Why is the Golf Gti/R called an econobox?

[Gogo GTI]

an econobox over here is Renault...

Renault was probably the most common brand I saw. I saw that diamond emblem everywhere.




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[cb1111]

Come on, guys, how old are you? Thirty? Forty? I'm guessing you -- and I'm speaking mostly to the North Americans on the board -- weren't around in the mid-1970s when Golfs (Rabbits) were introduced to the American public. You probably didn't experience either of the two (so-called) "gas crises."

It was during that period -- the 1970s and early '80s -- that Volkswagens and other cars of similar size where re-named "economy cars." And owing to their shape, "box cars." From there it was a short hop to "econobox." Additionally, as a consequence of that period, your parents came to despise such cars, equating them with their being cheap, generally undesirable and very much a hated symbol of the times. It didn't help at all that VOA moved production of VW Rabbits to Pennsylvania, where, owing to a host of labor problems and terrible management, the company began to sell probably the worst quality V-Dubs ever manufactured. Whatever was left of Volkswagen's previous reputation (from the '60s) as a manufacturer of quality cars was truly pissed into a hole.

And, now, after countless pledges by VW AG and VOA to the effect that the company has turned a corner -- and it has, actually; the cars coming from both Germany and Mexico are of much higher quality today -- nevertheless Volkswagen has discovered it's damn near impossible to overcome 20 years or more of bad cars and worse management. Layer Dieselgate on top of that and it's a wonder the company has any customers left. This also explains why it takes discounts of $4k or more to sell a Volkswagen in the United States, and as a direct consequence of those discounts, the resale value of the cars stinks.

Who knows where VW goes from here. The six-year warranty is yet another attempt by VW to reset the company's image from that of a purveyor of econoboxes to one of a reputable manufacturer of quality small cars and SUVs. It may work this time. We'll know in 10 years or so. In the interim, it's only a handful of gearheads and enthusiasts who are doing much of anything meaningful for the company's reputation. I have no idea who else is buying these cars.

That's pretty spot on. The Golf is considered "small middle class" in Europe - in the same category as the A3, The BMW 1/2 and the Mercedes GLA/CLA

 

[MSchott]

I had a '79 Rabbit made in the Westmoreland, PA plant. It was fun, but, um, let's just say quality was not job one.

I also had a 79 Rabbit. Loved that car. Compared to a Chevy Citation it was built like a Mercedes Benz ?.

 

[TheWombat]

I also had a 79 Rabbit. Loved that car. Compared to a Chevy Citation it was built like a Mercedes Benz ?.

My brother had the Citation. And yes, that car...ok, my brother could destroy anything, but the Citation just evaporated.

 

[Wrath And Tears]

That's pretty spot on. The Golf is considered "small middle class" in the same category as the A3, The BMW 1/2 and the Mercedes GLA/CLA

So those are all econoboxes, like he is calling the golf? Or did I miss something. As far as I can tell this is an issue of semantics, and some people call hot hatches econoboxes, and some people don't like that. Like everything, as time goes on the definition of things gets changed.

 

[cb1111]

So those are all econoboxes, like he is calling the golf? Or did I miss something. As far as I can tell this is an issue of semantics, and some people call hot hatches econoboxes, and some people don't like that. Like everything, as time goes on the definition of things gets changed.

Here you go.

 

[Wrath And Tears]

The term "econobox" is not often used for describing new cars, partly due to the boxy styling of economy cars declining at the end of the 1980s.
Many long-running nameplates that obtained their start as econoboxes have since moved upscale. For example, the Austin Mini and VW Beetle have been revived as enthusiasts luxury cars, rather than cheap transportation for the masses. Meanwhile, the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra and the Honda Civic, started as subcompact econoboxes but are now on the high-end of the compact size line.

Ah, so the Golf isn't an econobox, got it. Even though you were agreeing with him, you were in fact saying he is wrong.

The irony here is that a few threads like this ago, I linked that exact wiki article... lol people need to catch up, that's so like one year ago... #gobacktoschool #educationisking #hashtagssuck

 

[cb1111]

My brother had the Citation. And yes, that car...ok, my brother could destroy anything, but the Citation just evaporated.

I once got stopped doing 110mph (I don't think so, but that's what the cop said) in a Citation going from Louisville to Fort Knox.

 

[cb1111]

Ah, so the Golf isn't an econobox, got it. Even though you were agreeing with him, you were in fact saying he is wrong.

The irony here is that a few threads like this ago, I linked that exact wiki article... lol people need to catch up, that's so like one year ago... #gobacktoschool #educationisking #hashtagssuck

You had me confused for a moment - until I went back and re-read my post. My fingers forgot to type what I was thinking - specifically, I forgot to add "in Europe"

 

[Wrath And Tears]

Stop making fun of me for getting carried away with hashtags dammit.

 

[cb1111]

Stop making fun of me for getting carried away with hashtags dammit.

 

[Wrath And Tears]

Just to put an end to things here Define Econobox. I know its wiki, but here is the history of Econoboxs Wiki. Can't believe it took me so long to do something so simple.

Alright so it was just 1/25/2018, my bad. It was kinda fun to find that, I googled "golfmk7 econobox wrathandtears". Pretty neat. I like how my dictionary.com link doesn't work anymore... lol.

 

[cb1111]

Alright so it was just 1/25/2018, my bad. It was kinda fun to find that, I googled "golfmk7 econobox wrathandtears". Pretty neat. I like how my dictionary.com link doesn't work anymore... lol.

Two great minds - a single thought...

 

[Wrath And Tears]

Man now I feel like I totally missed the point of that one dudes post. Since we are on a roll, wanna see if we can fill a whole page, just you and me CB?

Also I don't know if you are into short-wave.... or long-wave.... I MEAN CB RADIO. I am not, never have done it, but if I ever do, and I call out CB1111 you better answer. Even if your user name has nothing to do with CB radio, and you don't have one. I'll be waiting!!!!

Edit: I got a good on topic post for my next one, post quickly man!!!! 7 more posts after this and we should hit a new page! Stop responding to my PM dammit!

 

[cb1111]

Man now I feel like I totally missed the point of that one dudes post. Since we are on a roll, wanna see if we can fill a whole page, just you and me CB?

Also I don't know if you are into short-wave.... or long-wave.... I MEAN CB RADIO. I am not, never have done it, but if I ever do, and I call out CB1111 you better answer. Even if your user name has nothing to do with CB radio, and you don't have one. I'll be waiting!!!!

Edit: I got a good on topic post for my next one, post quickly man!!!! 7 more posts after this and we should hit a new page! Stop responding to my PM dammit!

Huh? What?

MARS radio?