I have a 2008 Mazda 3. It's been great for me and even though it's probably cheaper than a vw it too has an iPod jack and sunroof. I used to use the sunroof until I had a baby - now it never gets touched!
Dh has a 2011 explorer that has had a good amount of issues. Wind noise, loose moldings, squeaky brakes, and trouble with the sync system. And the problem is when the sync is out, the ac, radio, speaker phone, etc don't work.