Text and photos by Cor Steenstra, model Christiana in a Vocaloid Hatsuna Miku outfit.
Over the recent period we have been able to drive quite a number of cars from a varying number of manufacturers. It has been a very interesting experience for us to see how the game of thrones is developing, with newcomers challenging the established elite, often in areas where the establishment had its unique monopoly not that long ago.
That is precisely how we came away from driving the VW GTi. When first introduced back in 1976, the GTi very much set the standard for the boy racer category at that time, and has been able to hold on to that for quite some time. Lately however, VW here in the US thought it necessary to promote their Diesel technology by establishing a Jetta TDi racing series, and VW doesn’t seem to be nurishing the GTi anywhere else in the world either.
Sadly, the GTi seems to have evolved into a still rapid, but otherwise stale and over-sized sporty passenger hauler, rather than the wolf in sheep skin of yonder. As you may remember, we recently were experiencing the Kia Forte Kkoup, which seems to have the price, the format, the power, the vibrancy, the youth, the speed, the road holding, that all were once associated with the GTi.
It would be in VW’s best interest to look at its product plan, and see if they really want to forgo on this, or if they can find the passion back that at some stage must have been prevalent with the organisation, and come out with something that will wow us again. We certainly hope so.
For the first time, Volkswagen of America, Inc. will unveil its all-new 2012 Eos hardtop convertible, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, with market introduction in early spring of 2011. Featuring an updated design with numerous new features, the 2012 Eos is the perfect complement of style and performance. A convertible that boasts the versatility of a sophisticated four-season vehicle the Eos is a fun-to-drive, fully featured, premium convertible. The German engineered Eos is the only hardtop convertible with a built-in sunroof.
With the recent introductions of the VW Touareg and its sister vehicle, the Porsche Cayenne, an important update has come to a range that proved quite important for both companies in their search for market share with dedicated products. The mid-size sporty SUV is a very important segment on the US market, so this update is quite important.
By Cor Steenstra, Photography Christopher Jones, Model Dominique
The Volkswagen Passat CC follows the directions set by Mercedes’ CLS a couple of years ago, for a 4 seater, 4 door coupe version of a sedan, aiming at a more sporty image. The Passat has a coupe-like profile and a long sloping tail, and does indeed not have a large hatch at the back, preventing it from being associated with a normal 5 door hatchback.
Leaving out the hatch has the obvious advantage that the headroom in the rear would not have to be sacrificed for the mechanics of the hatch, and the Passat thankfully does provide enough headroom.. and legroom for that matter. In our test of the Brabus CLS it was so bltantly clear that the Mercedes did not have any useful space in the back at all, not even for small children, and the Passat learned from this mistake. It does have the coupe shape but does also have the 4 seating spaces. Continue Reading…
The VW Routan is a minivan using the Chrysler Town&Country as a a basis. Within that given it was easy to expect VW to have just plastered on some new headlights and tail lights, and the badges of course, and that would have been it. We were totally surprised to find that VW had actually gone a lot further than that. Both the front end and the rear are substantially different from their Chrysler Group counterparts…. and that for the better.
On the front the bumper, grille, headlights and even the bonnet and fenders are unique, VW opting for a rather complicated way to place the bonnet cutline to blend into the fenders. This option can easily lead to problems in fit and finish if not carefully handled, which would have been an obvious risk if you have it produced by another manufacturer. Continue Reading…
Wolfsburg/ Detroit, 11 January 2009 – Maximum driving fun with minimal fuel consumption: This is the standard by which Volkswagen is starting the new car year 2009 and is presenting the roadster Concept BlueSport at the North American International Auto Show. “The BlueSport proves to be a compact and passionate car with a clear Volkswagen signature. The car offers pure dynamics with a powerful 180 PS Clean Diesel engine that is combined with the characteristic Volkswagen philosophy of efficiency,” confirmed Volkswagen’s Chairman of the Board, Prof. Martin Winterkorn in Detroit.
