Volkswagen
Driven: 2010 Volkswagen Golf
Driving enthusiasts of a certain age can perhaps remember the mid-1970s arrival of Volkswagen’s first front-wheel drive offering, the groundbreaking Rabbit. Compared to the rear-engine, air-cooled Beetles, Fastbacks, and Squarebacks that preceded it (cars that, while virtuous, were also quirky and past their prime), the Rabbit seemed as modern as tomorrow—a car that emphasized yet redefined VW’s core values. On one hand the Rabbit was perfectly sensible and practical, as the best VWs always are, yet it also had a soulful side, appealing to drivers with its taut handling, communicative steering, responsive drive train, and jaunty personality. Though not the least expensive “economy car” of its time, the Rabbit arguably offered more substance and value than its lower-priced competitors, serving up serious German automotive craftsmanship at an Everyman price.
Spy Shots: Volkswagen Touareg Tests In The Icy Cold
Our spy shooter delivered these photos of the Volkswagen Touareg testing in below-zero temperatures. It looks like its ready for its debut at the North American International Auto Show, no matter how cold it gets in Detroit.
Finalists Announced For North American Car And Truck Of The Year
The 2010 North American International Auto Show is only a few weeks away, and the final ballots are being tallied for the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards, one of the most prestigious honors that a U.S.-market car can achieve.
Los Angeles 2009: Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept Is A 70-MPG Diesel Hybrid
Today, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled its very fuel-efficient Up! Lite Concept. The tiny, four-seater hybrid is based on previous Up concepts we have seen over the years, achieves a claimed 70 miles-per-gallon.
Keepers: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mark II—Community
There are but a handful of cars that truly enjoy a massive, worldwide enthusiast community, and the GTI is arguably at the top of that short list. It doesn’t matter where you are—Europe, Asia, Africa, North America; the GTI faithful are everywhere, driving the wheels off their little hatchbacks and loving every moment of it. As such, local and regional Volkswagen clubs are commonplace, and most of them have at least some sort of connection to a small online villa called VW Vortex.
Keepers: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mark II—Shopping
Locating a Mark II GTI in stock condition is about as difficult as eating chocolate pudding with chopsticks. The situation is further complicated by age; the newest Mark II GTI is still 17 years old, so when shopping for a GTI, standard used-car guidelines should be followed to the letter. The good news is that these cars are generally available in good condition for less than $5000, with “project cars” going for even less.
Keepers: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mark II
Browse through the pages of just about any history book on performance vehicles, and the term “hot hatch” will inevitably show up, usually in close proximity to the letters GTI. The formula is a familiar one—take a rather unassuming, practical car, add performance goodness, and simmer until frothy and delicious. Volkswagen followed this recipe back in 1976 with the Rabbit, turning the small, three-door hatchback into a pocket-rocket GTI. It wasn’t a terribly fast car, but it made all the right noises while offering ballet-dancer balance and super-glue grip. The term “hot hatch” was born, though six years would pass before that first-generation, Mark I GTI (renamed Golf for the domestic market) would hit U.S. shores. It was replaced just two years later by its slightly larger, slightly more powerful successor, the Golf GTI Mark II.
Spy Shots: Volkswagen Polo Sedan
From some wintry part of the world, we have received these spy shots of a four-door version of the Volkswagen Polo. Because of its size and fuel economy, we expect the Polo sedan to appear in the US as part of the 2011 lineup.
Driven: 2010 Mazdaspeed3
Our love of the Mazdaspeed3 can be traced back with a very exact timeline, as it first bloomed about 30 seconds after we ignited the engine on our maiden voyage in it. Back in October of 2006 we lauded the first generation Speed3 as, “The most complete front-drive compact yet,” and were left certainly stunned at the car’s combination of price and performance. Three years and one generation on, and we’re tempted to conclude that Mazda still has the best thing going in the hot hatch game, by a long shot, though clearly not a car that is all things to all people. Which is probably a good thing.
Driven: 2008 BMW 123d
America would really like this car. The BMW 1-Series is a fantastic little creature, and we like it so much that it earned the honor of being one of our favorite cars in 2008. Furthermore, the American automotive marketplace is in dire need of more fuel-efficient vehicles, and we’re slowly starting to see clean diesel cars trickle into our pond from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen. Looking past the oil-burning powerplant, the 1-Series hatchback configuration is incredibly more useful than the lonely coupe and convertible options that we have currently. Americans are finally starting to warm up to the idea of hatchbacks and small wagons—it’s now a well-known fact that SUVs are not the only useful tool for $200 grocery loads. What’s more, we think America would find much more to like about a small, useful five-door than the seemingly unnecessary BMW X6 or even the upcoming 5-Series GT, which don’t provide much in the way of space or utility, and carry ultra-premium price points.
Driven: 2009 Volkswagen Routan
Badge engineering. This is the common practice in the automotive industry of taking a vehicle designed for one brand, and tweaking to work for another. But is this a good thing or a bad thing? We all know examples of the Chevy that is also a Pontiac or a Ford that is also a Mercury with little but trim differences. That cynical approach to marketing has led to a tarnished reputation for badge-engineering, among the pundits at least. The term even sounds pejorative.
Driven: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sedan
As recently as just a few years ago, Volkswagen sold a wide range of diesel vehicles in the States. In fact, the company has a long history of selling oil-burners in the U.S. that dates back to the 1970s. These models were slowly jettisoned throughout the years due to stricter emissions laws, and by 2007, the Touareg V-10 was the only diesel Volkswagen that Americans could buy. However, in light of today’s higher fuel prices, the automaker is once again getting serious about broadening its turbo-diesel offerings in the States.
List: Top 11 Animal-Themed Vehicle Names of All Time
Manufacturers have long relied on symbolism to push their metal on the public, hoping to create a long-lasting connection between their vehicles and a commonly understood concept. No stronger does this play out than in the name of the vehicle itself, where car makers have looked to animal names to imbue a set of characteristics not captured by the spec sheet alone.
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