Category: Volkswagen

Gavin Conway from TimesOnline got an early gig in Volkswagen’s new Scirocco last year, and now, rubbing further salt into our collective wounds, he has been given the keys to the new Golf GTI.

The car was launched last week and after his first drive he rated Volkswagen’s hot-hatch with five stars and had the following to say:

“…one of the most noticeable changes is in the torque response, with the maximum 206 lb ft available over a wider rev range. So from anywhere above 1700rpm your right foot can order up a meaningful wedge of performance. VW claims the GTI will hit 62mph in 6.9sec, but frankly it feels even quicker.

“In sport mode, the suspension firms up noticeably, and the steering becomes heavier too, but in a way that doesn’t feel unnatural as some systems do. Add the paddleshift gearbox, which swaps cogs with blinding speed, and you really do have the makings of a proper successor to the previous GTI. This car is genuinely fun to drive.”

You can be assured that AUSmotive will have a review of the new GTI online as soon as possible. Let’s hope this happens before the year is out. Until then, Australian readers will just have to make do with pretty pictures.

[Source: TimesOnline]

News reports today suggest a TTS powered über Golf GTI, with all-wheel drive, has been signed off by Volkswagen HQ. In further confirmation of progress on this highly anticipated model it has been revealed that the new range topping GTI will not sport R20 badging, as previously suggested.

Speaking to carsales.com.au, Dirk Hussman, Golf line marketing executive, said “We have debated R20 (badging). But we are agreed it doesn’t shape up against the R32 badge it will replace.”

I guess that means we have to run with GTI-R label once again, as believed to be the case when news of the über GTI first surfaced last August.

Audi’s TTS has a 200kW turbocharged 2-litre TFSI engine and while one may expect that Volkswagen would tune down the engine in deference to Audi’s position higher up the food chain, hope has been given to Volkswagen loyalists with Hussman suggesting the car may have “between 260–280hp” (195–210kW).

In further news, Dirk Hussman said an uprated Edition 35 front-wheel drive GTI would be released in 2011 to mark the 35th anniversary of the Golf performance icon. However, seeing as Australia didn’t see either the 25th Anniversary GTI, or the Edition 30, we can probably shelve any thoughts of that model coming down under.

[Source: carsales.com.au | Thanks to Wayne for the tip.]

Those bemoaning the lack of a performance diesel in the new Golf VI range need bemoan no longer. Volkswagen has just released details of the new Golf GTD. Powered by a 125kW common-rail diesel the GTD is good for a 8.1 second 0-100km/h sprint and has a top speed of 222km/h.

The official fuel consumption figure is just 5.3 litres per 100 kilometres and the car emits just 139g of CO2 per kilometre. Turbo diesel power means it is the in gear acceleration provided by the 350Nm of torque on offer that make car’s like this a hoot to drive.

Similar to the GTI, there may be some disappointment that the performance numbers aren’t up on the old model, the GT Sport (tested by AUSmotive in May 2008).

Save the red pinstripe of the GTI, the performance diesel shares the front bumper and grille treatment from its hot-hatch sibling. The GTD is fitted with 17 inch Seattle alloys and is available with a 6 speed transmission in either manual or DSG specification. Like the GTI it has tartan inspired cloth covered seats and a flat bottomed three spoke steering wheel.

The Golf GTD will have its first public appearance at the Auto Mobil International in Leipzig on 5 April. No word on Australian availability from VW Australia just yet, but expect first or second quarter of 2010.

Press releases from Volkswagen International and Volkswagen UK, along with more wallaper sized images, can be viewed after the jump.

Following today’s earlier article about Volkswagen’s new Golf GTI comes a new image gallery featuring an additional 28 images. All can be accessed as wallpaper friendly super images by clicking on each pic to load the 2000px width version.

A lenghty press release from Volkswagen detailing all aspects of their new hot-hatch also follows and includes a few choice quotes from VW ambassador and German racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck.

For images of the GTI in Candy White and three-door guise, check this AUSmotive image gallery released in conjunction with the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

UPDATE 1 November: More images added at the end of this post. There’s now over 80 images of the new GTI available! Remember to click on the images to load wallpaper-friendly 2000px super images.

Volkswagen’s new Golf VI GTI is now available for order in Europe, with German deliveries to commence in the coming days. The rest of Europe has to wait until after Easter before GTI orders start being filled. For Australian readers, nothing concrete yet from Volkswagen Australia, other than a tease that the car might be here before the year is out.

The production car remains faithful the show car presented at last year’s Paris Motor Show. The sixth generation GTI is powered by a revised 2-litre TSI turbo charged four cylinder engine. Volkswagen claims this is the fastest, sharpest and greenest standard GTI model yet.

Engine power is rated at 155kW, a modest increase of 8kW from the Mk5 GTI. Torque is still rated at 280Nm, although engine tweaks including modified pistons and piston rings, an improved oil pump, new induction system and a high-pressure fuel pump, mean peak torque is now available from as low as 1700rpm. VW claim the new GTI, with 6 speed manual transmission, can accelerate from rest to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds, or 0.3 seconds faster than the previous model.

Also new in the Mk6 GTI is an electronic differential called XDS. In short this system adapts the car’s ESP system to reduce wheelspin. Electronic limited slip diffs are not always so successful, so it will be interesting to see what Volkwagen’s engineers have come up with.

