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Showing results for tags '2012 volkswagen'.
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Those that drive the very staid, sedate and most of the time dull Volkswagen Passat can now pretend their car can race, with the Volkswagen Passat R-Line. This is Volkswagen's answer to those that want a Passat that looks slightly sportier than usual. It also gives current Passat owners and the people who produce those knock-off and cheap body kits how to style their dull family sedan. It gives them hope. A hope that they can look cooler even though they are driving a Passat. Of course, a Passat is still cooler to drive than a MPV. Anyway, the Volkswagen Passat R-Line is a styling exercise that gives that extra Oomph to the Passat. It features new bumpers, side skirts, a bootlid spoiler and a rear diffuser. The R-Line package also includes sports tuned suspension which lowers the Passat by 15mm and 17 inch wheel and tyre combo. The interior gets some extra embellishments - two-tone sport seats, titanium silver trim, stainless steel pedals, sill plates and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. The Passat R-Line tuning package was recently launched in Europe and will make its way to our shores soon enough. Over there, Volkswagen will offer the R-Line package on its Comfortline and Highline variants. It will cost an extra
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Volkswagen previews the Volkswagen Cross Coupe Concept - 1.8L/100km!
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] I usually don't bother looking through VW Media Services' emails that appear in my mailbox simply because VW Media comes out with a bazillion news and press releases every other day. It goes to show the strength of the company and the products that it churns out. But this time I got a little curious about its latest press release -
Volkswagen Polo BlueGT - The very economical middle sibling
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] Alright folks. More news on affordable cars for you esteemed readers to digest. Volkswagen has just launched the 140ps Polo BlueGT over at the Geneva Motor Show. The Volkswagen Polo BlueGT is the Polo that sits in between the Volkswagen Polo 1.2TSI (105ps) and the Polo GTI (180ps). It therefore is the middle child in terms of power but one that actually more economical than both its siblings. Volkswagen has basically combined its BlueMotion Technology (Stop/Start & battery regeneration systems) onto the 1.4liter TSI petrol engine found in the Polo GTI albeit with a slightly lower state of tune (140ps instead of 180ps) and the addition of cylinder deactivation system (Active Cylinder Management -
5 door Volkswagen Up previewed - I doubt it'll make it here
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Here's one Volkswagen which we may not be able to see over here in this region due to high taxes and the COE. The 5 door Volkwagen Up is actually a pretty neat 'People's Car' (which is what Volkswagen stands for) in that it provides a decent set of wheels for the general urban populace. It is set to be sold in Europe by the fourth quarter of 2012. This little UPstart follows hot on the heels of the recently launched 3 door hatchback variant. It has clever packaging and frugal fuel sipping engines that actually make it a very good city car. It has a 1.0liter petrol engine equipped with BlueMotion Technology. This means all the usual VW economy gaining tricks and stop-start function too. But as I stated, this is one Up and coming city car that we most probably will not be able to buy. It is down to economics presumably, and basically the dreaded Certificate Of Entitlement. The COE lumps eco-friendly 1.0liter cars together with cars (and sadly, taxis) 1.6liters and below. So if VW were to bring in the Up, it would have to actually be Up (pun intended) against the Polo and the Golf. And as Singapore is a small market, in-house competition isn't good especially when external competition is already pretty ridiculous as even Mercedes Benz is technically a competitor with the C-class sedans. Note that the same 1600cc and below COE is required to buy the Mercedes C class and if the COE costs SG$50,000. That would be the COE you need to pay for a truly tiny car like the Up and it isn't logical to the eyes of potential car owners. They'd rather buy a bigger car for better value of money. But I suppose most of you are already aware of this, aren't you? And therefore, there is presumably no chance of a Volkswagen Up in whatever form for people over here. -
The New Volkswagen Beetle needs to be more like Kate Beckinsale
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
