It's been said that to truly understand someone, you must first walk a mile in their shoes. In many ways, this holds true for cars too. Often, to get what they're really about, it's best to visit the land of their birth. When you see the environment the car was designed to perform in, you sometimes come away with a deeper appreciation.

That said, in an effort to broaden my comprehension of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf, I ambled groggily through the Frankfurt airport one morning in October, after spending 11+ hours aboard United 8828, to board a connecting flight to Wolfsburg Germany - the ancestral home of all things Volkswagen.

The second thing I observed upon entering Wolfsburg (the first being the vicious buffeting of a passing Bugatti Veyron - yes, a VW product - being driven flat-out on the Autobahn) is that in this town, VW is it! Of the population of approximately 125,000 people, a full 55,500 of them work in jobs related in some way to Volkswagen. Additionally, the company enjoys a 99 percent market share in Wolfsburg. In other words, practically every car you see registered in Wolfsburg - is a Volkswagen.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the monument to cars in Wolfsburg is one of the most elaborate you'll ever witness. Opened in June of 2000, and christened Autostadt (roughly translated - Car City), the place is a veritable automotive theme park, complete with a Ritz-Carlton hotel.

 Accessed by a lane that illustrates the history of road construction, Autostadt was initially conceived to enable customers to pick up their cars at the factory. During its development, Autostadt evolved into a destination in and of itself for tourists and locals alike.

In addition to the spectacle of the twin 20-story cylindrical delivery towers, each containing 400 cars awaiting customer delivery, there are pavilions for each of the VW Group's brands, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Commercial, Lamborghini, Seat, Skoda, and of course, Volkswagen.

One of the most outstanding automotive museums in the world (five stories high!) showcases an example of practically every significant European car ever offered for sale - as well as every Volkswagen ever sold.

 Of particular note is the Millionth Volkswagen Beetle, done up in gold paint with rhinestone bumpers.

 There are opportunities for both adults and kids to drive VW products (kids get miniature Beetles), 45-minute tours of the largest automobile factory in the world, two movie theatres, and a long list of restaurants and shopping venues.

  Essentially a Volkswagen World's Fair, it can take as much as two days to experience it all.

But back to the Golf...My hosts from Volkswagen of America arranged for me to get a sneak peek at VW's advanced engine technology at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in the former East Germany.

Germany's third permanent racetrack, after Nürburgring and Hockenheimring, the Arena is located near the town of Oschersleben, about 40 miles southwest of Wolfsburg.

 To get there, I spent time on the Autobahn behind the wheel of the 2010 Golf at extremely high speeds; well, high speeds for the U.S. anyway (that Bugatti driver was never in any real danger). At 100 miles per hour, it becomes readily apparent how important it is for the controls of a car to be laid out in an intuitive fashion. One can't afford to hunt around for the button to adjust the climate control or a knob to change the radio when you're in a pack of cars covering five miles every three minutes.

 And that's why the Golf's ergonomics are fantastic. The car is designed for the driver. The operation of each function is immediately apparent. Large dials control the climate control system and easily decipherable buttons help navigate the audio functions. The steering wheel is adjustable for reach and height. Instrumentation is bright, clear and instantly communicative. The seats position you perfectly for high speed driving and feel as if they'd be comfortable for days on end.

At the Motorsport Arena, Volkswagen's head of engine development, Dr. Hermann Middendorf, laid out the company's plans to keep its products at the forefront of fuel efficiency in years to come. One approach finds VW employing technologies like direct injection, turbocharging and supercharging in innovative fashions to get large displacement performance out of small displacement engines - while simultaneously reducing emissions.

One such engine I sampled was in the Passat TSI Ecofuel wagon. The supercharged and turbocharged 1.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine was configured to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), gasoline, or both. With 150-horsepower and 177 ft-lbs of torque, the Passat wagon had no trouble achieving speed. It behaved in all respects like a proper German touring car. Combining small displacement with both a supercharger and a turbocharger enables the engine to return around 33 miles per gallon. Using both CNG and gasoline, the car travels 570 miles on the equivalent of just under 18 gallons of fuel and is currently on sale in European markets.

 After Dr. Middendorf's presentation, the drive back to Wolfsburg found me more focused on the Golf's powerplant. Equipped with VW's 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder gasoline engine and a five-speed manual transmission, the Golf enjoyed 170 horsepower and 177 ft-lbs of torque. Demonstrating well that huge displacement isn't really needed for high-speed travel, the engine was smooth, highly tractable and pleasantly quiet.

 The next day found me back in a Golf, this time headed to Dresden, where VW assembles its Phaeton luxury car. For this 110-mile run, I chose the Golf TDI. The 2.0-liter diesel engine in this version of the Golf made 140 horsepower and 236 ft-lbs of torque.

 Combining the convenience of an automatic transmission with the control of a manual, the Golf TDI's six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox spread the engine's torque nicely and added an extra bit of sportiness as well. As you might expect, with 236 ft-lbs of torque to work with, the Golf felt particularly lively under acceleration. Passing maneuvers on the Autobahn were handled with ease.

 In fact, regardless of the engine choice, the Golf felt extremely solid traveling at the elevated speeds that are commonplace on the Autobahn. The faster I drove, the more solidly planted the cars felt. Yet, in around town situations, both Golfs glided smoothly over the pavement. For a car that exhibits so much stability at speed and corners so well, the 2010 VW Golf delivers an exceptionally comfortable ride too.

 Touring the Phaeton factory in Dresden offered significant insights into the quality that goes into the building of every Volkswagen product. Yes, extra care is lavished upon the Phaeton, with many operations carried out by hand.

 But scrutinizing the Golf's details after witnessing the attention the Phaeton gets, one very quickly recognizes why Volkswagen's products have the reputation of having some of the nicest interiors in the industry. Fact is little else in the Golf's segment can match it in terms of fit, finish, and material choices.