The new GTI rides 22mm lower and the front and 15mm lower at the rear than its more conservative cousins in the the Golf range. The GTI’s model specific suspension set up employs a familiar multi-link from the previous generation. However, the addition of a new Adaptive Chassis Control system gives the driver more flexibility with the ability to choose from three settings; normal, comfort or sport mode. The system uses pneumatically controlled damper units and as well as altering suspension behaviour it can also controls sharpen steering and improve throttle response.

Apart from that, and the GTI-specific body kit, of course, the rest of the GTI’s features are similar to the entry level Golfs. That means seven airbags as standard and a five star Euro NCAP crash rating.

Autocar.co.uk have published an initial drive review of the GTI and here are a few of their comments:

“The first thing that hits you is just how flexible this latest Golf GTi engine is; it’s as happy on the autoroute behind Nice as it is screaming up the snaking roads leading into the surrounding mountains.

“At lower speeds the electro-mechanical steering can sometimes feel over-assisted; the apparent lightness is aimed at aiding manoeuvrability around town. Where it really shines is out on the open road, where it weights up progressively and proves impressively direct as you tip in to tightening corners.

“A good part of the precision within the steering can be traced to the adoption of an optional electronic differential for the first time, for Volkswagen has done an excellent job of quelling torque steer without resorting to a mechanical limited-slip diff.”

The full report can be read HERE. Volkswagen UK press release, pricing and more images available after the jump.

Dutch tuners Exclusive Tuning Worldwide have done something they perhaps shouldn’t have. You see, the Volkswagen GTI W12 650 concept car revealed at the 2007 GTI Festival in Wörthersee, Austria, was kind of cool. It had genuine cachet. The W12 650 was a crazy bonkers idea, in a world where crazy bonkers ideas never make it into production.

So, back to these crazy Dutchmen who have released a W12 replica bodykit for the Golf V GTI. It looks, well, not very special it has to be said. And the cost? I can’t read Dutch very well, but if you go to the trouble of downloading the brochure from their website it looks like pricing is north of AU$25,000. Yikes!

Of course, being a bodykit only, you get no extra grunt for all that extra weight. It’s just not a very good idea, is it.

A few extra pics below, including a picture of the real deal. See if you can pick the difference, haha.

Source: Exclusive Tuning Worldwide via autoblog

The latest in Golf R20T/GTI-R speculation suggests an official reveal at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show (15-27 September). Last month AutoExpress took a reasonable stab at how the car might look (above). And, while debate over the final badge remains, the good news is that it is now believed the über Golf will have an all-wheel drive 4motion system.

The closest thing to an official release to the predicted range-topping Golf has been the Scirocco Studie R from last year’s Bologna Motor Show. There was nothing in that information that confirmed how many wheels would be putting the 198kW of power to the road. It was hoped this question might be answered with a Scirocco R20T reveal at Geneva, but, failing a last minute headline grabber from Volkswagen this weekend, that hasn’t happened. Indeed, Volkswagen didn’t even come to the Geneva show with a production-ready Golf GTI.

With the hot Golf/Scirocco engine likely to be sourced from Audi’s S3 the adaptation of the donor car’s quattro all-wheel drive hardware seems a formality, and the latest gossip from CAR magazine in the UK tends to support this.

Let the speculation continue, with all eyes on Frankfurt for the final answer.

Source: CAR via autoblog

Here are four videos showing the inner workings of the Golf VI production line at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg.

They are fascinating viewing. There is no commentary, but the sounds from the factory floor have been captured well and add to the experience. In the third clip you can even hear The Chemical Brothers pumping through the stereo!

I’ve been fortunate enough to do a MINI factory tour at Plant Oxford in England. If the opportunity ever presents itself to tour a major production line I highly recommend it.

All four clips available after the jump. Here we go…

Source: VWvortex.com

With the launch of the new Mk6 Golf there has been some criticism that it is too much like the old model. Outwardly, despite sharing just one panel from the Mk5 (the roof), the Mk6 is a small progression from the previous model. Although, trainspotters, like myself, could spot the differences a mile away, the average punter will be hard pressed to do likewise. Indeed, it has been suggested that the Mk6 should simply be called a Mk5.5, in that it could be considered only half an upgrade.

Merits of that argument aside, it turns out that the new Golf actually is an old Golf. Or, more strictly, a recent independent audit has found that over 500kg of the car’s total weight contains recycled materials.

German authority TÃœV NORD has assessed 5,000 parts and found that there is 527kg of recycled materials used in the production of the Mk6. The bulk of the recycled matter is metal (501kg), with plastics next (15kg), followed by glass (9kg) and operating fluids (2kg).

According to the Australian specifications released with the local launch of the Mk6, the range here tips the scales from 1270kg for a 6-speed manual 90TSI, to 1380kg for a 6-speed DSG 103TDI. Assuming the 527kg recycled material figure is consistent across the model line up, that represents 41.5% recycled materials used to build a 90TSI, or 38% for a 103TDI.

The mid-weight locally is the 118TSI, which weighs 1330kg when fitted with a 7-speed DSG, and that would mean 39.5% of the car’s weight is reused matter. The spec sheets claim the DSG transmissions weigh 20kg, so add half a percent or so to those figures if changing your own gears is your thing.

Understandably, most consumers focus on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions when considering their next purchase. However, it is pleasing to see that a more holistic approach to sustainability is being taken by car makers. Further to that approach, over 85% of Volkswagen vehicles can be recycled at end of life.