[stovt001]

The GTI is almost exactly like the Mustang - a very nice touch up to an already very nice design, but held back by using old powertrains. I'm very upset VW decided to not use the new 2.0T found in the A4 and European GTI in the American spec version.

You know, the anti-foreign sentiment here is really starting to bother me. It bothers me just as much as the anti-domestic sentiment found elsewhere. This whole country-of-origin bias is just depressing. By pre-judging a car based on the country it comes from, you're really closing your eyes to some great vehicles. Every major auto-producing country that sells in the NA market has something of real value. Sure, from an economic standpoint there is justification for being concerned about NA manufacturing capacity, but from an enthusiast standpoint, it makes no sense to snub a perfectly good car just because of some nationalistic bias. Segregating an award into "international" and "North American" is nothing short of bigoted and narrow-minded. Now I'm a proud American, don't care about political correctness, but I can sure respect foreign manufacturers. Seems that makes me the minority here.

/soapbox.