I had a 2018 Golf R (automatic). Loved it. Unfortunately, my family outgrew it, and I had trade it in for a Tiguan. The Tiguan is..okay. A bit underpowered, but it's slightly larger than other SUVs in this class.

As far as the reputation of VW dealers: they are the same as any other car company. Some are good, some are bad. My dealer is fine.