Volkswagen Philippines = Overprice.

[cast_no_shadow]

Or Polo (or Jetta?) with manual side mirror adjustment like a 90's car.

For real? wtf?!

[dos2]

I've ridden a Jetta as a passenger (friend of wife owns one). Nothing special except for the very thrifty engine as relayed by the owner (15-25 km/L). Even in my wife's opinion the current vios' interior looks better and more upscale.

[Egan101]

During the VW launch in late 2013, I took a look at the Jetta TDI 5MT and was a bit disappointed. Aside from the bland and not-so-premium interiors, they had to tweak its power plants for the local market. I was expecting them to be rated the same as its Euro and US counterparts. The VW reps said the engines are the same but tuned for lower output (110Hp/208Nm instead of 150hp/320Nm). The worse part was when I asked for the retail price as they told me it will be 1.295M. If the Euro/US versions of the Jetta TDI DSG were sold locally for the same price, that would been a much better option.

In other countries, VW marketing is targeted at getting a piece of the Japanese product sales. They have the Audi brand to compete in the Euro premium brands. It would have been much better if they brought their cheaper brands (Seat or Skoda) to get into the mix of the stiff competition against Japanese/Korean brands in the local market.

[kevinworld]

ya, I also noticed nothing special about the looks. my cousin happened to book a test drive. but he cannot drive the manual. I test drive the car and fell in love with it. travelling at 100kph on the jetta seems 60kph on the vios. my previous car is a vios. stable cya talaga. handles the rumble strips with ease. less road noise. the diesel has less vibration than a vios inside the car. no offense...

[jut703]

Any compact is more stable, has better NVH, and handles rumble strips better than the Vios.

Having driven the Jetta and the Mz3 2.0 though, no contest, the Mz3 is a better car. Its finish feels more German than the real German Volks, it's faster, handles better, has more toys, looks better, and costs less too. I also don't see VW as having a better brand image than Mazda.

[kevinworld]

yup, mazda is also a good car. haven't tried driving one. but I prefer diesel. I've tried driving the corolla of my sister. the volks feels more secure and it has less bodyroll. visibility is also better. I love the front and rear parking sensors. the most accurate sensors I've tested by far

[bjreyesmd]

I guess we can blame the tax laws in our country when it comes to European cars. Take note that even BMW and Mercedes had to scrimp on features to lower the cost of their bread and butter 3 series and C class sedans. I guess for VW to succeed, they have to market themselves as more premium than their Japanese and Korean counterparts but less luxurious than their European brethren and price their vehicles in between.

[Egan101]

In 2014, VW offered a 200k discount for the Jetta TDi MT. I think it didn't make a big jump on its sales. For a retail price of 900k+, the Jetta TDI MT will surely be something worth considering.

Ford sold a lot of Focus 2.0L TDCi (MT & DCT) between 2007-2012 and these cars offered Euro-styling, great performance & handling, and decent FC (12-15 km/L on city, 20 km/L on highway). For around 1M+ retail price, it offered great value. However, it was still playing catch-up on the sales of the TOTL Japanese compacts.

[Walter]

Audi, Mercedes Benz, VW and those German brands with factories in China will be cheaper once the China Free Trade agreement kicks in in 2018 (or is it 2016?)