Satellite Navigation and more puts new Passat Highline on the map

Volkswagen is boosting the popular Passat and Passat Estate ranges with the addition of a new model, the Highline, which replaces the best-selling SE model.  Over the already generous equipment list of the Passat SE, the Highline adds an RNS 315 touchscreen satellite navigation unit, front and rear parking sensors, 2Zone climate control and stylish 17-inch ‘Sao Paolo’ alloy wheels.  Together, they add £1,680-worth of value, yet the Passat Highline commands a premium of just £500 over the SE, with prices starting at £20,970 (RRP OTR) for the 1.4-litre TSI 122 PS.

The Passat and Passat Estate come as standard with a host of options to make driving safer and more comfortable, including a Driver Alert System that monitors for signs of fatigue, DAB digital radio and Bluetooth.  The Passat Highline also features cruise control, a flat tyre indicator, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support. 

The RNS 315 touchscreen satellite navigation system, previously a £750 option, includes a full-colour screen and traffic monitoring.  As with all media systems in the Passat, it also features a multi-device interface, to allow connection of MP3 players and iPods (there is also a built-in Bluetooth music streaming facility, for those who prefer wireless links).

Front and rear parking sensors, previously £430, offer both an audible and visual guide (via the screen of the RNS 315), and also mean that Volkswagen’s Park Assist system, which allows the Passat to park itself in spaces parallel or perpendicular to the road, is now available as a great-value £195 option.

A 2Zone climate control system (worth £500) allows precise control of the temperature of each side of the cabin, down to half-degree increments.  The driver and front seat passenger simply select the desired temperatures and the system automatically regulates the heating, air conditioning and air flow to achieve these.

The Passat Highline and Passat Estate Highline are available with a range of engines including 1.4-litre TSI 122 PS and 1.8-litre TSI 160 PS petrols, and 1.6-litre TDI 105 PS and 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS diesels.  Gearboxes include five- and six-speed manuals and six- and seven-speed DSG units.  The Passat Highline can be ordered from Volkswagen Retailers now, with some vehicles in stock for immediate delivery.  The Passat range starts at £20,970 on the road.
 
Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

VW Polo review by TopGear

The Polo makes no attempt to enter into the jocular spirit of its more fun supermini peers. Yet it remains the logical choice, if not the loveable one.

  • Comfort

    Fine seats and a reasonably compliant ride keep the Polo at a good-average level for the class. It isn't especially roomy though, as evidenced by the lack of the third rear head restraint.

    Rated 6 out of 10

  • Performance

    The most intriguing engine is the 105bhp petrol TSI, a turbocharged 1.2-litre. It's torquey and smooth (if a bit buzzy) and always feels willing. It replaces the old 1.6 and goes harder, but according to the EU lab figures, travels nearly a quarter futher on a litre of fuel. The other petrol engines are revised versions of what came before, including a pair of sweet but gutless 1.2 three-cylinders (60bhp, we ask you). There's also a new 1.6 diesel engine in two outputs - 75 and 90bhp. It's smooth and refined and the fuel needle seems magnetised to the F. But the economy star is the brand-new 1.2 diesel Bluemotion that emits a paltry 91g/km of CO2.

    Rated 5 out of 10

  • Cool

    The Polo GTI looks like a Golf GTI wannabe. Would you dress up like your hero and then ask if you looked cool? Exactly.

    Rated 5 out of 10

  • Quality

    The Polo makes the same leap as the Mk4 Golf did, the one that really put VW on the map for cabin quality. There's nothing too elaborate, but the whole fascia is executed with lush materials and a watchmaker's tolerances. There's some scratchy plastic on the doors, mind, and some of the nice brushed-alloy trimcomes only if you shell out for the top spec.

    Rated 7 out of 10

  • Handling

    If you want to go a long way in a small car without your arse aching, skeleton humming and ears zinging, the Polo is your car. There's remarkably little cruising noise, and the suspension swallows that tiring high-frequency patter of the average concrete motorway. At low speed the Polo's ride is nicely pliant when dealing with the craters that are standard on British streets. However, due to the weight of the larger engines the car is hardly fun, although you can have a good time in the 1.2 TSI.

    Rated 4 out of 10

  • Practicality

    A Polo is boxy and has large doors and is easy to see out of. But actual cabin and boot space is merely average for the class.

    Rated 6 out of 10

  • Running costs

    No nasty surprises here - all the engines are clean, especially the diesels, which sit in VED Band C (£30) and return 65mpg. But the amazing Bluemotion 1.2 TDI trumps them all with 91g of CO2 meaning free road tax and an amazing 80mpg.

    Rated 10 out of 10

Article source: www.topgear.com

Golf GTI review by Top Gear

The Mark VI incarnation of the Volkswagen Golf GTI is a gentle, skilful evolution of the Mark V. Meaning that what was the best hot hatch on the market has just got gently, skilfully better. This is definitive blend of performance and practicality.

  • Comfort

    The latest Golf, in any guise, is unusually refined. Thicker glass and better sound proofing have made it remarkably quiet at speed, while the adaptive chassis on the GTI means that you can turn off the harder focus of suspension and steering as and when you want to take it easy.

    Rated 8 out of 10

  • Performance

    With a few extra horsepower and more readily available torque, the latest GTI provides more than enough grunt for the public road. It may lose ground to the Focus RS on paper, but in the real world, in normal hands, this is a properly quick car.

    Rated 9 out of 10

  • Cool

    The GTI used to be all about understatement, the sort of effortless cool that we all ought to be aspiring to. It's gone a bit flash in its sixth evolution, but is still a handmade brogue compared to the day glow trainer that is the Focus RS.

