What's Up With Americans And Hatchbacks? Podcast #26
We honor the debut of the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf by discussing America's on-again-off-again relationship with the hatchback.
While the rest of the world is celebrating the debut of the 2020 Volkswagen Golf, we here in the U.S. still don't know if we'll be able to buy it when it goes on sale. That's because VW hasn't yet decided whether it will sell the next-generation Golf in the U.S. in any form besides the performance-oriented GTI and R models. Americans just aren't buying the regular Golf, so VW may discontinue it here to focus on its growing lineup of crossover SUVs.
On this week's episode of the Motor1.com Podcast, we go over every detail of the new 2020 Golf, from its new(-ish) design to its 11 separate power options. It's quite the car, but you have to look past the evolutionary exterior design to find some incredible changes to the interior and the dizzying array of powertrains.
Of course, we can't talk about a new car without listing our favorite versions of it going back through history. The Golf has many examples to choose from, and Global Editor-in-Chief John Neff, senior Editor Greg Fink, and Writer Christopher Smith each found multiple choices to highlight.
Talking about the Golf leads our hosts to this episode's main topic: hatchbacks in the U.S., what's up with that? Americans can't seem to get behind these cars, even when there are excellent ones available. The hosts tackle this question, and again conclude with listing their favorite hatchbacks of all time.
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After discussing a few other big stories from the week, the hosts conclude the show with their favorite segment, What We're Driving This Week. Fink had the keys to a Mazda3 sedan with all-wheel drive, a feature that did not come in handy down in Miami. Neff, meanwhile, spent the week with an Infiniti QX60 – an aged vehicle by any standard, though somehow it still earned points with our Global Editor-in-Chief.
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