All Cars, All the Time

Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen

This has to be one of the most "style free" VW's in a long time. Hopefully, the low point will be a low water line that VW can build up from.

I'm not exactly sure what happened to a brand that at one point had a demographic to die for, dealership blue sky values that made other makes weep and an entirely sexy lineup. Over the past few years however, things have taken a bad turn. The latest Jetta is really a step into dumpsville, the Passat is also less attractive, the Golf/Rabbit never strays far from the original recipe, and the Rabbit is long in tooth. The Eos is attractive but VW's forthcoming small crossover is quite bland and the Touareg 2? Please.

I'm sorry to see it happen. Various designers were poached from the VW camp over the years and that may explain some of the downfall, but it doesn't make it any better. There have been rumors that VW is pulling back future models into the design center for changes and I'll take that to be a good sign. I believe I also read a quote where a VW exec admitted that the company had lost its way. That's important to hear, because the first step in finding yourself is to admit that you're lost in the first place.

Here's hoping that the Vee-Dub I know and love will be back in showrooms soon!