    Rated 7 out of 10

  • Quality

    It's a Volkswagen, and a posh one at that. With that in mind you can rest assured the quality of materials and fit and finish are all superb. Mechanical reliability ought to be top notch too, so there's nothing to worry about here.

    Rated 8 out of 10

  • Handling

    For the first time, Volkswagen has put a limited slip differential on to the GTI's front drive set-up, maximising traction for those few extra horses. Combined with the adaptive chassis and a communicative and linear steering set-up, it corners with assurance and changes direction with remarkable stability.

    Rated 9 out of 10

  • Practicality

    Available in three or five door body shapes with an uncompromised and comfortable interior and big, easily accessible boot space, this is the definition of a practical modern hatchback. It just so happens to also be shit-off-a-shovel fast.

    Rated 9 out of 10

  • Running costs

    Depreciation on the new GTI might be increased by the sheer number you can expect to see around in the coming few years, but residuals will be stronger than many a hot hatch. Meanwhile day-to-day running will be manageable thanks to VW's comparatively frugal 2.0-litre TFSI engine and modest(ish) emissions.

Article source: www.topgear.com

VW Touareg review by TopGear

The Volkswagen Touareg is a big posh off-roader that can cut it in the muck. Less offensive than the related Cayenne, somehow.

  • Comfort

    The seats are big, the engines sound a long way away and most luxuries are to hand. The only problem is a shuddery ride.

    Rated 5 out of 10

  • Performance

    There's a choice of three-litre V6 and 4.2-litre V8 diesels and VW's first ever hybrid, a 3.3-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine producing 330bhp married to an electric motor generating 45bhp. The hybrid doesn't trouble the smallest diesel on running costs, but what it does do is hand you a V6 petrol version with V8 performance and a sub 200g/km CO2 figure. Perfect for diesel haters, then. They're missing out though, because the V8 diesel is only fractionally more expensive, and it's a powerhouse. With 340bhp and 590lb ft of torque, it more than makes up for the absence of the V10 diesel. The 0-62mph time of 5.8 seconds is 1.6 seconds up on the V10. It's impressively quiet at all speeds and you never get any diesel clatter in the cabin. There's also a new eight-speed automatic gearbox, and it's a good 'un. It never feels like it's hunting around for gears and it's so smooth that you don't notice all those changes.

    Rated 8 out of 10

  • Cool

    Well, at least it's not a Cayenne. Does that count?

    Rated 6 out of 10

  • Quality

    Nothing to fault in the cabin: VW quality reigns supreme. However, if we were to be picky the all-too familiar layout does scream overgrown Golf rather than a £50k SUV.

    Rated 8 out of 10

  • Handling

    On air suspension (a £2,000 option on all models), the V8 rides superbly. If you want to do much off-roading in your Touareg you'll need the air system because of the versatility it gives. You can raise it by up to 78mm from a normal 'road' setting.

    Rated 6 out of 10

  • Practicality

    Unusually in this day and age of massive SUVs, Volkswagen has shied away from adding an extra row and so the Touareg remains a five-seater. But there's plenty of room inside for five adults and a 580 litres the boot is 80 litres larger than the old model. There's also a button in the boot to lower the rear for loading - in this mode, there are hatchbacks out there with higher boot sills.

    Rated 5 out of 10

  • Running costs

    This new VW Touareg is 220kg lighter than the last one - 10 per cent off the weight. Impressive stuff. And very useful when it comes to making your two-tonne SUV that little bit more economical and eco-friendly. So the V6 diesel manages 38.4mpg, the V8 diesel does 31.2mpg and the hybrid achieves 34.6mpg.

    Rated 1 out of 10

Article source: www.topgear.com

Jet-Set: volkswagen Jetta claims record-breaking Towcar victory

The compact Volkswagen saloon won its category, and was judged the overall winner of
The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2013 by a panel of 10 judges who applauded ‘its suave design, its practicality as a caravanning family car and its great performance when towing in a variety of situations’.  The Jetta Sport 2.0-litre TDI DSG has a 140 PS common rail diesel engine, a six-speed DSG gearbox, and produces impressive amounts of torque – 320 Nm from just 1,750 rpm.  Despite its compact dimensions, it can manage a generous noseweight of 75 kg. 

Another Volkswagen saloon – the stylish CC GT 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS BlueMotion Technology – also won its category. 

For the first time in the competition’s history, the categorisation of entrants was decided by Vehicle Excise Duty tax bands, rather than by price, ensuring the Caravan Club provides relevant information for its one million members and recognises environmental motoring issues.  In times when many are feeling the effects of the economic climate, vehicle running costs, of which road tax can form a significant part, loom ever more prominently in motorists’ budgets.  Lower exhaust emissions, on which the tax bands are decided, also usually equate to reduced fuel consumption.

Twenty-three cars were put through their paces by the judges at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, to establish their towing credentials as well as their ‘caravanability’ or practicality for towing holidays as well as everyday use.

The results of the competition were announced last week at a ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club in London, and all the winners will be on display to the public at the Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC from 16-21 October.  For more details, please visit www.motorhomeandcaravanshow.co.uk.

Commenting on the awards, Grenville Chamberlain, Caravan Club Chairman said: ‘The Club extends its congratulations to all the winners in this Competition.  Special plaudits go to the terrific Volkswagen Jetta, it really is a great vehicle and it proved itself time and time again with the judges during testing.’

To find out more about Volkswagen’s multi award-winning range of vehicles, including the record-breaking Jetta, please visit your nearest Volkswagen Retailer or www.volkswagen.co.uk.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

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