“So yes, up until MY 2022 the VW has been overpriced [...]”

Back when I was shopping in 2019, the official spec for rear legroom was 40.2" for Arteon, 35.1" for A5. My family would mutiny if I tried to cram them in the backseat of the A5 on a road trip.  Cargo capacity (rear seats up) was 27.2 Arteon and 21.8 A5 -- we could certainly make do with the latter, but that’s a…

“LMS top [s]pec arteon= $50k. bmw 330 nicely optioned= $48k. hmmm”

The that’s-not-a-coupe argument is well-documented. But that Euro spec body style IS NOT A SHOOTING BRAKE. That’s wagon (or estate, if you insist.).

300hp and awd is underpowered?

The VW looks much more upscale. Classy. Too much grille, but that’s today’s style.  

Because Hyundai is still willing to make less money on more volume, the old school approach. VW - especially in their corporate arrangement - has decided that they’ll try and take higher profits off of each sale, like so many other brands are doing. Seems like it’s not working.

The marketing guys are out of control and must be stopped.

Good points on the federalizing costs, thanks.

“Why this car was ever green-lit for the US market is mystifying, continuing VW’s long legacy of bizarre sales-failure product decisions here [...]”

“Because used Audi A5s Exists”

Dozens more.

Americans only buy F-150 pickup trucks. They are the red-headed step child.

First: please stop saying “Canadian” protesters. Most of these chucklefucks are Alberta-separatists. They’re fucking morons who need to be treated like bees; ignored.

The ad positions VW as “nonconformist,” said Jonathan Santana, a group creative director at Johannes Leonardo who recently joined the agency from Lucky Generals. “We are for those who choose differently.”

Of course, it wasn’t a direct replacement. The Atlas moved way downmarket, where the Touareg was a fairly premium model that VW just could never really sell to Americans.

No, not really. Unless you price them so high only millionaires can afford them.

I don’t think almost any of the truly small cars fit that, because they are meant to be small. No one is buying a 500 or Smart thinking they’ll be hauling around a soccer team. That’s why the answer is every subcompact CUV. They’re fattys on stilts that only have space vertically, but none side to side or front to…

There aren’t any “too small” cars in the North American market, and that’s the whole problem

None of them.