VW Keeps Racking Up Honors for Its Products

After a couple of bad years, Volkswagen seems to be coming back more strongly than ever. For example, the Atlas recently won an award from a group of auto writers, naming it their Best Family Car (should be a vehicle, but we won’t quibble).

And, VW’s Polo (available in Europe) was named a winner of a World Car of the Year Award. The automaker’s Golf was named a winner of Good Housekeeping’s Best New Car Award, and it was also called one of Car and Driver’s “10Best” Awards.

The awards keep rolling in

And, the wave of awards goes on. Volkswagen heard this week that its Golf had received a spot among Kelley Blue Book’s 10 Coolest Under $20,000 on the publication’s 2018 list. The list is KBB’s longest-running award as it goes back to 2003.

“Volkswagen is honored to receive this award from Kelley Blue Book,” Derrick Hatamai, executive veep of sales, marketing, and after-sales for VW of America. “The Golf represents the best of Volkswagen, with its incredible combination of performance, style, and high-quality workmanship.”

Golf is a “direct descendant of the original hot hatch, which defined a fun-to-drive segment. VW tuned the Golf for sporty driving dynamics,” Mike Harley, KBB’s executive editor, said. “A standard turbocharged engine – unexpected zip for a vehicle in this category – a roomy passenger cabin, and timeless hatchback styling add to its appeal.”

Very subjective criteria used

Golf meets two long-standing criteria the editors at Kelley Blue Book (KBB) are seeking when they look at a vehicle. The vehicle must be:

1. Fun to drive
2. A pleasure to own

The editors freely admit that deciding the “cool factor” is very subjective. It is the key piece they are looking for in a vehicle. And, each vehicle considered for the list must have a purchase price of $20,000 or less. To define the price, the editors measure a vehicle against KBB’s “Fair Purchase Price” yardstick. Kelley Blue Book’s ® “Fair Purchase Price” and “Fair Market Range” are part of the publication’s Price Advisor tool. The tool generates a listing of what consumers can reasonably expect to pay for a new vehicle in their area.

The tool looks at current market conditions, vehicle availability, local demand, and seasonal buying trends to help determine a vehicle’s price range and fair purchase price. If you would like more information Here's more information on KBB's coolest 2018 models.

Four decades of Golf history

Golf debuted more than four decades ago in the U.S. We are now at the seventh generation of what has become a favorite family of cars for Volkswagen. Indeed, according to recent sales reports, the Golf family has helped the automaker maintain its monthly sales pace. The 2018 Golf is perhaps the best version of the iconic series yet.

For 2018, VW has added:

• Standard LED Daytime Running Lights
• LED taillights
• New Chrome accents outside
• Larger infotainment displays inside
• The People First Warranty – six years of 72,000 miles (whichever comes first) bumper-to-bumper New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage (it is transferable to subsequent owners, an excellent marketing feature)

The Golf, equipped with a standard five-speed manual transmission starts at $20,910.

Sources: Volkswagen, research