- Quick and powerful engine - Handles like a dream. Really sticks to the road. - More safety features than you can shake a stick at. - 17 inch wheels make it look oh so cool in black.a

- interior plastic kinda weak. - volkswagen service help kinda lame. nice, but leave much to be desired.e

This car is everything I expected, when I decided to upgrade from a 2000 Golf GL 2.0L. The 200hp VR6 is just what the doctor ordered to cure the road rage that is often caused by your typical lane-hoggin' Colorado driver. Now instead of getting mad when the guy in the next lane over, suddenly speeds up as soon as I hit my turn signal, I just giggle and and leave him in my wake. This car is truly a godsend. My wife and I test drove a few cars before settling on the VR6 including the GTI 1.8T, the Jetta 1.8T, the V6 Passat and the Lexus IS 300 (the alteeza, for all you Gran Turismo 3 freaks), but we both knew as soon as we got behind the wheel of this bad puppy that this was the car for us. From the deep throaty sound of the engine to the way it stuck to the curves we both are crazy about this car. All I can say is that if you haven't already, shut off you computer and go test drive this car now..

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Lexus IS300, GTI & Jetta 1.8T, 2000 Golf GL, 2000 Golf GTI.,

Control around corners is amazing. Acceleration is impressive for a 1.8 liter engine. Braking is also mind blowing. I am averaging 28 miles per gallon (combined city/highway)

The Monsoon stereo system is not as impressive as advertized but it's sufficient. Power decreases when ac is used.

After several weeks of internet searching and research, I finally decided to purchase the 2002 VW GTI. I needed a commuter vehicle but I wanted something fun to drive. That is exactly what I got in the GTI.

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Ford Focus Honda Civic Toyota Celica

Overall performance is unbelievable. Excellent styling, both exterior and interior. Great handling, excellent acceleration (both at low and high speeds).

Not enough space for personal effects (CD's, what have you), turbo is a bit weak, VW dealers can be real pricks, and if you want to come off the line like a rocket, turn *off* the ASR. Otherwise, it's a slug off the line. Seriously, you won't beat a stock Civic DX unless you hit the magic ASR button (but otherwise, consider the ASR a very important strength - it keeps you on the road, even when the turbo hits on a corner). Another weakness (and it's common in turbocharged cars) is the turbo boosting when you're turning. Potentially very ugly! ASR helps that, though.

This car is a fantastic vehicle, far superior to anything else in the price range. Eats rice-rockets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, even stock. The suspension is tight, traction is unbelievable, and the turbo, while a bit weak, provides ample acceleration.

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Saturn SL2, Civic DX, Civic Si, Integra GSR, Prelude, Audi A4, Focus, Acura RSX, Subaru WRX, Mitsu 3000GT, Eclipse GS-T

Torque mildly nice. Interior is nice. Moonroof and Monsoon stereo are really nice. Leather is ok. heated seats are nice when cold.

Transmission slips out of gear and wont go into gear sometimes. Toxic sulphur smell that you can only get away from at about 30 feet from car. Window FELL INTO DOOR and wasnt able to come back up until it went in for servicing (under a quiet recall). Computer displays in foreign languages randomly and wont come out of it for a day or 2. The worst customer service i have ever received...period.

Never again. Window fell into door with no warning. The window thing is under a quiet recall and THOUSANDS of Jettas and GTI's have had it happen already. I ONLY HAVE 10,000 MILES ON THE CAR!!. Toxic sulphur smell from exhaust so bad that i can literally smell it strong from the front door of my home. Transmission slips out of gear and wont go into gear sometimes (i have been driving manual shift for 17 years). Computer display reads in foreign languages for a day or 2 at a time with no way to get out of it. Service center is terrible and nobody wants to help you. Told me not to "give them a laundry list of things wrong with it" when i brought it in for service. Sales man tried to rip me off badly (name is Mark Ferrari) by raising my payments by 100 per month when i came in to pick it up! This all sounds like a joke but it is all very true. I WILL NEVER buy another VW again after this. The worst service I have ever received in my life is from this company. My friend has a Subaru mpreza WRX and LOVES it. I drove it and it is great. Im dumping this soon and going with one of those. I will never get another VW after this.

