Ford has paid Ken Block and Vaughn Gittin Jr to “test” the new-generation Ford Focus ST against the old generation Volkswagen Golf GTI. Good for them.
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Category: Volkswagen
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VW Kombi to reach end of the line
Amazingly, some 60-plus years after it debuted, the Volkswagen Kombi is still in series production. Known in South America as the VW T2, the only market where it is still sold, the world’s most loved people mover is about to be euthanised by Brazilian government legislation.
New laws to be introduced in Brazil on 1 January 2014 deem that all new vehicles sold must have ABS as well as driver and passenger airbags. It’s not feasible for Volkswagen to modify its Anchieta production facility in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to make the Kombi satisfy the mandatory requirements, so the jig is up!
It’s expected VW will make the most of their remaining opportunities, though, with the expectation the last Kombi will roll off the line on 31 December 2013.
[Source: Autocar]
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Volkswagen Taigun concept revealed
Just when you thought the world already had enough SUVs Volkswagen came along and presented the Taigun concept at the Sao Paolo Motor Show in Brazil. You know what, it actually looks pretty good too.
Smaller than the similarly named Tiguan, the Taigun—see, confusing isn’t it—is powered by a frugal 1.0 litre three cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. Power is rated at 81kW, while torque is a respectable 175Nm. As you might expect, fuel consumption is a mere 4.5l/100km. Rather impressively, in concept form, the Taigun weighs just 985kg.
The Taigun is just 3859mm long and rides on a 2470mm wheelbase. An Alfa Romeo-like hidden rear door handle gives the Taigun a coupé look at first. There is only seating for four people, but should Volkswagen make it and price it well, they’ll be sure to find plenty of willing buyers.
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Volkswagen signs Jari-Matti Latvala
While we were away at the motor show in Sydney one of the WRC’s worst kept secrets was confirmed. That is, Volkswagen officially announced the signing of current Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala.
The 27-year-old Finn, winner of seven WRC events, will join 28-year-old Frenchman Sébastien Ogier. During 2012 Ogier has been impressive in the Skoda Fabia S2000, while the team’s Polo R WRC continues its development. Volkswagen has done well to secure what will be one of the WRC’s strongest driver pairings in 2013.
Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito is certainly pretty happy with himself: “The fact that another top-flight driver believes in our success and is switching to our team gives each member of our team an additional motivation boost. In Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala we’ve got an excellent driver line-up for the debut of the Polo R WRC in the 2013 World Rally Championship.â€
Meanwhile, Latvala is already towing the party line: “I’m very happy to be driving the Polo R WRC in the World Rally Championship in future. The determined approach of the Volkswagen team convinced me to accept this challenge,â€
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AIMS 2012 gallery: Volkswagen
The highlight on the Volkswagen display at the Australian International Motor Show, according to them, is the all-new Beetle and the Passat Alltrack. Truth be told The Beetle looks a marked improvement on the old new Beetle. We doubt it will sell in any great volume, but with any luck it’s a favourable improvement.
After Australia landed the Audi A4 allroad quattro it’s a pleasant surprise to see the Passat Alltrack in display. It’s extra clearance and beefed up appearance will be sure to appeal to many buyers.
We were pleasantly surprised by the level of finish and feeling of solidity provided by the up! It may drive a bit differently, we don’t know yet, but it certainly feels like a quality machine.
Also included below are a number of general images from the Volkswagen stand.
UPDATE 20 October: Press releases from Volkswagen Australia for the Beetle (launching in early 2013) and the Passat Alltrack (launching next month with a sub-$50K price) have been added below.
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Volkswagen Golf VII early reviews
Volkswagen’s new Golf VII has now been driven by the world’s motoring journos. Here’s a sample of what they’re saying:
Vicky Parrot, Autocar: “The Golf is precisely the globally appealing and useful car it needs to be. The desirability stakes have been upped, and it is generally a sharper, more complete package. It is a VW Golf, purified.”
[see video review below]
Stephen Dobie, Evo: “The smooth manner in which it delivers its power is impressive, while the switch between two- and four-cylinder operation can only really be identified by an icon in the instrument panel. Combine all that with a supple ride (which some badly maintained roads on our Sardinian test route gave a stern test), and the Golf offers an experience as classy as its pricier Audi cousin.”
Paul Horrell, Top Gear: “The handling’s fine too, as you’d expect from a car where they’ve moved weight away from the nose. It resists understeer and takes all the swerves you chuck at it. But it is a bit po-faced. It stops short of actually encouraging you to throw swerves at it.”
Looks like it’s a case of same old for the new Golf, with about 10% improvement in all areas. Not earth shattering and, quite probably, entirely to VW’s script.
