Faults:

Check light on monthly.

Cloth seats get very worn.

Not a good Winter car... have had to get pushed out of many snow drifts I would have been able to get through with another car.

Takes a while to accelerate.

General Comments:

This was the first car I have ever had. I decided to lease it for four years and am glad I did so. My lease is up in about three weeks, and I can't wait to get rid of it.

I definitely am one of those people who got this car for the "cute" factor... and I liked the attention I received driving one. You will often get people (kids especially) staring at it or pointing.

However, I have had so many problems with this car. I live in Wisconsin and this is definitely not a good Winter car. It drives horribly in snowy conditions. I am always slipping and sliding. I have been pushed out of numerous snow drifts. The 2-door feature gets annoying... and there is definitely no leg room if you are sitting in the back seat. Another problem if you sit in the back seat is that if you go over a bump... your head is always hitting the window behind you. My check light has gone off every month since I got the car. My air bag light has gone off a few times. My ABS light is always going off. I have taken my car in numerous times to check out these problems and they are fixed for awhile, but always come back.

If you are looking for a fun, cute car with a lot of head room (great future for taller people) that will drive well in nice conditions, then this is your car. Otherwise, explore your options. I for one would never go back and lease this car knowing now what I do.

Faults:

Battery failed at 24,000 miles, and then again at 30,000 had to be replaced by the dealer at an expense of $190. The design is so poor when the negative terminal is removed the engine computer loses critical programming that can only be recovered at the dealer. When there they actually have to remove much of the headlight assembly to get at it in addition to resetting all the computer codes!

The cars transmission bucks, kicks, and misses shifts. It holds onto a gear too long under moderate acceleration. The dealer refused to deal with it.

Many electrical problems - the car runs with the key out, the alarm sets without locking the doors, the radio stays on after removing the key.

Window switches failed on both sides, windows were stuck in the down position.

Burns a lot of oil, refill it every 2-3 tanks of gas or you will be surprised.

Paint is low quality, chips and scratches too easily.

General Comments:

Lots of features, nice looking, economical, roomy interior.

Resale falls like a rock.

Wouldn't trust it on a cross country drive, we have been stranded twice.

In our opinion there are too many other nice brands to buy to ever consider a VW or Audi. We will stick to Honda, Acura, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, or BMW.

Faults:

The car would not start at 18,000 miles, diagnosed as a fuel filter blockage.

The car would not start at 19,900 miles, diagnosed as carbon buildup.

The car died on the road at 35,500 miles, diagnosed as carbon buildup again.

The turbocharger needed to be repaired at 35,400 miles.

The taillights have blown out twice, the headlights have blown out once.

The rear defroster had to be repaired at 26,500 miles.

The engine light came on repeatedly, with "no concrete problem."

The mirror control knob had to be replaced three times.

The fuel filler door repeatedly jammed and finally required replacement of the actuator cable.

General Comments:

Although the car was fun when it was running, the repeated need for repairs made it exceedingly unreliable.

Safety became a concern when the car began dying in the middle of major highways.

Volkswagen has refused our request for assistance, because we are not the original owner, despite the fact that the car has less than 36000 miles on it.