Agreed. It's a boutique car.
I briefly looked at one on a dealer's lot when getting my Jetta TDI. The interior has an awful lot of hard shiny plastic - like on the top of the door (where one would rest one's arm). It seems like a very cheap car - interior-wise.
It's a car for those who are interested in grabbing attention by driving something different. It's probably an ideal car for students at UCLA. I like the fact that VW brought it back. It showed that there was interest in cars that didn't look like a Corolla/Civic/Sentra/etc. and got the domestic manufacturers to do more to make their cars look different.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with sharing chassis - if it's done right. The Audi TT shares a lot with the New Beetle, but it's a much better car. Of course, it costs 2+ times as much, but there you are. Apparently the Nissan 350Z shares a lot with the Murano (and it's one of the reasons why the Z is heavier than many would like). If it's done right, sharing components makes sense and everyone benefits.
Cheers,
Scott.
