Archive | Volkswagen

23 January 2012 ~ 0 Comments

Volkswagen hatches a family-friendly five-door Up

Hot on the heels of its victory at the What Car? Car of the Year 2012 awards, the diminutive Volkswagen Up is once again in the news, as the new family-friendly five-door variant is unveiled. The 2.42-metre wheelbase stays the same, as does the efficient three-cylinder engine. The main noticeable difference when compared to the three-door (with the exception of two rather obvious additional doors), is the rear profile styling. The Up’s unique upward rear window kink has given way to a downward styling line, reminiscent of that on the three-door Škoda Citigo and SEAT Mii. Prices for the five-door Up will be announced nearer the on-sale date of summer 2012. The full Volkswagen UK press release follows.

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12 January 2012 ~ 1 Comment

New Volkswagen Up named What Car? Car of the Year 2012

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Even before it has hit UK roads, the small new Volkswagen Up has claimed top honours at the prestigious What Car? awards, being named both Car of the Year for 2012 as well as best City Car. Taking the Car of the Year title for a record sixth time makes Volkswagen the most successful manufacturer at the UK magazine’s awards since their inception 34 years ago in 1978.

It was a highly successful night for the manufacturer overall at the motor industry’s annual ‘Oscars’ held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, with the Golf returning as winner of the Small Family Car category for the sixth time overall and fourth consecutive year, and Volkswagen also taking the coveted Safety Award for the Up’s City Emergency Braking System, which applies the brakes if it detects objects ahead of the car.

Commenting on the awards, What Car? editor-in-chief Chas Hallett said: ‘The Volkswagen Up sets new standards for a car at £10,000. It’s a city car that can seat four adults, while offering new class levels of refinement, quality and maturity at this price; none of its rivals feels quite so grown-up. Buyers will be looking for even more for their money than ever in 2012, so the Up is a very worthy winner of this year’s What Car? Car of the Year.’

Once again, the What Car? editorial team found the evergreen Golf hard to fault, and summed up by saying: ‘The Golf now has four wins in a row in our Small Family Car category – proof that Volkswagen got the package just right. This is a particularly demanding category, but the Golf has all the right ingredients: it’s practical, comfortable and good to drive, holds its value well and is economical. It’s really all the car most people will ever need.’

Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand with responsibility for Development collected the award and commented: ‘We are very grateful for this award which recognises the achievements and qualities of our new small car, the Up. We set out to design a car which would combine Volkswagen values and maximum space in a distilled and compact package; a car which embodies the pure essence of the brand. From its modern, clean and efficient engines, through its class-leading safety features to its innovative infotainment system, it is a design which encapsulates modern urban mobility.’

The Up is available to order now, with prices starting from £7,995 (RRP ‘On The Road’) with the first raft of models arriving in UK showrooms in March 2012. For more details on Volkswagen’s multi-award-winning range of cars, visit www.volkswagen.co.uk.

[Source: Volkswagen UK]

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01 November 2011 ~ 1 Comment

Petite performance package:
the Volkswagen GT Up concept

‘Small, but perfectly warmed.’ That’s how Volkswagen is guerilla marketing the GT Up concept, the latest almost-production-ready version of its new Up city car. By far the most pleasing (to our hot-hatch-loving eyes anyway) version of VW’s new baby to be unveiled at September’s Frankfurt motor show, the pint-sized package points to a possible new sports-orientated Up GTI, and we’re definitely in favour of one of those. Volkswagen states that the GT Up ‘promises to distil the driving pleasure of the seminal hot hatch, the GTI, into a powerful yet petite package’, and on looks alone, it ticks all the boxes.

Cue endless headlines about how the GT Up channels the original idea of the Volkswagen Mk 1 Golf GTI – it’s no surely no coincidence that both the weight and power of the two cars are similar. But, as the Golf GTI celebrates 35 years in the spotlight, why not make a fuss about a possibly successor that promises to have everything that light and nimble first-generation GTI enjoyed? Indeed, Volkswagen itself is making the comparison, and the GT Up employs the modern GTI wide-mouthed honeycomb grille, and 17-inch alloy wheels, similar to the ‘Watkins Glen’ rims fitted to the Golf GTI Edition 35.

The grille itself is flanked by twin cooling ducts which direct air to the front brakes, and LED daytime running lights. No details on the GT Up’s engine have been released, but with it heralding around 100bhp, we reckon on a version of the new 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit powering the standard Up models, or VW’s 1.2-litre turbocharged powerplant, if it can be made to fit under the GT Up’s stubby bonnet. Sporty addenda features around the back of Volkswagen’s hot tot, too, with extended side sills, a deep roof spoiler and black diffuser housing twin exhaust pipes all playing their visual part.

