The VW dealer looks more dreary every year

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2)
07/04/2020 at 01:16 • Filed to: volkswagen

I got to Chipotle a little early for my online order to have been filled yet, so I wandered over to the VW dealer out of morbid curiosity to take a gander at the new Atlas “coupe.”

When the Atlas first came out, almost all of them were bright fun colors; reds, blues, and even oranges abounded right here.

You can also see in this photo how frightful the front of the “coupe” looks, especially next to the well proportioned Atlas next to it.

Yeah, I just don’t get it. The regular Atlas looks much better and has more cargo room.

It took me going to the front of this car to see what it was without any badging. The big duck tale spoiler on the trunk was really throwing me.

Manual 2013 Nismo Juke with 70,000 miles but no price. I wanted to see what they wanted for this one.

This bright orange and brand new VW Jetta R Line 6 speed was just $25,000 sticker price. Let’s be honest, it made me question the series of events that led to me not driving away in this SM70 spec dream right now. The more I think about this the more I want it. Seriously, I think this is now like second on my sub 30k dream list, right behind the Veloster N.

DISCUSSION (27)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 02:48

I saw one of those Coupe atlas things at the grocery store a week or so ago. It was hideous. Like Aztek ugly, but with no Aztek charm.

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 04:32

Also, no new New Beetles = joy is dead fun is gone nothing matters anymore :(

Nom De Plume > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 07:17

Too funny for Oppo edit.

Under_Score > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 08:13

They still have the 0% & no payments for four months deal. Convince one of your parents to co-sign.

Also, the Mazda is a manual.

50ford500 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 09:18

VW killed the car of joy again so now they will slip even further into the infinite sadness that is a company focused on suvs and dreary colors. It won’t be long now until they come for the Rest of the glorious wagons and I’m sure at some point even the GTI

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/04/2020 at 09:25

better or worse than the new x7? keep seeing one around town and thats bold design choice.

Gerry197 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 10:58

Not just VW, I was at a and FCA dealership ( Dodge, Jeep & RAM) & also a Toyota lot and all I saw were white, black, various greys . Excluding a few colorful Wranglers, everything was in this boring color scheme.

Porsche Monk > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 12:20

I'm thinking of getting a GTI, if I could find a leftover Rabbit edition with a 6MT in Cornflower Blue I'd pull the trigger. The current color choices are all so dull.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/04/2020 at 12:38

I genuinely like the Atlas but I genuinely hate the "coupe." Just monstrous. Looked like an angry Karen that spends too much time working out.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
07/04/2020 at 12:39

Both are bad but the "coupe" is bad from every angle.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Stef Schrader
07/04/2020 at 12:39

I always liked them but I never liked their price tag.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Under_Score
07/04/2020 at 12:42

Is it? The dark and drizzly night with dark window tint didn’t let me look. It was a surprisin gly thorough set of mods though I don’t usually go for the black everything out look.

Also, we'll see when I graduate college. I'm in no position right now

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Nom De Plume
07/04/2020 at 12:45

Was it funny? More sad really. And what did I need to edit?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Gerry197
07/04/2020 at 12:47

When the Atlas first came out, less than half of the ones parked there were silver, white, and black. Most were blue but others were red, orange, gold, etc.

Now there are like two red ones.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > 50ford500
07/04/2020 at 12:49

They already came for the two door Golf. They already came for the wagons. They still sell lots of GTIs, albeit usually automatics. There was like a 10:1 ratio of autoboxes to manuals that I could see.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Porsche Monk
07/04/2020 at 12:56

That is my favorite combo as well. They had a black 6mt rabbit edition GTI but no Cornflower Blue. I love those plaid seats so much.

Nom De Plume > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 13:45

My comment was edited to remove thought provoking humor.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Nom De Plume
07/04/2020 at 13:59

I like thoughts. . . and humor. . . and humour for that matter. . .

Taylor Martin > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 14:24

I always liked the Juke as a kid simply because it looked different, but that flaming orange VW is awesome looking too. Definitely sticks out in a sea of dull gray SUVs.

I wish a car company would come out that offered cool colored cars again, at affordable prices... then again you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Taylor Martin
07/04/2020 at 14:39

FCA rarely charges for colors and their dealers se am more adventurous than most in that respect, especially dealer add on graphics kits. Plus their stuff is usually reasonably priced. VW has historically been good in that respect but towards the end of a models life they cut down the color options.

I don’t hate the Juke but I don’t like it either. It’s different, but not at all something I would ever want for myself. It sort of is the slightly cooler spiritual predecessor to the CHR.

dogisbadob > Taylor Martin
07/04/2020 at 15:10

Chevy Spark :o)

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 16:11

Yeah. I didn’t really want one (well, besides that rally Beetle that someone ran in the U.S.) , but I enjoyed the fact that they existed.

TREG > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/04/2020 at 16:40

WTF this was the most useless post. Can I have t hose 30 seconds back?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Stef Schrader
07/04/2020 at 20:43

If “ secretary’s cars” have to exist, at least let them be interesting. The Mustang sure proved the haters wrong.

A Toyota CHR is a modern day “secretary’s car,” but it is simply dreadful to look at and ride in. I argue that the modern Beetles were the same thing but also cool. So was the non S Coopers but I wouldn’t mind one at all.

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/05/2020 at 21:10

I hate the term “secretary’s car.” For better or for worse (as secretaries shouldn’t be looked down on or pigeonholed as a gendered profession , either!), it saddles a car with unfair baggage . If you want a New Beetle, buy a damn New Beetle. Same goes with the CH-R.

I like the weird looks of the CH-R, but it’s annoyingly slow and the rear of the interior is a dark cavern. Those are the big issues. Plus, folks are just averse to weird.

For better or for worse, I think the real issue with the New Beetle is that it rode the late 90s/early 00s retro revival wave without carving out a successful, lasting niche like Mini did. It wasn’t updated enough, its other attributes never really set the world on fire, and it was left to be more of a novelty instead of treated like an indispensable part of VW’s lineup. It wasn’t as bad as the PT Cruiser, Plymouth Prowler or Chevy HHR because at least it was the revival of something beloved, but yeah—it rode that same trend way past its due date. I’m still hoping they bring it back as an EV, though, and take it more seriously this time. It’s the Beetle! It’s THE Volkswagen.

Plus, t hat last New Beetle looked sharp as hell .

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Stef Schrader
07/05/2020 at 23:14

I don’t really like the term either and I was casually poking fun at it with that argument. I take it to mean a car for young working professionals with varying degrees of gender split. The New Beetle is much more likely to driven by a woman whereas the Cooper had a much more even split. You hit the nail right on the head with Beetle’s downfall. It didn’t have lasting appeal of the Cooper with so little practicality and so little sportiness. I think a truly novel take on the Beetle could get it back in the game but another parts bin base with a fun shell won’t keep up sales. Just like the PT Cruiser, it was good, briefly, until consumer tastes shifted and it was just a rolling advertisement of being outdated.

CHR fits the bill but it isn’t as well executed as the Juke and its charm is only skin deep. Interior is claustrophobic and unoriginal. From experience, it is truly dreadful to ride the rear of one of those. I don’t like either but at least the Juke goes all the way.

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
07/06/2020 at 01:26

Ah, makes sense. I did the road test for the C-HR (ack! I can never remember where the hyphen goes!) when it fi rst came out and yeah, it’s bad in the back.