Build quality

I know it's not right doing this but it's just what I've noticed and is a sign of "progress"

I've got a golf mk4 and 12 reg Passat the Passat in general is nice yes but the golf is more solid. Most significant for me so far is changing gear, on the Passat is very light and cheap feeling, the golf is quite a solid feeling I guess it's vw using lighter metals ect.

As I say it's just things I'm noticing yes I know there's 12 yrs between and things move due to lightness ect ect so I guess a lot of stuff just can't feel solid and well made.

Oh well...

Yes. 2 different chassis, different designs - you have probably 2 generations between them as well.

The auto industry overall is really cutthroat these days. Manufacturers overall have a lot of competition, and the industry overall has overcapacity.

So, to keep the costs down and volume up, as well as trying to meet regulatory targets like the fleet fuel economy standard (CAFE), steels get thinner, polymers more extensive (aka plastics), and designs get less robust which leads to a general flimsier feel. Sigh.... it is the way of all the earth, really.

It isn't until you move upscale that you will get more substantial chassis, and it is there the consumer price goes way up. Not only are you paying for more mass and higher quality interiors, but more taxes, more CAFE penalties, more expensive sensors and more of them, - just more of everything.

And in spite of reducing content, pricing continues the ever present upward spiral. Inflation is always with us, I'm afraid, and reading economic news - it isn't going away in spite of any government's propaganda.

I'm trying to avoid the worst of it by maintaining my "old" cars as much as possible. Even when costs of replacement parts is ugly, it pales when compared to what a few month's payments would be, so as long as I physically can, I'll be maintaining and repairing my own, and sticking with the chassis I know.

Cheers,

PH

You couldn't have said it any better or clearer, like you say we're paying more for less but manufactures call it progress. I know in the UK it's squeezing as much mpg as possible, well it is for most.

I know the Passat is still 7 yrs old but the newest I've had and while it's nice ect that's what I noticed right away. I guess people that done drive wouldn't notice but would with other things nowadays.

In a few years those of us who are dull driving will probably be in something electric.

My A4 Golf still feels solid to me at 563k miles, and I am in and out of a lot of cars every day.

We did not get the "real" Passat in 2012, but I suspect yours is better than ours.

But this is typical of all makes, really, it isn't limited to VAG. The new Corolla and Civic feel like they could be pulled to pieces with your bare hands, they feel that cheap.

It occurs to me that one of the best ways to tell how robust a chassis is, is to go find people who race "showroom stock" classes, and find out what they really need to do to make a car competitive. For example, one of the things guys used to do is to buy a car and then over the winter, completely gut the thing and apply continuous weld along all the seams. The judges at the track couldn't see the welding since it was on the inside under the upholstery and carpeting, but it really stiffened the chassis.

A good "showroom stock" car was more difficult and time consuming to prep, simply because of all the work it took to hide what they were doing, a lot of which was technically illegal but improbably difficult to catch.

Anyway, if you find they have to do lots and lots to allow a car to race and not end up permanently bent after a spirited session, then the car is getting cheap. A really well built car won't have to have that much done to it to be able to race.

Cheers,

PH

I can only speak about the MkIV Golf, but installing a top front strut mount
bar and a cross internal bar between the rear seat belt mounts made
a big difference to overall body flex.


The racers find the front bar stops the windshield from breaking. Both cheap mods, and IMO great bang for the buck.

They have made a lot of advancements in body/chassis component welding, though, that make that sort of shortcoming less of a concern. Roller welds, laser welds, and even some really strong adhesives, all have made standard spot welds' weaknesses a thing they can avoid in key areas. Structural rigidity is also key in crash worthiness. As they can customize the exact crumple zones, and no doubt THAT has made HUGE strides, even in the last couple decades.

The cheapness feel comes (in my opinion) from the extensive use of hard plastics with little to no padding both on top of and behind certain panels as well as trying to use lighter weight materials everywhere, even things like glass.

That's true, I guess it's progress as they call it I know things move ect but solidness is gone unless as you say you're in the £80000 plus league