Volkswagen Receives Flood of Awards in the Windy City

BRAINTREE, MASS. (02/23/2012)(readMedia)-- Chicago may be known as the Windy City, but Volkswagen was the recipient of a flood of awards at the city's big auto show earlier this month. Honored by the likes of MotorWeek, Kiplinger's Personal Finance and the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA), the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI and Volkswagen Passat available at VW dealerships showed once again that their recent redesigns are being well received by industry experts.

All new for the 2012 model year, the Volkswagen Jetta GLI took home the 2012 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Award for Best Sport Sedan. Presented annually at the Chicago Auto Show, the MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Awards are designed to recognize those vehicles that stand out by addressing the most pressing concerns of consumers. Vehicles were analyzed in the areas of price, practicality, performance and fuel efficiency. As last year's Best Small Car, the Jetta GLI again found favor among MotorWeek editors thanks to its new independent rear suspension and competitive MSRP.

"The Jetta GLI is one of the most affordable sedans on the market right now, and it packs an aggressive punch that buyers love," said Jason Thompson, general manager of Quirk Volkswagen, a Braintree, Massachusetts Volkswagen dealership. "While you may buy the GLI because it's edgy, it's also the kind of car you can keep when you need something practical for day-to-day commutes and errands."

The Volkswagen Jetta GLI wasn't the only family-friendly VW to earn accolades in Chicago. On the same day the GLI received its award, MAMA bestowed their second-annual Family Vehicle of the Year award upon the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat. MAMA, a nonprofit group of automotive journalists and public relations professionals, voted to recognize the Passat over competitors like the 2012 Ford Focus and Subaru Impreza. To be considered, vehicles were required to have four doors and be priced less than $50,000, among other factors.

Offering plenty of space and fewer trips to the gas station, the Volkswagen Passat provides families with 15.9 cubic-feet of cargo space and a fuel economy of up to 32 mpg on the highway. Features like best-in-class rear legroom and safety technology like a tire pressure monitoring system and Intelligent Crash Response System helped the Passat secure its family-friendly title. Those types of features were also good enough to earn a nod in Chicago from women's auto site VroomGirls.com, which named the Passat its Family Sedan of the Year in its 2011 Vroomie Awards.

Volkswagen's 40-mpg clean-diesel Passat TDI helped the nameplate make it a hat trick of awards at the Chicago Auto Show, named Best New Sedan priced between $30,000 and $40,000 by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Kiplinger's also named the 2012 Golf TDI as Best in Class for sedans between $20,000 and $25,000. Another clean-diesel model, the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI, made its debut at the auto show and is expected to return 39 mpg on the highway when it arrives at VW dealers this summer.

"Volkswagen really upgraded the Beetle's style last year, and now they've made its drivetrain even more attractive to those that want a healthy mix of power and fuel economy," added Thompson. "The Passat TDI and the Golf TDI are already very popular vehicles, and now Beetle fans will get their shot at diesel power this summer."

About Quirk Volkswagen:

Quirk Volkswagen is the premier Greater Boston Volkswagen dealer. Boston VW customers choose Quirk for great service and pricing on new and used VW cars. A dedicated and knowledgeable staff is on hand to show you their extensive selection, with Volkswagen models ranging from the Jetta to the Touareg. You can preview their inventory online at www.quirkvw.com, like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/QuirkVolkswagenMA, reach them by phone at 877-624-0143 or visit their dealership showroom at 20 Granite Street in Braintree, Massachusetts.