Volkswagen Birmingham
Looking to buy a Volkswagen? Find out what's good, what's bad and what to watch out for from Honest John.
Changes to external design include new rear light clusters, chrome side trims, more aerodynamic door mirrors and an entirely new front using latest Volkswagen passenger car design for the grille and headlights seen most recently in the new Polo and Golf. Read on and find more details about this car in Birmingham.
There’s plenty of head, shoulder and legroom for everyone. And simple, double-folding access through the sliding side doors to the rearmost seats. Behind them is a luggage deck most car owners would be glad to have.
With the next two Golf variants, particularly the early '90's Mk3, the GTi rather lost its alchemy, but when Golf number five arrived with its stiffer body and multilink rear suspension, VW had apparently found it again in Birmingham.
Most new car launches feature videos of unfeasibly good looking young people having exciting, life style experiences, and when VW pulled the wraps off its new Polo, there they were again, prancing round a car whose predecessors have sold very well because they were very, very sensible in Birmingham.
Good: Facelifted Polo III, still with an upmarket image. Better than pre-facelift and all now have power steering.
Bad: Not as reliable or well built as its image might suggest. Appetite for front tyres and front brakes.
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Honestjohn's impartial car review of Volkswagen A000 (2004 - 2004) with good points and bad points, reliability, car performance, car fuel consumption, car engine options and car technical information.Searchable list of car reviews by manufacturer and car model and derivative.
The pickup is all-new in the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles line-up and is the first commercial vehicle to be designed under Volkswagen Group design chief, Walter de Silva’s command.
Good: Evocative styling and Golf IV underpinnings. Better handling from 2002 model year onwards. V5 is a hoot to drive.
Bad: Cramped rear seats and limited luggage room. Difficult to park. You pay a premium for its looks. Dull drive before 2002 model year.
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Good: Cheap to buy and run. Easy to maintain. Full of character and loved by those who own them. Plenty around.
Bad: Noisy, slow and thirsty. Constant battle against rust.
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Good: Smart-looking Golf IV saloon with sportier suspension and good levels of kit. V5 and 2.8 V6 are quick, the diesels economical.
Bad: Overly light steering. Various problems with 1.8 20V engines. Windows can come off carriers inside the doors.
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Good: Honest, practical people carrier with up to 7 seats and two sliding side doors. Roomy and plenty of storage areas.
Bad: Not as good value as a Citroen Berlingo Multispace.
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Good: Lots of space in the back and quite fun to drive.
Bad: A Citroen Berlingo Multispace rides better, is more practical and costs less.
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Launched October 2007 at European Road Transport Show in Amsterdam. Measuring 470 mm longer than the conventional Caddy in Birmingham (bringing the overall length to 4,873 mm) the new Maxi offers greater versatility and load carrying capacity than the standard Caddy.
Good: Sensibly priced, honest 7-seater with enough space for 7 and their luggage. All diesel engines. From just £15,995. Huge loadspace seats removed.
Bad: Rearmost seat does not fold up. Has to be removed completely top free up space.
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Cross between sports car and compact SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle). 4,348mm long by 1,854mm wide bys 1,551mm high. Sleek coupe-style silhouette with the raised stance of an SUV. Shield-like front grill which common to Passat and Jetta also becomes sump shield. High-efficiency LED headlights.
Honestjohn's impartial car review of Volkswagen Concept BlueSport (2010 - ) with good points and bad points, reliability, car performance, car fuel consumption, car engine options and car technical information.Searchable list of car reviews by manufacturer and car model and derivative. You are currently viewing Volkswagen Concept BlueSport (2010 - ).
Gorgeous "prototype" for new mid-engined roadster shown at Frankfurt Show September 2003. Length 4,163mm, width 1,778mm, height 1,250mm. Powered by 3,189cc VR6 developing 265PS at 5,250rpm and 258 lb ft torque at 2,800 rpm.
Good: Superb front-drive handling. The VR6 is the one to go for. The styling has worn well.
Bad: High prices. Prone to niggly faults. Parts are expensive. Unless maintained properly, they can get tired and saggy.
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Honestjohn's impartial car review of Volkswagen Crossfox (2005 - ) with good points and bad points, reliability, car performance, car fuel consumption, car engine options and car technical information.Searchable list of car reviews by manufacturer and car model and derivative.
Good: As good as hatch-based folding tin-tops get. Goes and handles like a sports car yet there's space for four adults and decent luggage room.
Bad: A few reports of leaks.
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Good: More substantial than a Lupo. Roomy cabin seats four. Cheap.
Bad: Front screen pillars cause a large blindspot. Nonentity of a car.