In addition to the Autocar video review we have added another from Auto Week, just make sure you switch on the English subtitles. Also included is some driving footage of the Golf VII filmed on the roads of Sardinia, where the press launch took place.
Volkswagen’s R&D chief Ulrich Hackenberg has confirmed the Polo R will launch at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show next March. The date has been selected to coincide with Polo’s full-time entry into the WRC.
The Polo R was previewed in the guise of a WRC “Street” model at the Wörthersee show earlier this year. In production trim its engine will be a tuned version of the Mk6 Golf GTI unit. It’s expected the Polo R will have 225hp (167kW) sent to its front wheels through a mechanical limited slip diff. A 0–100km/h time of around 6 seconds is predicted.
[Source: Autocar]
All the hybrid talk round here of late has been about the Porsche 918, so it may surprise a few to learn it’s the humble Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid LSR that has officially etched its name into the records books first.
Competing at the Bonneville Word Finals in the class for production cars with engines of less than 1.5 litres using forced induction, the 1.4 litre turbo achieved an average speed of 186.313mph (299.842km/h).
At the wheel of the speedy Jetta was Motor Trend’s Carlos Lago and while he couldn’t quite crack the 300km/h average he did top the mark on one of his timed runs. Lago’s peak speed was set on his second run when he averaged 187.147mph (301.184km/h) over the last mile.
Although in a production category modifications are allowed. For the record-breaking Jetta these included revised suspension, special wheels and tyres suitable for the salt flats and the interior was stripped to fit a roll cage for safety reasons. But…
Making something of a mockery of the production car claims, we think, is the fact that engine mods are approved by the organising body, the Southern California Timing Association. In salt flat trim the Jetta Hybrid was producing “somewhere around 300hp”, up from the 170hp on offer from the genuine production model.
“It was an honor to drive the car on the Salt—and also pretty exciting,” said Lago. “Driving in a straight line may look easy, but it’s a real art to get the power down on the salt and you had better be paying attention to crosswinds, as they can really blow the car off course.
“Now I have the bug, I really want to become a member of the exclusive 200-mph club at Bonneville. Maybe next year?â€
Here’s part 2 of our 2012 Paris Motor Show in pictures gallery, which brings you manufacturers from M–Z. Join us as we admire the McLaren P1, the Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupé, the Peugeot Onyx and the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo.
We’re wavering a little with our admiration of the Mercedes-Benz A Class, but nothing can hide our amusement at the Nissan Terra or Vauxhall Adam, which must be a huge practical joke. We’re also lamenting the fact Seat has lost its styling edge with the new Leon and that Skoda has taken a step back with the incredibly bland looking Rapid.
And, of course, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is the model we’ll probably take home in the future.
Even though it was announced in early September, the new Volkswagen Golf VII made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show. Let’s take a look at what some of the journos in attendance think about Volkswagen’s most important and highest selling model.
From the floor of the Paris Motor Show we bring you a selection of videos featuring the new Volkswagen Golf GTI concept.
Officially, then, here is the new “near-production” seventh-generation Golf GTI. Rather that resummarise the info we brought you yesterday here’s all you need to know about the new Golf VII GTI in dot point form:
- One GTI, two power levels
- EA888 series 2.0 litre turbocharged engine
- Standard: 162kW (220PS)/350Nm
- Performance Pack: 169kW (230PS)/350Nm
- 0–100km/h: 6.6s (6.5s Performance Pack)
- 80–120km/h: 5.0s (4th); 6.0s (5th)
- Brakes: 16″ with red painted callipers (17″ Performance Pack)
- Tyres: 225/45/17 (225/40/18 optional)
- Wheels: Denver, Detroit, Glendale, Brooklyn (17″ or 18″)
- Top speed: 246km/h (250km/h Performance Pack)
- Fuel consumption: 6.0l/1ookm (with 6-speed manual)
- CO2 emissions: 140g/km
- Front axle differential lock (VAQ)—Performance Pack only
- Progressive steering
- 15mm lower ride height
- Meets EU6 emissions standards
- Stop/Start system
- Bi-xenon headlights
- LED foglights
- Smoked LED rear lights
- Twin 80mm chrome tail pipes
- Three-spoke flat bottomed steering wheel
- Model specific instrument cluster with colour display
- Sport seats (with sliding drawers underneath)
- “Clark” tartan fabric
- European launch in early 2013
That pretty much sums everything up. Although, we’re a little unsure if we should read anything into the fact there’s been no mention or confirmation of the rumoured 100kg weight loss. Perhaps that level of detail will come when the GTI is launched next year.
UPDATE: A selection of pics from the floor of the Paris Motor Show have been added below, with thanks to GolfMk7.com. We recommend you follow this link and check out their full gallery.