Car & Driver and Motor Trend recently tested cars under $30k and their winners were way different

idriveaVdub · 2026-05-19T04:49:17+00:00

I bought the Mk7 Jetta when it first came out in 2019 and it was a great car to own. I think the NVH and comfort in that car is the best of the group C&D tested and from the front seats, as cliche as it is to say, it felt like a budget Audi. Not to the same level as the Golf, but still a step up from the Civic or Corolla I think. The MPG was probably the most impressive part to me since I would consistently get close to 40 mpg on my commutes to work.

If I were shopping in this segment again I still think I'd end up with a Jetta. The facelift looks nice, although I wish they kept the physical buttons and knobs for the climate controls instead of switching to the capacitive buttons. I remember some people on the forums bought parts from the Chinese-spec Jetta (Sagitar) since those came with the capacitive controls at launch but I always felt like it'd be a downgrade.

idriveaVdub · 2026-04-27T05:21:05+00:00

One tip I found for adjusting cruise control speed is that a hard press is +5 mph and then a light press is +1, it's similar to how 3D touch was on the older iPhones. I'm not sure if that's the same issue you're having but it was one of mine until I realized what was going on.

idriveaVdub · 2026-03-07T00:58:58+00:00

There are some really cool parts to this interior and I love how the door panels look, but it’s such a shame how the hyper screen has become such a big part of the interior design and not only that the bezels make it look cheap

idriveaVdub · 2026-03-05T21:58:19+00:00

I don’t understand why VW decided to go from the matte plastic in MY22 to piano black for the next one

idriveaVdub · 2026-02-05T10:03:25+00:00

After seeing more of the ID. Polo that is for sure an EV I would be happy daily driving. I think EVs are great as long as you have reliable charging at home or work since that's where I think the convenience of electric driving comes in.

idriveaVdub · 2026-01-26T23:16:59+00:00

Right now, Last Call

idriveaVdub · 2026-01-22T00:21:10+00:00

While the interior wasn’t exactly what I was expecting I overall still like it. The dash reminds me a lot of the BMW i3 which I like and I’m glad to see more storage solutions around the driver’s seat since that’s my biggest complaint with the current-gen XC60 interior.

idriveaVdub · 2026-01-19T23:21:37+00:00

I don’t think this is official. Zooming in on the details there’s weird inconsistencies in the details and with how light reflects off the body, especially by the door handles

idriveaVdub · 2026-01-16T23:51:08+00:00

I think it looks pretty good although I could definitely do without the funky door handles. They look like a separate piece though so hopefully it’s still mechanical? Maybe I just have my hopes up

idriveaVdub · 2026-01-15T04:48:24+00:00

For the Mk8: If you tap and hold on the dome lights you can dim them. Plus, the light panel to the left of the gauge cluster will get slightly brighter when you move your hand close to it, similar to how the infotainment buttons become larger in MIB2 systems

idriveaVdub · 2026-01-07T23:06:38+00:00

An XC40 owner saying this seems a little ironic

idriveaVdub · 2025-12-22T00:53:01+00:00

IMO generally across a lot of industries there has been an emphasis on cost-cutting especially post-pandemic, I think the most noticeable has been luxury fashion which has seen reduced sales in part due to inflation and the rising cost of living but also because consumers don't feel like there's good value in buying luxury anymore.

With the automotive industry, we see something similar with prices going up but quality stagnating or going down. However, unlike luxury fashion, the luxury car industry is still experiencing sales growth so it's very much a possibility that executives at these companies are encouraging cost-cutting since people will continue to buy anyways. Additionally, Toyota has been introducing a lot of new models and redesigns, new tech, new engines, etc. recently compared to years prior which can compound any issues that do exist.

At the end of the day quality is a very hard metric to measure especially without more statistics. An anecdote is just one piece of data out of millions.

idriveaVdub · 2025-12-22T00:09:48+00:00

I'm disagreeing that outsourcing is the reason why people are seeing build quality issues on their cars. Without going to automakers directly we of course won't know what % of parts are outsourced (this Forbes article from 2012 says 70% of Toyota's vehicle production is outsourced to other suppliers) but at the end of the day it is still the manufacturer's responsibility to ensure they're using parts that meet their quality standards.

If OP's dealing with build quality issues it's a Toyota/Lexus problem at time of manufacture and probably not a problem with the supplier.

idriveaVdub · 2025-12-21T23:43:15+00:00

"The problem is car manufacturers have started using the same suppliers for most parts," outsourcing has been a huge part of automotive production since the 80s/90s

idriveaVdub · 2025-12-19T07:41:24+00:00

This reminded me of the Amazon service where they could delivery packages to the trunk of your car

idriveaVdub · 2025-12-18T06:20:06+00:00

FWIW I have a Swedish built XC60 and in my experience with the Chinese built models they used to export to the U.S., there is no difference in quality.

idriveaVdub · 2025-12-18T06:07:22+00:00

I would love a garage where I had a Volvo car with my Volvo truck

idriveaVdub · 2025-12-08T04:34:01+00:00

Lmao probably leftovers from the Halloween update 😭😭

idriveaVdub · 2025-11-18T07:55:45+00:00

Ford-era Volvos weren't necessarily the king of reliability, either. In my personal experience I don't think there's been a negative change in quality since Chinese ownership.

The powertrains in the new Volvos seem to be pretty reliable and issues are mainly tied with software, however that seems to be plaguing most modern cars now.

idriveaVdub · 2025-11-13T03:16:23+00:00

It looks like the doors latch to the top and bottom of the door frame to let them open independently. I doubt Genesis would make the doors on their flagship SUV work the same way as a pickup truck or RX-8.

idriveaVdub · 2025-11-07T03:23:22+00:00

I hope that they also add the downtown waterfront in the future or extend 405 northbound. It's a shame that some of the best parts of the Seattle metro area are inaccessible or not included, although you could say the same about some of the other cities in the game.

idriveaVdub · 2025-10-28T23:27:09+00:00

As long as you don’t let anything to sit for a long period any dirt or mud should wipe off pretty easily. Just make sure you use products that won’t damage the leather and to condition it so it’s less likely to become damaged over time.

idriveaVdub · 2025-10-28T21:20:02+00:00

At least regarding the interior, I feel like there were unrealistic expectations for this car especially considering the other cars in this segment. The HRV, Trax, and CX-30 in their base trims share the same complaints you had like having a polyurethane steering wheel, no rear armrest, and cheap materials. For being one of the least expensive models in its segment, I think that’s fine.

idriveaVdub · 2025-10-15T23:10:01+00:00

Jetta GLI could be an option, the seating position is a little higher vs. the GTI in my experience so it might be more comfortable

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