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Good: Very popular before the advent of the Mazda MX5. The original "okay, yah" car.
Bad: Heavy, non-assisted steering, not helped by body flexing. Hoods cost a fortune to fix. Many fell into disrepair during the late 1990s.
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Good: The original GTI remains an exhilarating drive. Still looks good, still very much sought after.
Bad: Rust. The best ones are very expensive now.
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Good: Long-lasting hatch with fine road manners and, even now, a classier image than most. Best one is the 16v.
Bad: Rattles. Strut top mounts prone to rust. Age-related problems are finally starting to catch up now.
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Good: Golf status, for what that's worth. VR6 the best.
Bad: Flexes and rattles. Not as good as Mk II.
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Good: Reasonably good looking and better looking than Mk III. Generally a more solid car than a Mk III. Still carries status.
Bad: Huge number of quality problems in direct contradiction to "Few things in life are as reliable as a Volkswagen".
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Good: Fast, surefooted and safe. Handles well. One of the best exhaust notes you'll ever hear.
Bad: Restricted supply, which kept prices high. An Evo VII and Impreza WRX STI have sharper responses.
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Good: A taller, roomier, more versatile version of the Golf Mk V. Good ride and tidy handling. The 2.0 TDI 140 DSG is the one to have.
Bad: Slightly thirstier than the equivalent Golf. The 1.6 FSI and 1.9 TDI 105 are unremarkable performers.
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Good: Far greater feeling of genuine quality than Mk IV, decent handling, engine innovations.
Bad: Generally hard ride.
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Good: Roomy estate made more versatile by thoughtful, clever details.
Bad: Ride may be hard if it's anything like the Golf Mk V hatch.
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Good: Quick, surefooted and well equipped.
Bad: The Audi S3 is more satisfying to drive really quickly. Less efficient than the Golf GTI, Skoda Octavia VRS and SEAT Leon Cupra.
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Good: Very impressive detail quality, like velour lined glovebox, repeater indicvator lenses in the door mirrors. Great water cooled turbo 1.4TSI.
Bad: Doesn't ride and steer as well as a new Megane or a Focus.
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Honestjohn's impartial car review of Volkswagen Golf VI estate (2010 - ) with good points and bad points, reliability, car performance, car fuel consumption, car engine options and car technical information.Searchable list of car reviews by manufacturer and car model and derivative.
Honestjohn's impartial car review of Volkswagen Golf VI Plus (2009 - ) with good points and bad points, reliability, car performance, car fuel consumption, car engine options and car technical information.Searchable list of car reviews by manufacturer and car model and derivative.
Good: Based on a Golf but handles better and rattles less. The 139bhp 16v is very quick. Cheap to buy.
Bad: Lacks the image and practicality of a Golf. Rust and other age-related problems are taking a hold now.
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Good: Comfortable, economical and a decent drive. The boot's so big your voice echoes. Key-lockable 60/40 folding rear seat backrest.
Bad: Unrelentingly gloomy dashboard design. Handling is okay but doesn't encourage you to hustle it.
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Good: Economical, easy to park, quite refined and well built.
Bad: A Seat Arosa does it all for less money. The 1.0 is painfully slow.
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Good: Solid saloons and estates built to go the distance. They resist rust well.
Bad: Nose-heavy handling. Many lack power steering.
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Good: Far better handling than the previous version. Generous space for people and cargo in the estate. TDI 90 the most sensible choice.
Bad: Saloon has a frumpy image. Reports of stretched timing chains on VR6s.
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Good: Solid family saloon that exudes class and quality inside. Refined, comfortable cruiser. Good rear headroom. TDIs very economical.
Bad: Nothing like as reliable or well built as the cabin ambience would incline you to believe. Overlight steering and vague gearshift.
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Good: A better drive and better equipped than the previous Passat. Comfortable and has more status than, say, a Ford Mondeo.
Bad: A Ford Mondeo outdrives it in every respect and is cheaper to buy. Not immune from leaks and reliability problems.
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Good: Spacious and comfortable. Wide range of engines. Big, boot with lockable seatbacks.
Bad: Marred by too many quality problems for a car people assume will be a high quality product.
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Good: Mercedes CLS looks at half the price.
Bad: Passat underpinnings.
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Good: Fine road manners. Goes, grips and handles well. Stacked full of kit.
Bad: You'll pay for its pace at the pumps and in CO2-related taxes. Manual cars reported to be horrible to drive.
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Good: Plushly equipped, refined luxury saloon that tries to tilt at the S-Class, 7-Series etc.
Bad: Plain looks. Transmission bogs down at slower speeds. Loses value quickly from new. Not as good as an S-Class, 7-Series, XJ or A8.
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