The photo above shows what a 320hp new Volkswagen New Beetle 2.0TFSi looks like. The car is tuned by German tuners B&B (don't really know who they are as too many tuners seem to be popping out of the German woodwork) and it comes complete with cheesy go-faster 'Turbo' stickers emblazoned on its side, a lowered stance and larger matte black rims. After all of that it still doesn't look fast. I somehow think Volkswagen has actually missed its target of making the latest version of the New Beetle more masculine. Take a look at Volkswagen's Beetle R Concept with its Audi R8 style front bumper and it still looks a little Jennifer Aniston in a call girls outfit. If it were a man it would be Boy George instead of George of the Jungle. It needs to be Kate Beckinsale instead. I will get to Miss Beckinsale in a moment. I think the original Volkswagen Beetle in 'race clothing' is more masculine that this and the earlier version. It could be because of the really bulbous arches. Or the fact that it actually looked good with mag wheels. Even the previous Beetle RSi looked slightly awkward with that paste on rear wing. It looks like it was more suitable for Miss Aniston instead of a manly man like Phua Chu Kang. Maybe they need to find a little more aggression in the design. I mean there are really cool looking women out there like Kate Beckinsale or Angelina Jolie as inspiration for Beetle designers. Maybe they should be looking at a feminine Beetle with a hint of black leather. Kate Beckinsale in leather in those Underworld movies is where they should start. It isn't about making the Beetle look masculine, but something that incorporates sex and violence. What the current Beetle is to me is a car devoid of any sexiness and violence. There's no real cuteness too. It still looks forced retro unlike the BMW Mini and the new Fiat 500. So how should Volkswagen design the new Beetle then? If you think about it the Nissan Fairlady 350/370Z does this quite well. Curves (sexy), in all the right places, a feminine name and oversteer when you want it (violence) when you want it. -
The new Volkswagen Up brings out the terrible comedian in me
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] And before we can even start making a whole lot of Volkswagen 'Up' jokes, Volkswagen starts the ball rolling. They're calling the variants Take Up, Move Up, and High Up. For the launch, there is also the -
And while journalism takes an ugly turn due to the mess concocted by the henchmen within the Rupert Murdoch media empire and while Lady Gaga still entertains us not with her songs but by her lack of clothing during her public appearances, Autocar UK has reported that the upcoming Mk7 Volkswagen Golf will look sportier than ever. This is very good news to me as I have always thought that the last few generations of everyone's favourite German hatchback looked extremely porky and minivan-like. This is especially true with the Mk5 Golf (pictured below). Park it beside its cousins the Audi A3, the Skoda Octavia or even the supposedly larger B7 Audi A4 sedan and you'd notice that the Golf Mk5 was at least 3 inches taller than all of the cars mentioned above. I know the Golf was meant to be a practical hatchback, but somehow being so much taller than even the bigger Audi A4 is a bit too much. Then when you add the fact that the overall styling of the Golf is pretty subdued, slabsided and understated without any overt aggression or signs of sportiness the minivan argument somehow makes some sense. Even in the GTI form it looked more like a bubbly loaf of bread than a hot hatch. Of course some may like the fact that the GTI only had red trimmings around the grille for some sign of power but I actually like my hot hatches fiery. The Mk6 was about an inch lower and with that wider, more defined split grille up front it looked wider and therefore lower. Ergo, the car looks sleeker. However I believe that sources within Volkswagen had told the people at Autocar that the company intends to give the Mk7 Golf a wider stance, a lower roofline with a nicely raked windscreen as well as a lower, more sportier driving position. The new MK7 Golf is scheduled for 2012 and will also have distinct models - the three door will be sportier than the five door and the five door hatch will look totally distinct from the taller Golf Plus mini MPV (now this makes more sense as the current Golf hatch does not really differ from the Golf Plus), much like the current Vauxhall/Opel Astra range where the three and five door models are pretty distinct from one another. This little bit of news makes me feel that there is still hope that Volkswagen intends to go back to the days of the Mk1 and Mk2 Golf (pictured below). The Golf in those days were proper hatchbacks
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The ABT 'Speedie' - ABT starts tuning the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
The totally new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle has barely hit most markets around the world but as usual, the tuning houses have gotten their hands on it. ABT, known for tuning VW Group cars have their pimped out Beetle ready and wants us to call it the 'Speedie'. A bodykit, alloy wheels and 'go-faster' stripes and it deserves to be called 'Speedie'? I doubt it if you went out and bought the base 105bhp 1.2-litre TSI version. Even with ABT's ECU tweaks for that engine. But do continue reading anyway. Anyway, the ABT Volkswagen Beetle Speedie (which I think is what it's called in full) is basically ABT's first step in tuning the all new, new Beetle (I just had to say it in this way as this IS the revamp of the first new Beetle). ABT have not finalized details of the engine mods and have just stated that the Speedie will have tweaks for its looks. It has a complete bodykit