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<Toyota GR Corolla Teased with a Game of I Spy Toyota dropped a teaser on Instagram with tons of hidden clues about the upcoming hot hatch, which is expected to use a 268-hp three-cylinder engine. TOYOTA Toyota teased the upcoming GR Corolla hot hatch with an image shared on Instagram that featured hidden clues detailing the new model. The GR Corolla will be powered by the same turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine as the global GR Yaris. The GR Corolla is expected to debut sometime next year and go on sale as a 2022 model in the U.S. Ever since Toyota debuted the GR Yaris hot hatch and said that it wouldn't be sold in the United States, we've been itching for a version of one that we could buy here. After all, Toyota needs something to compete with the likes of the Honda Civic Type R, Volkswagen Golf R, and Hyundai Veloster N. Good thing Toyota isn't leaving us behind, because we're getting a GR Corolla soon. The company just dropped a teaser image on its Instagram account that give some hints of the new raucous hot hatch. WHAT WE EXPECT THE GR COROLLA TO LOOK LIKE. | ILLUSTRATION BY BEN SUMMERELL-YOUDE/FOX SYNDICATION | CAR AND DRIVER Naturally, the users over on the GR Corolla forum were quick to point out all the hints, which are scattered around an image of a standard Corolla's interior like a game of I Spy. GR stands for Gazoo Racing and is used on the Supra and the new GR86 sports car. The time indicated on the gauge cluster is G:16, which refers to the G16E-GTS turbocharged three-cylinder engine that's used in the GR Yaris. The 268-hp output of that powerful engine's Japanese version is found on the climate controls in the teaser image. European versions make 268 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, and the engine is paired with a six-speed manual transmission. That's not all. There's even a camouflaged GR Corolla hatchback in the background of the image (we tried to zoom in; you can't see much, sadly). There's a GR Four road in the navigation system, which refers to the advanced all-wheel-drive system that has Torsen limited-slip differentials in the front and the rear and an electronically controlled center differential. Look for more details on the new GR Corolla soon, as Toyota is sure to trickle out details about the new hot hatch before its reveal, likely next year, since it released almost all the details on the new Tundra pickup before its official debut.>

This Guy Added Rear Keyless Entry To A 2019 VW Golf R!?!?!?!?! source: https://www.motor1.com/news/382722/adding-rear-keyless-entry-golf/ An elegant solution to a simple problem. Let's face it; sometimes we buy a brand new car based solely on all the little stuff that's added to a specific trim or equipment package. I mean, who doesn't want Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, or even cooling and heating front seats? It's the little things that can make us spend that extra bit more on a specific vehicle, even if getting the top spec means it's price is already getting dangerously close to a larger basic spec car. Heck, when I was shopping for a car, I specifically wanted LED headlights and keyless entry. Those two things alone made sure I went for one of the most expensive subcompact cars as a city runabout. But what happens when you think you have it all, only to find out that other markets that sell your same vehicle have that extra bit of convenience that you crave? Well, you find out a way to do it yourself. That's exactly what HumbleMechanic set out to do with his recently acquired Volkswagen Golf R. You see, there will be times that you want your keyless entry to go even further; unlocking the front doors and trunk are good, but what about the rear doors? There are times when our hands are full and we need to store stuff in the car, but not necessarily need the trunk, right? In HumbleMechanic's Golf R, the rear doors do not have a sensor that detects the hand of the user, but the Volkswagen Atlas does. Out of pure laziness, as he puts it, he went out to rectify this problem by providing an informative video guide, comprised of a ton of research and tinkering. The goal is to retrofit the rear door sensors from the Atlas to the Golf. Heck, he even made his own harnesses to plug into the car's junctions, so it really isn't a plug-and-play thing you can order online.

With the new eighth generation of the Golf set to be launched in soon, fans have already asked what could be game-changing in the new Golf R. As reported by Carscoops, Jost Capito who is now the boss at Volkswagen’s R division, revealed that the new Golf R is unlikely to get a Drift mode. While we understand that the Golf R has always been the more restrained choice for the hot hatch enthusiasts, we couldn't help but imagine that Capito, who used to be with Ford, would implement such a feature. “The Focus RS feels geared up for fun above everything”, he said. “Drift mode is a free piece of technology that comes from the drive systems they’re using. But it’s not for us.” He was then questioned on whether the R needed a four-wheel steering system, like the current Renault Megane R.S. He replied, “it’s just not necessary on a car the size of the Golf” The new car is expected to have more than 300bhp but nowhere near the 400bhp mark as reported earlier in the year.

