dynamic abilities of volkswagens

here in UK, volkswagens are worthily praised for their thorough build quality, reliability and durability etc. But what bugs me is how they can make a poor chassis.
In magazines and reviews of VW's they are often described as poor dynamically with too much body lean, vague steering and not so much poor ride quality, but not up to standards of Ford. But ford of all people! How can they make a better car, drive and ride wise than a VW?!

I dont know what it is like in other countries but to me it seems they are being biased as Ford dominates the amount of cars in Britain. Are they being biased? Cos to me there are so many Fords here the company might as well be british. I've read that VW's are better suited to german autobahns than poorly surfaced roads here in UK.

Also i would like to know what the roads are like in Germany and USA. Here they are so poor that councils are in debt cos so many ppl are claiming money off them for damage to their cars thanks to lots of potholes in the road.
How do ppls VW's cope with roads in Usa and germany. Or are the roads smooth so it drives well all the time. Do ppl think their VWs are gr8 at handling and are informative steerers, with good ride quality?
Thanks for any replies

[ April 21, 2001: Message edited by: ca ]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ca:
In magazines and reviews of VW's they are often described as poor dynamically with too much body lean, vague steering and not so much poor ride quality, but not up to standards of Ford. But ford of all people! How can they make a better car, drive and ride wise than a VW?!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If the Ford in question is the Focus, then that may be understandable -- the Focus gets excellent reviews for handling and ride in just about every review that I've seen.

The Contour / Mystique (United States version of the Mondeo) was also considered a good handling sedan / saloon (but it was a poor seller and has been discontinued). The larger and softer riding / handling Taurus / Sable still sells well here (though with a significant percentage to rental fleets). The even larger Crown Victoria appears to be most popular with police departments.

A little bit of money spent on stiffer springs and shocks will remedy that. It's not a fundamental overall design flaw in the VW's suspension. Volkswagen just spends more money on the development of the rest of the car and cuts corners with the replaceable parts like the springs, shocks and such.... whereas Ford gives you nice stiff springs on a car that is basically an inferior design in just about every other measurable way.

I'd take the Volkswagen and buy myself some new springs everytime. Fords just blow, though the Focus is alot more car than the Escort was (that's not saying much though)

I test drove a new Civic yesterday for the hell of it while I had my wife's Odyssey in for service.

Dynamics of a VW? much better than the new Honda Civic, slightly better than other Hondas. FAR short of BMW.

Haven't driven a Focus so I can't say how they compare but I've heard raves about the Focus handling.

My father just dumped his 11 year old car for a new Focus. I drove it for the first time yesterday and was impressed with how well it held the road. Much better than my Golf, actually. I chalk it up to my Golf's steel wheels and big tires, the opposite of the slick alloy wheels and low profile (wide!) tires on my father's Focus.

I personally like both cars. The TDI mileage got me the VW, though, depsite the price premium. I think both cars are A-OK and both are "sensible" inside and out -- Ford and VW just went opposite ways to get there.

ca, here in the southeast US our highways are varied in quality from rocky rough patches in Mississippi to super smooth Interstates in Georgia. I think I like my Golf a lot better on any road, but it does feel better at 80 MPH on the smooth interstate, compared to the Focus.

I test drove the ZX3 hatch back focus the interior was too small the entire left side of my body was hitting the door all the time

also is seemed more like a economy car

the new ads they are running in the US are really annoying (can't you stop unless you need gas give me a break)

but is was about 5K cheaper