No images of the cabin have been shown, but Volkswagen assures us that it is ‘no less sporty’. The traditional GTI black roof lining is offset by anthracite-coloured sports seats, with the centres trimmed in a blue chequered pattern, again referencing both the modern and original GTIs. A gloss black dashboard and upper door trim panels are said to contrast well with the blue-ringed air vent nozzles, while a the driver threads the GT Up through crowded city streets and into the countryside with a leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel.

Volkswagen resolutely states that the GT Up remains a concept for now, but that it ‘certainly received a favourable reception when it was shown at the recent Frankfurt motor show’. So, is production likely? We hope so, but don’t bank on the GTI-themed Up arriving before summer 2012. The order books for the standard three-door Up have recently been opened in the UK, with first customer deliveries expected in spring 2012. Available in three models ranging from £7995 to £10,390, two further special edition cars are available at £11,180. Visit your Volkswagen Retailer or Volkswagen UK’s Up website pages.

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10 September 2011 ~ 0 Comments

Volkswagen presents world’s first engine with cylinder shut-off technology

The latest engine efficiency technology from Volkswagen is a ground-breaking cylinder shut-off system, which will debut in a new 1.4-litre TSI powerplant in early 2012. With the primary goal of reducing fuel consumption, the engine temporarily shuts off two of the four cylinders under low to medium loads. Cylinder shut-off reduces fuel consumption of the 1.4-litre TSI by 0.4 litres per 100 km in the NEDC driving cycle, and when the company’s Start/Stop functionality is integrated – deactivating the engine in neutral gear – the savings adds up to 0.6 litres per 100 km.

The greatest benefits of the cutting-edge technology are realised while driving at constant moderate speeds. At 50km/h (31mph), in third or fourth gear, the savings amount to nearly one litre per 100 km. This new fuel efficient TSI will therefore also fulfil the forthcoming EU6 emissions standard. High efficiency does not exclude driving comfort: even when running on just two cylinders, the 1.4-litre TSI – with its excellent engine balance – is still very quiet and low in vibration.

Cylinder shut-off is active whenever the engine speed of the 1.4-litre TSI is between 1,400 and 4,000rpm and its torque is between 25 and 75Nm (18-55lb ft). This applies to nearly 70% of the driving distance in the EU fuel economy driving cycle. As soon as the driver presses the accelerator pedal sufficiently hard, cylinders 2 and 3 are reactivated imperceptibly. The system takes its information from the accelerator pedal sensor to detect the mode of driving. If the driving exhibits a non-uniform pattern – for example, while driving in roundabout traffic or in a sporty style on a country road – the shut-off functionality is automatically suppressed.

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02 September 2011 ~ 0 Comments

Golf GTI Edition 35 goes on sale
in the UK; pricing and specs announced

Volkswagen UK have today confirmed pricing and specification details of the celebratory Golf GTI Edition 35, celebrating 35 years of its iconic hot hatchback. First announced back in May (see here for our previous story), the most powerful Golf GTI to date features a 1984cc turbocharged engine, producing 232bhp (235PS) – 23bhp more than the standard car – at 5500rpm. Maximum torque of 221lb ft (300Nm) is produced at 2200rpm. The GTI Edition 35 posts a 0-62mph time of 6.6 seconds, while top speed is 153mph, and CO2 emissions are 189g/km (185g/km on DSG cars).

Special exterior identifiers include a more sports-orientated bodykit which includes new side skirts and front bumper, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, 18-inch ‘Watkins Glen’ alloy wheels finished in ‘Dark Steel’ or silver, an ‘Edition 35’ front wing badge, gloss back door mirrors, darkened rear windows and darker LED rear lights. ‘Edition 35’ badges also feature on the front seats, door sills and floor mats, while the seatbelts feature a red stripe and the legendary ‘golf ball’ Golf GTI gearknob (fitted to both manual and DSG-equipped cars).

Prices for the Golf GTI Edition 35 start at £27,525 (RRP OTR, £2220 over the standard car) for the six-speed manual three-door model. There is a £1,295 premium for the DSG gearbox and £585 for five doors. Volkswagen Retailers will begin taking orders from today with first customer deliveries due next month. For more information contact your nearest Volkswagen Retailer or visit www.volkswagen.co.uk.

Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 35 UK prices
2.0-litre TSI, 235PS, 6-speed manual 3-door, 189g/km: £27,525
2.0-litre TSI 235 PS, 6speed auto DSG, 3-door, 185g/km: £28,820
2.0-litre TSI, 235PS, 6-speed manual 5-door, 189g/km: £28,110
2.0-litre TSI 235 PS, 6speed auto DSG, 5-door, 185g/km: £29,405

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