Just as the new Mk8 Volkswagen Golf has been spotted on the road with minimal camouflage, there is confirmation that the new Golf R will not be electrified. In an article seen on Carscoops, Volkswagen R Division’s boss, Jost Capito has been quoted telling the journalists that the new Golf R that it’s “going to be fantastic” and that it won’t be an hybrid of any sorts. “The crown jewel of performance in a Golf remains the Golf R. We don’t want to take hybrids to a ridiculous strength. A hybrid needs to be affordable and have an ecological reasoning. It’s not just for performance. The GTE is an alternative choice for a GTI customer, and that will remain. The performance king will remain a Golf R, and the Golf 8 R is going to be fantastic”, Capito remarked. In the interview, Capito was also quizzed about the rumored Golf R400 which was supposed to a more extreme version of the current Golf R. He confirmed that they did actually test such a model, but eventually killed it. “We did research and customers don’t want it”, added Capito. “They want around 300 horsepower and a price tag below €50,000 (S$76,700). To move up to 400 horsepower, you’d lose 50% of sales volume and increase the cost of ownership.” Therefore, it might be possible to imply that the new MK8 Golf R won't be getting that much power too, with a possible 315bhp or so.

We all know Volkswagen Golfs are great sensible all-rounders for the family while still possessing decent verve when the driver is in the mood for a short blast. Apparently, someone in Russia thinks that it is too sensible and decides to turn his Mk6 Golf R into a 700bhp twin turbo monster. With the help of all-wheel drive and good reaction time, it proceeds to see off some much more expensive machinery. Watch the video below to see it in action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdHVjYM9WsM&list=UUT8Rf6QQeFADwyyPTrGgT4Q

One of the most iconic automotives of all times - the Volkswagen Golf - is celebrating its 40th birthday. We take a trip through the memory lane with a brief history of each generation. The Golf is a statement of progress, reflecting some of the most advanced technologies by the Wolfsburg automaker during each era. Replacing the aged Beetle, the Golf Mk.I saw daylight in 1974. But unlike its 'predecessor' who had a rear engine, rear-wheel drive layout (and likewise most of the other cars in the market), the Golf had an innovative transversely front engine driving its front wheels. The second Golf was introduced in 1983, together with a slew of technologies such as regulated catalytic converter, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and power steering. Also, for the first time, the Golf could be ordered with an all-wheel system. With the introduction of front airbags, Golf Mk.III heralded a new era of safety. Major advances in the body construction also significantly improved crash safety. Later in its lifecycle, a convertible (Golf Cabriolet) and an estate (Golf Variant) were also added to the family. The Mk.IV Golf saw the debut of ESC, and is the first to receive a Haldex clutch - termed Golf 4MOTION. Later on in 2002, the first direct injection (FSI) enginer was fitted to the hatchback. Also introduced was the top-of-line R32 hot hatch which was capable of a 250km/h top speed, which was also the first to feature the revolutionary dual-clutch gearbox (DSG). The Mk.V Golf adopted laser welding for its bodywork, which resulted in 35 percent increase in torsion rigidity. In terms of safety, side airbags were offered as an option for the first time - on top of six standard ones. The Golf also gets a tall list of equipment, such as new four-link rear suspension, seven-speed DSG, bi-xenon headlamps, panoramic sunroof - as well as the world's first twincharger (TSI) in the 2006 model. Volkswagen continued to work on the safety aspect of its icon with advances in its body rigidity, and the efforts paid off with a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating. More TSI engine variants were offered alongside the turbodiesel (TDI) engines. Park Assist - the automatic parking system which garnered much limelight - was also introduced in the Golf. Like its predecessors, the latest Golf had a keen interest in fuel economy and driving dynamics. A hundred kilograms were shed in the Mk.VII Golf, improving the fuel efficiency by as much as 23 percent. The turbodiesel Golf TDI BlueMotion sets the benchmark for efficiency, claiming a figure of 31.25km/L. In line with global trends, electric variants of the Golf - e-Golf and plug-in hybrid Golf GTE - were added to the family.

