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It's not a Mercury, but I can't help but think this Touareg is a bit of a cougar. You know full well that it has received plenty of cosmetic surgery over the past decade, but it's hard not to find the end product-especially with this monochromatic paint scheme-at least somewhat attractive. I'm not the only one, either; before I even left our parking garage, two bystanders commented on the Touareg TDI's good looks.inline_mediumwraptextright0033392817/green/reviews/1005_2010_volkswagen_touareg_v6_tdi1005_02+2010_volkswagen_touareg_v-6_tDI+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

It's not a Mercury, but I can't help but think this Touareg is a bit of a cougar. You know full well that it has received plenty of cosmetic surgery over the past decade, but it's hard not to find the end product-especially with this monochromatic paint scheme-at least somewhat attractive. I'm not the only one, either; before I even left our parking garage, two bystanders commented on the Touareg TDI's good looks.

Wow, this clutch is vastly superior to our departed Four Seasons Jetta TDI's. There's good feel, although I could do without the pulsating sensation that comes through the pedal all the time, and it's easy to take off smoothly, which was never the case with our Jetta.inline_mediumwraptextright0029164864/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_volkswagen_golf_tdi1005_06+2010_volkswagen_golf_tDI+side_view.jpgtrue

Wow, this clutch is vastly superior to our departed Four Seasons Jetta TDI's. There's good feel, although I could do without the pulsating sensation that comes through the pedal all the time, and it's easy to take off smoothly, which was never the case with our Jetta.

I sometimes pick up my buddy Jim at his house on Monday evenings and drive him to a core-training class we've been taking. One time recently, I picked him up in a Jeep Compass. As the owner of a first-generation Volkswagen R32 and an Audi A4 Avant, he was not impressed. So you can imagine his delight when I pulled to his curb in this topaz brown metallic Porsche Panamera. He leaped into the front passenger's seat and said, "Now THIS is more like it!"inline_mediumwraptextright0029137789/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_porsche_panamera_s1005_11+2010_porsche_panamera_s+rear_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

I sometimes pick up my buddy Jim at his house on Monday evenings and drive him to a core-training class we've been taking. One time recently, I picked him up in a Jeep Compass. As the owner of a first-generation Volkswagen R32 and an Audi A4 Avant, he was not impressed. So you can imagine his delight when I pulled to his curb in this topaz brown metallic Porsche Panamera. He leaped into the front passenger's seat and said, "Now THIS is more like it!"

There's not much new to report on the VW Routan, a rebadged Chrysler Town & Country that was foisted on Volkswagen of America by a previous executive regime. Volkswagen's U.S. dealers have no choice but to hold their noses and try to sell the darn thing. It's a far, far cry from the modern-day Microbus that we and VW devotees everywhere so dearly wanted. But if you have a great relationship with your VW dealer and you want to keep your business there and you need a decent minivan, have at it, folks. The Volkswagen Routan is not a bad minivan at all; in fact, it's a pretty good one. But it's not much of a Volkswagen.

There's not much new to report on the VW Routan, a rebadged Chrysler Town & Country that was foisted on Volkswagen of America by a previous executive regime. Volkswagen's U.S. dealers have no choice but to hold their noses and try to sell the darn thing. It's a far, far cry from the modern-day Microbus that we and VW devotees everywhere so dearly wanted. But if you have a great relationship with your VW dealer and you want to keep your business there and you need a decent minivan, have at it, folks. The Volkswagen Routan is not a bad minivan at all; in fact, it's a pretty good one. But it's not much of a Volkswagen.inline_mediumwraptextright0033269196/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_volkswagen_routan_se1005_01+2010_volkswagen_routan_sE+side_view.jpgtrue

For obvious reasons, Automobile Magazine comparisons typically round up cars with similar base prices. If the scientific method works for scientists, surely it's good enough for us. Consistent as these apples-to-apples tests are, though, they don't always reveal the complexities that go into buying a car in the real world, where varying levels of equipment and add-ons can quickly muddy our neat and simple categorizations. Take for instance, three small sporty hatchbacks currently in our fleet - the Suzuki SX4 Sportback, the Mini Cooper, and the Volkswagen GTI. On paper, they're three completely different cars in three different price segments. But look a little closer The SX4, loaded with navigation, Bluetooth, bigger wheels and other extras, carried an as tested price of $18,513, which is within a grand of a base Mini Cooper. The Mini, for its part, came with a slew of options that shot its sticker to $25,000 - about a thousand dollars more than the base price of a two-door GTI. Each of these vehicles fares very well when compared strictly to competitors in its traditional segment, but we couldn't help but wonder how they'd match up in a clearly unfair fight, the sort that breaks out all the time when real people go shopping for real cars.

For obvious reasons, Automobile Magazine comparisons typically round up cars with similar base prices. If the scientific method works for scientists, surely it's good enough for us. Consistent as these apples-to-apples tests are, though, they don't always reveal the complexities that go into buying a car in the real world, where varying levels of equipment and add-ons can quickly muddy our neat and simple categorizations. Take for instance, three small sporty hatchbacks currently in our fleet - the Suzuki SX4 Sportback, the Mini Cooper, and the Volkswagen GTI. On paper, they're three completely different cars in three different price segments. But look a little closer The SX4, loaded with navigation, Bluetooth, bigger wheels and other extras, carried an as tested price of $18,513, which is within a grand of a base Mini Cooper. The Mini, for its part, came with a slew of options that shot its sticker to $25,000 - about a thousand dollars more than the base price of a two-door GTI. Each of these vehicles fares very well when compared strictly to competitors in its traditional segment, but we couldn't help but wonder how they'd match up in a clearly unfair fight, the sort that breaks out all the time when real people go shopping for real cars.inline_mediumwraptextright0029060770/reviews/driven/1005_small_car_comparison1005_02+2010_suzuki_sX4_sportback_vs_2010_mini_cooper+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Miles: 12,105
Months in Fleet: Fourinline_mediumwraptextright0028217989/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1004_2010_volkswagen_gti_april_update1002_01_z+2010_volkswagen_gTI+side_view.jpgtrue