Faults:

Air bag light on since 58000 miles approx.

Headlight bulb at 62000 miles approx.

Brake light bulb at 63k miles approx.

General Comments:

Very sturdy build quality.

Fuel consumption consistently at 33-34 MPG in the city and 39-43 on the highway, or higher, depending on driving.

Original tires replaced at 70000 miles. Could have gone longer.

Excellent handling and very durable interiors, particularly the seats, which look like the day I bought this car brand new from the dealership.

The DSG transmission is great value for the cost of this car, and as far as I know, the warranty on these has been extended to 100000 miles or more if I might be wrong.

I like the fact that a 10k mile oil change interval has saved me several trips to the dealership or service department over the period of my ownership.

In my opinion, the car started paying me back for the extra cost I paid for the diesel upfront, in terms of fuel savings (once it has crossed 50,000 miles) and durability, potential resale value and lower frequency of oil changes. However I would like to assert that the seat still continues to feel stiff, and the suspension and steering still feel as hard as they did like new, and the doors still have to slammed hard. Whenever I bring up these issues at the dealership, they remark in an all knowing tone, "that's the way the Germans build their cars". Come on, don't say that to a perfectly legal, non permanent resident, foreigner dude, who comes from a land where they build German cars. Maybe that's the way it is designed.

Overall, an excellent car for the college kid or small family, for touring or city purposes.

Faults:

Engine control module failed twice, one time making the car get stranded in the middle of a highway.

Transmission control module failed, causing the car to not start, then to start, but not go above 30 miles per hour.

Various electrical issues that took weeks for the dealer to sort out. In the shop once for 1 week, then again for 4 weeks. The problem could not be identified, and had to have the entire area behind the dash rewired.

Part of fuse panel melted while driving, causing smoke to pour out of the dash, leaving me stranded on the side of the road.

Right front axle had to be replaced at 16,000 miles.

Paint prematurely peeling on the seams of the roof, all along both sides, front to back.

General Comments:

Really comfortable seats.

That Volkswagen feel, when driving.

Very high-quality interior fit and finish.

Faults:

Suspension repair.

Dealer forgot to tighten the oil pan bolt during an oil change, and it fell out while driving down the freeway, causing a loss of oil/oil pressure.

Numerous interior squeaks/rattles.

Paint defects on the roofline (paint heavily flaking off on the seams of the entire roofline on both sides from front to back, and also areas of the vehicle hood and on door trims).

Suspension noise, car squeaks going over bumps, bounces going down flat smooth roads, dealer says keep driving because they will not fix until it "completely breaks".

General Comments:

Most anyone should be able to find a really comfortable driving position in this car. It is generally a pleasure to drive. The interior looks nice, and it has good ergonomics.

It also has numerous squeaks and rattles, which is very annoying, especially for a car that has such a nice looking interior - looks nice, but underneath is clearly lacking in quality. The car looks good from 20 feet away, but if you get close you will notice the paint is defective, it is peeling off the roof where the seams curve, on both sides - this is apparently not covered under warranty.

The car handles nicely for the most part, though it's a little soft and has a lot of body lean, but there's something wrong with the suspension - I noticed the problem occurring since after I had the last dealer repair - yet the dealer refuses to acknowledge or fix the problem. They say just keep driving the car. It gives the car a sort of bumpy, uneven feel on smooth pavement, and a squeaky noise when going over speed-bumps, driveways, etc. It's disconcerting, and makes me feel a little unsafe sometimes.

There's quite a decent amount of power when driving in Sport mode, and the stock stereo is just okay.