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87 GTI, 96 Jetta, 91 300ZX, 2001 Subaru Impreza WRX

200 hp, 195 lbs torque, 17in. wheels and 45 series profile tires, 6 speed man. Ergonomics for me are great at 6ft. plus, comfortable seats are firm, but nice on road trips. This car HANDLES. Is it front wheel drive?

Monsoon stereo could use some more oomph. Even with sport sus. could be about 2in lower. Not enough places for personal stuff, ie. Cds. tools etc.

Sadly traded in my 87 325 w/Bilstein struts and lowered suspention 2.8 ETA w/mods. This car handles as good or better, likes to be pushed through corners and makes the little punk kids in their rice rockets wish the had gone with the German engineering. Sorry. Love the 200 Hp and 6 speed. No regrets after trade in.

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BMW 330ci, Lexus IS300, Honda Prelude and S2000

Quick Engine, Stable, Safe, Affordable, Ample Aftermarket Vendors

Electronics, Plastic, VW Customer Service

VW has taken the 2932-pound Golf and made it fast and safe while still being fun to drive! The GTI feels heavy, as most German cars do, but it reacts predictably and confidently when cornering and performing emergency maneuvers (like quick lane changes.) The transmission offers a very 'positive' feel, so you will never need to wonder, "Is the car in gear?" The engine is very peppy and the VW 'Sport Suspension' that comes standard on the GTI is a nice compromise between comfort and responsiveness. For consumers looking for a fun drive to and from work, this is a great set-up. The 180HP engine is averaging about 23 miles per gallon with hard city driving and 26 with normal city driving. These may not be spectacular numbers, but not too bad for the returns in performance. The seats are very supportive, driving position is good, and there is a ton of cargo room. The electronics feel cheap and don't be surprised if the windows fall into the doors or some of the interior plastic breaks. A good amount of VW dealers are generally not known for having good customer service (something VW has been trying to improve for years) and expect you warranty to be void if you decide to "chip" the car and then take it in for service.

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Integra GS-R, Accord EX, Celica GTS

many features come standard ABS Brakes, front and rear disk

The cup holder is in an ackward position. The Monsoon Stereo is adequate(nothing to brag about).

I agree with many of the reviews about the 2002 GTI having very responsive power and performance. But many have neglected to mention the most important feature: the brakes. For lack of a better description, the brakes are awesome. They compliment the power and performance well.

Handling(once you make the upgrades), torque, bodystyling, fuel economy.

Clutch is a little soft, its front wheel drive, and too much plastic in the interior.

This car is great, I bought mine with 35000 miles on it, It already had a GIAC chip in it, bilstien/eibach shock spring combo, front and rear sway bar, 17 Borbet wheels, potenza tires, magnaflow exhaust, neuspeed shortshift kit, and a neuspeed p-flow intake, all for 15k! With this setup the car handles like its on rails, its one of the best handling cars I've ever driven, next to the e30 m3 and a 944 turbo. I can hardly even get the tires to chirp in hairpin turns. The kick you get from the turbo around 2.5k rpm is really strong. I strongly recommend getting a blitz duel turbo timer for this car, thats the first thing I did after I got it, that way you won't have to wait in your car for the turbo to cool off.

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wrx, 944 turbo

engine, quality, stereo( great, especially for stock), price

shifter, no 4motion, black interior is hard to keep clean, everything shows on it, i would recommend grey

awsome car, the engine seems to never die, people b*tch about the shifter and springs a lot, i will agree with both of these, i drive my car hard and when really driving i do miss 3rd gear a lot, the springs are soft, but not unsproty, anything stiffer would kill the ride. The engine and quality are what persuaded me from a jap, only thing is i wish there was 4motion offered here like it is in germany, the car has so much torque that it could sure use it

-Acceleralation -Nice looking exterior -Interior room space -Good safety rating for hatchback

-Poor bumper to bumper warranty(2/24000) -Both driver and passenger side window regulator failed -Lots of electrical problem at earlier stage -No standard CD player consider this $20000 car

The 1.8T is strong in acceleration and torque. The gas milaege is good for automatic transmission. I think this is a better car than some other similar competition. The only thing this car is lacking is better reliability.

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Honda Prelude, Audi A4