It is an expected move from Volkswagen - a more potent, all-wheel drive variant to top the Golf range. But now it has got almost 300bhp from the redeveloped 2.0-litre lump taken off its GTI stablemate. Is this VW's hottest hot hatch yet? 2.0-litre. Four cylinders. 296bhp. 380Nm. 5.3 seconds. These are the figures from the latest Golf R. In comparison, the Mk7 GTI has 220bhp and 350Nm of torque. That is almost 80 more horses in a similarly-sized hatchback. While the weight of the new R is not disclosed yet, we expect the Haldex four-wheel drive system to put a toll on the R at the scales. Then, the fifth generation of the AWD system promises up to 100 percent torque transfer to the rear axle - all done in fraction of a second via the Haldex coupling with help of an electro-hydraulic pump. Some cool tech there. To us, the previous gen Golf R was mind-blowing enough with 256bhp and 330Nm of torque. But then, we bet it was only right for VW to increase the power figures as it is the natural way to showcase its progress - as with any car manufacturer. Then, we would gladly have the twin-centre pipes (which we thought was the iconic symbolisation of the R) over the quad pipes, any day, anytime. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this wouldn't be a mere figure-boasting exercise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oapP8qzehI In a recent episode of Head to Head, Carlos Lago pits the Ford Focus ST against its arch rival, the VW Golf R. Not only that, the Focus ST has to face off against the Subaru BRZ subsequently, a situation which I will explain later on. Hence, the Focus ST is in a situation similar to a participant in WWE's 'King of The Ring' tournament. Can the hottest version of the Focus take the heat? Both the Golf R and Focus ST are powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged power plant. The models in the test are equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission. Even their horse power ratings are quite close to each other - 256bhp for the German and 252bhp for the American. However, the Golf R has an AWD configuration while the Focus ST sends the power to the front wheels. As the stability control in the US Golf R cannot be turned off, it was replaced with the Subaru BRZ during the race track portion of the evaluation. This part of the test is conducted by Randy Pobst, a professional race car driver. He commented that the BRZ has probably the best balanced handling on the whole market right now. Tough luck for the Focus ST it may seem. Tighten your seat belts and watch the video to find out!

Red Devil is the name German tuning firm Wimmer RS chose for its latest take on the Volkswagen Golf R. The word 'Red' is selected because of the color for the car. The word 'Devil' represents the sinister punch under the hood of the Golf R. In stock form, the all-wheel drive Golf R rolls out of VW's factory with a 2.0-liter TFSI producing 270-hp and 350Nm of maximum torque. After Wimmer RS's engineers perform their magic, those numbers increased to a whopping 478-hp and 610Nm. The extra power comes from a variety of modifications including but not limited to changes made to the turbocharger, ECU, air intake, injection nozzles and exhaust system. According to the tuning house, the upgraded Golf R can reach an electronically limited top speed of 291 km/h. Additional performance enhancements include a coil-over suspension set and more potent braking system. The German tuner did not release info on pricing.

[extract] The Volkswagen Golf R is the fastest Golf you can buy from Volkswagen these days. The Golf R, being an uprated Golf GTI with all-wheel drive is a pretty fast hot hatchback as it has 267bhp and 350Nm of torque to play with. If you feel that that amount isn

The Volkswagen Golf GTI concept called the Golf GTI Excessive has been displayed at the annual Worthersee Show in Austria recently. The Worthersee Show started out as a gathering for Golf enthusiasts has now become an international gathering for Volkswagen and to a certain extent other cars within the Volkswagen-Audi Group. As such, this latest concept GTI follows a Volkswagen tradition of unveiling concept cars at this event. The Excessive is a concept Golf GTI intended to showcase the latest prototype range of accessories for the iconic hot hatch. It showcases a bodykit for aerodynamic and visual 'upgrades' and some mechanical modifications too. The add-ons claim to make the stock GTI into a more focused driver's car. And should they get a favourable response, Volkswagen will incorporate the new items into the latest list of accessories that a Golf GTI owner can buy for his or her car. The Excessive now has a lower front splitter, new look left and right air intakes that protrude further out, a new rear diffuser, titanium exhaust tips and arches. All purportedly make the Golf GTI slightly more aerodynamic than the stock version. Oh, those arches are not filled out very large 19inch BBS rims and tires, which should increase grip over the standard 17inch rims and tires setup. New spring and dampers round the handling package up. The earlier stated titanium exhaust tips aren't just hiding a stock system. The tips are part of a lightened sports exhaust system which somewhat add about 3ps to the 210ps that the stock Golf GTI makes. There are no other engine mods for this concept Golf. There are new sports seats added to this Golf Excessive, and some trimming. But nothing really out of the ordinary when it comes to the interior. Having driven a standard Mark 6 GTI recently I have to say that the modifications done by Volkswagen towards making the Golf GTI into a more focused car seems to be getting the car to handle the power, especially the torque the 2.0turbocharged engine produces. In the standard DSG equipped car the 280Nm of torque it produces does overwhelm the standard 17inch tires causing lots of wheelspin if you simply boot it out of a low speed tight corner or a junction. You have to be feed in the power to be smooth if not the traction control warning light simply flickers away as you brutally stomp on the throttle and power on out through a junction. More so in the wet. It however gives straight line thrills especially when flooring it at the traffic lights. The rest of the stock GTI is a very good piece of kit. It is stable at high speeds and directional changes and makes driving fast feel safe and confident when attacking corners. since as I stated it does overwhelm the front wheels. A front wheel drive with a lot of power does this. It is thrilling but pretty inefficient in laying down the power unless you feed it in gradually as stated above. I think that Volkswagen agrees with this fact as the more powerful and more torquey Golf R is all wheel drive. So, 19 inches rims and tires and the upgraded suspension would make the GTI able to reel in the turbocharged torque even better. It may make the GTI less thrilling with less wheelspin, but its a good thing when you're attacking tight corners than require you to be in the lower gears. These manufacturer upgrade items are the things that I'll be looking for if ever Volkswagen includes it in a package for the GTI. And I'd add that body kit too as the GTI is too subtle for me. Personally that is.

