I am constantly comparing my 98 Beetle with my girlfriend's 99 Mazda Protege.
The Beetle is quieter, has a vastly supierior interior design (it's a designer car after all), better interior components, better brakes, and is a little better in the snow. On the other side, the Protege, feels faster, gets better mileage, handles better, has phenominal radio reception, better visibility and engine access is far superior to the VW. The Mazda also cost less when new, even with the full option package (sans leather). The VW is the base model.
I love my Bug, and it will be worth more than the Mazda at resale time, but there's got to be more value for dollar if VW wants to compete with the US and Asian manufactuers.
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