VW Jetta TDI

[pow]

GM hasn't built an efficiently packaged sedan ever, seemingly.  The firewall is usually far too low and back too far, pushing the windshield back and upright for a nice claustrophobic feeling and shoving the dash in your lap.  Then, the hood is acres long to house a 90 degree boat anchor.  So we have no front leg room, and the seats are low and soft with no support.  Then, we'll make the car too low and drop the back seat also.  To top it off, the seats are soft as bed pillows, so you're left sitting in the back with your knees up at your face.  they usually have all sort of seat structure right on the floor where you want to put your foot.  Then, the wheelbase is too short so the rear seat back is too far forward and you neither get leg space, foot space or a proper seatback angle.  Then, the trunk is long (deep) but the garbage around the wheel arches is so wide and the rear deck so low, you don't get any effective height or width out of the trunk and the opening for the (usually optional)  fold down seat is compromised so much you can't put much through it.

I was appalled at how small the Impalas back seat is and how average the trunk is.

The Grand Prix is the all time poster child for how badly you can package an automobile in terms of space effienciency and comfort.

And don't forget the roofline that curves down before the rear passenger's head and the pillars that angle inward limiting horizontal headroom. And there's the super-long steering column that juts the wheel far from the dash and into your chest. And also the high doorsills hindering rear seat access, and consequently the seat bottom that curves away as it approaches the door.

[regfootball]

YOU READ MY MIND........and the barely accessible seat belt buckles......the huge ass steering wheels hung out from the dash like a plank off a pirate ship.......

And don't forget the roofline that curves down before the rear passenger's head and the pillars that angle inward limiting horizontal headroom. And there's the super-long steering column that juts the wheel far from the dash and into your chest. And also the high doorsills hindering rear seat access, and consequently the seat bottom that curves away as it approaches the door.

[Flybrian]

Getting back into a Corolla rental earlier today, with its tiny steering wheel, upright seating position, and $h!ty ergonomics reminded me how much I miss my good ol' American car.

[Drew Dowdell]

You won't find any convertibles that you can comfortably load 4 people and 4 bags of luggage in with the top down so its really rather pointless.

1995 Cutlass Supreme Convertible

[Deds]

i know that diesel sucks, im from portugal and here the only gasoline cars that you see is 1.4L with moreless 90hp.. the comon cars are diesel, but volkswagen has the new engine for europe, with kompressor and turbo, the 1.4L TSI with 170hp low consoption its great and fast! and also the french with Renault with an 1.1L turbo and kompressor with 100hp.. but here is like 5dollar a galon moreless the gasoline and 2 dollar a galon the diesel very expensive :S

[ZL-1]

Olá!

[Deds]

There was a head to head competition some time ago when the Prius came out. I can't recall which publication or where, but anyway the TDi was new(not broken in) and the Prius well, was a Prius. They did highway to highway comparisons mpg wise and city to city mpg. The Volkwagen was at the most maybe 3-4 mpg off. Give me a TDi anyday over a Prius. I almost bought one the last time I was looking for a new vehicle. I ended up with a truck...imagine that!

aahh well with a tdi, you have the turbo, at moreless 2000rpm you feel the turbo in action like something pooling the car forward its realy cool, well im from portugal and here you only see tdi (german), dci (french), hdi (french), multijet (italian) all cars are diesel, and the ones "normal", gasoline, are uncomun, or are cars with 1.4L 90hp.. so you in america drive gasoline cars because tdis are invading USA, here in europe are comun diesel because the regular fuel is very expensive.. but volkswagen as invented a new generation of engines the TSI, a turbo and kompressor engine, 1.4L with 170hp amasing! like GOLF GT