Intellichoice Gives R32 Props, TTAC Doesn’t Buy It

February 7, 2008 – 9:43 am by Matt Radel
Filed under Volkswagen GTI, Volkswagen R32

Yeah, it’s swell to hear about VW’s newest award. It’s always better to hear about awards than this.

But look a little deeper on this one, and check out what the competition is. Wow, the R32 beat out the Mazda3? And the Volvo C30?! Holy crap that’s…lame! They didn’t even pit it against the GTI, which is a BIG mistake.

As I (and TTAC) have said before, I think VW really missed the mark on this one. And TTAC follows up by calling Intellichoice out. As Robert Farago (of TTAC) points out, you don’t have to go far to see the real comparisons on the cost of ownership – which is the basis of the Intellichoice award. Now do I think that VW is paying off Intellichoice as Farago suggests? Not necessarily. The R32 is still a limited edition run (about 5,000 stateside I think), which VW has never had an issue selling. BUT, what are the banner ads on the award detail page? That’s right, the GTI (at least they where for me). So I guess it’s a chicken or the egg question. Did VW buy ad space because they won the award, or did they buy the space to win the award?

Either way, when you take a closer look the award loses its luster quickly. But, it’s still great to hear anything positive about VW’s quality – especially when you consider where they’ve been in the past. Let’s just keep them moving in the right direction.

Intellichoice Gives R32 Props, TTAC Doesn’t Buy It
February 7, 2008 – 9:43 am by Matt Radel