’s Audi upscale brand. And pricing reflects that. Case in point: the 2020 VW Jetta GLI 35th Anniversary …

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VW Beetle: casualty of a throwaway culture

The last new Volkswagen Beetle I can ever expect to drive turned out to be a $30,225 Coupe Wolfsburg Edition. A lovely little two-door. Well appointed and lively, it occurred to me when I returned it that I could make a case that the demise of the Bug has a lot to do with our …

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Kia Soul GT-Line — the sexy anti-car

Kia Canada sells a version of the Soul compact wagon for as little as $21,195. It’s a rather plain and perfectly sensible runabout wagon, one a little taller than the usual small car. You might overlook it entirely if you saw one in a parking lot. But there’s not missing the top-end of the Soul …

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A tale of two diesels: Mazda vs. VW

The Volkswagen Group and Mazda Motor were, a decade ago, triumphantly touting clean diesel technology that would in VW’s case eventually devolve into scandal, while for Mazda it proved merely an embarrassment. Both told us in 2009-2010 that smart engine controls and clever hardware would make it possible for drivers to buy a small, low-emissions …

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