One tuning division has basically emerged right after the announcement that one is in the midst of winding down its business. We already know that Mitsubishi's Ralliart division is basically winding down its business due to Mitsubishi pulling out from most motorsport activities due to the ailing economy but when it comes to the powerhouse Volkswagen, things are different. It has somehow seen the need to set up its own performance tuning company simply called R GmbH. Sales of the R versions of their cars must be very encouraging for this to happen. Now Volkswagen has officially passed the Scirocco R and the Golf R as R GmbH's first models and other products that would emerge from this new company are something called R line design packages. This probably is something like Audi's S line packages, bodykits, spoilers, rims exhaust tips and interior trim. This was also announced at the Geneva Motor Show recently. Volkswagen states as follows:

At the European driving event for the Volkswagen Golf R, company representatives confirmed that they would be setting up a new performance orientated division, named the R division, to compete with other similar divisions such as the BMW M division and Mercedes's AMG. R GmbH, a limited liability company, will be set up inside the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, Germany. In addition to representing the sportiest models in the VW range, it will be an expanded version of the VW Individual programme, which currently offers sporty add-on accessories and styling components under the R-Line brand in Europe. The division will be officially confirmed at the Volkswagen presentation during the Geneva Motor Show in March. The new company will sell the 266-horsepower Volkswagen Golf R, and the similarly-powered Volkswagen Scirocco R. The rumored Jetta R Sport would probably also be sold through the new company. A few months ago, BMW announced a dedicated showroom for its M division offerings in Singapore. This is a concept that Volkswagen Centre Singapore may wish to emulate to further enhance the brand's image locally, following the introduction of the R division.

Yeap! 2009 has been dusted and we're in the presence of 2010, a year that holds much promise and continued success for some and for others, the continuing fight to stay in the black. And if you're wondering, LTA did release the sales figures of the various brands in Singapore last month. Besides the disheartening jump in the number of units from brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin and Bentley, the lesser Continental brands and the Koreans have also made good with the injection of all new products that boast not only good fittings but attractive and daring styling respectively. Audi, on the back of record sales last year spearheaded by it's R8 supercar will be introducing no less than five different models throughout this year, the MINI-challenging A1, A7, A8, Q5 Hybrid and the R8 Spyder. Probably the most anticipated of the lot by most of you guys, the R8 isn't on my list of the cars to watch in 2010. Why? The proportions on the car itself are questionable, the power delivery is sedate and diluted by various electronic equipment that keep you straight while driving and also helps you fall asleep at the wheel faster. Rather the A8 will be an interesting addition. Not only does it look almost the same as the last car from the side, the front and rear shots of the car don't seem too complimentary of the cars hefty size. The A1 is the other one. Poised to go head-on with MINI, I'm looking forward to seeing how it actually measures up to the MINI, primarily in the handling and the chassis section. Determined to have its turn in the spotlight, Volkswagen will be bringing in their Golf and Scirocco R cars, making its way into town within the first half and second half of the year respectively. The R32 which the Golf R replaces was a stonker of a car and the R is supposed to be much more fun at the wheel with less heft under the bonnet. With the Scirocco, VW's current line-up of 1.4 and 2.0 variants are wonderfully sprite engines but the suspension seems to have taken the hit of compromise, in an effort to not tear buyers between the Scirocco and the Golf models. Then the Korean camp is represented by Kia, introducing the Sorento after highly successful runs with the Forte and the Koup in the market last year. It's parent company Hyundai is also scheduled to release their all-new Sonata in March. Both cars are on my "to watch" list...they should do very well in this market. Next up the Opel Insignia. Not only does this baby look every bit as good as its press pictures suggest, but the two-litre turbocharged ecotec engine it's mated to will produce 220 bhp and 350 Nm of torque through a six-speeder to all four tyres! Not too shabby...another car that we'll see more of on our roads. Now that we're done with the everyday movers, let me get on with those of the supercar nature. Two highlights for me this year will be the arrival of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the three Reventon Roadsters. Both have reached legendary status's in the short time they've been revealed at the various motor shows and have become very sought after objects. The SLS AMG, despite not looking anything like the 300SL Gullwing it was meant to pay tribute to, looks nothing like the German company has made in recent times and with a 6.2-litre V8 under that long bonnet, is bound to take straight off into the hearts of the rich in Singapore.