Even in Europe I don't think a VW or a Honda has the same cache as a BMW, Audi or Mercedes.
They do a lot of questionable comparos over there, recently AutoBild compared a Golf 6, an Astra and an 118D with comparable engines.
Astra 24.5E
BMW 26.5E
Golf 26.1E
I know they're in the same class and everything, but the Astra and the Golf looked like a top-end models, while the BMW was somewhere between base and mid-line.