2010 Volkswagen

2010 Volkswagen

2010 Volkswagen Phaeton

2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI

2010 Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf 2010 Wallpapers

Volkswagen Golf 2010

Volkswagen Golf 2010 Cars

Volkswagen Golf 2010

Volkswagen Golf 2010 Wallpapers

Volkswagen Golf 2010 Wallpapers

Volkswagen Golf 2010

Volkswagen Golf 2010 Cars

Volkswagen Golf 2010

Volkswagen Golf 2010 Wallpapers

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Wallpapers

About 500,000 car drivers chose to buy the first generation of the SUV. It is a luxury sport utility vehicle that offers a high level of comfort, sporty driving properties, avant-garde styling, excellent quality and unlimited expedition capabilities – essentially the best of the passenger car and off-road worlds unified in one concept. This is now being followed up by the new Touareg – a high-end and versatile all-round vehicle that brings these two worlds together even more perfectly. The Touareg will already be available at dealers in April.

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Wallpapers

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Wallpapers

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Wallpapers

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Wallpapers

Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo Wallpapers

Volkswagen Polo Images

Volkswagen Polo Interior

Volkswagen reveals the 178hp Polo GTi!

Volkswagen has finally unwrapped the all new Polo GTi. This high-performance Polo has a supercharged 1.4 liter TSI engine under its hood which is able to crank out 178hp at 6,200 revs and 249Nm of torque from as low as 2,000 revs.

This enables the mini GTi to hit 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and it will continue till it reaches 225 km/h. That’s actually pretty decent as anything below 8 seconds starts getting fun. Fuel consumption is figured at 47 mpg on a combined cycle.

The engine in paired with the company’s 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, fondly known as DSG. The hot super mini also has an XDS electronic differential system which is part of the standard ESP system. The Polo GTi is treated to new springs and dampers which bring the hatch lower by 15 mm.

Exterior wise it has a honeycomb grille with red strips, a subtle bodykit, new headlights with the option to add LED daytime running lights and a pair of chrome-tipped exhaust pipes at the back. It sits on 17-inch alloy wheels which are also found on the Golf GTi.

Inside you will find a flat-bottomed steering wheel with paddle shifters, aluminium pedals, front sports seats finished in tartan trim, gloss black trim on the centre console as well as a black headliner.

Continue reading to view an image gallery.

Volkswagen Golf 2010

Volkswagen Golf 2010

Volkswagen Golf 2010 Cars

Volkswagen Golf 2010

Volkswagen Golf 2010 Wallpapers

Second-generation Volkswagen Touareg premieres with Hybrid model

This is the second generation VW Touareg, which is lighter, more fuel efficient and cleaner than the original SUV to bear the name launched in 2003. The big news is that the Touareg range includes a hybrid model, Volkswagen’s first production hybrid.

The Touareg Hybrid combines a 3.3-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine producing 328 bhp and 360 Nm of torque and an electric motor generating 46 bhp, resulting in a total output of 374 bhp and 580 Nm. The electric motor can operate independently of the combustion engine, making the Touareg a full hybrid. On electric power alone the new Touareg is capable of travelling at speeds of up to 50 km/h, but most of the time it supplements the V6 to provide more grunt -the Touareg Hybrid does 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds before reaching a top speed of 240 km/h. On the combined cycle, fuel consumption is 12 km/l.

The entry-level engine and the likely volume seller is a 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine generating 237 bhp and 550 Nm while returning 13.5 km/l and emitting 195 g/km of CO2. A new 4.2-litre TDI V8 engine producing 335 bhp and a massive 800 Nm of torque sits at the top of the range.

VW says that the new models are up to 20 per cent more fuel efficient than the cars they replace, also thanks to a weight reduction of 200 kg, a new eight-speed automatic and Start/Stop technology. The new body also has a lower drag coefficient. Overall length and wheelbase of the Touareg have each grown by 40 mm to measure 4,758 mm and 2,900 mm respectively. Width remains at 1,928 mm while overall height drops by 20 mm to 1,724 mm.

The new car is easily recognisable as a Touareg from the outside, even though it features VW’s new family face. The all-new cabin looks good too, and while it remains a five-seater, rear room is claimed to have grown significantly due to the new sliding rear bench and reclining backrests. More pictures after the jump.

Volkswagen EOS

Volkswagen EOS

Volkswagen EOS

Volkswagen EOS

Volkswagen EOS

Bikes and Beetles in Unsnowy New Jersey

I joined the Polar Bear Grand Tour back in 1992. I wanted to continue riding my motorcycle through the winter and this tour was my way to achieve my goal. Originally, I thought I'd be doing it alone as I didn't think my wife would be the least bit interested in riding in 20 degree temperatures with even lower wind chills. I was wrong. She couldn't wait to get started.

That was at about the same time we both took up skiing. Jane's brother-in-law, Jack, got us started skiing and even came out from Illinois to supervise our first steps down the hill on skis. Jack was also the first to push us in the direction of learning to ride a motorcycle.

We went out skiing about a dozen times that first year. But when the motorcycle bug struck and we started doing winter motorcycle riding, the skis were put away, permanently.

The winters in New Jersey are totally unpredictable. There were some years with heavy snows that almost shut down our winter riding. Then there were years like this one where snowstorms were rare and the temperatures just high enough that we got rain and wind instead.

In this state, we seem to have two distinct climates. North Jersey usually gets snow while South Jersey either gets rain or nothing at all. That makes our Sunday winter rides quite interesting considering that we often traverse the state from south to north.

This last polar bear ride was to Long Valley, New Jersey, about 52 miles north of our house. On Saturday, the entire east coast had a massive coastal rain and wind storm that was never-ending. It dumped huge amounts of rain everywhere, saturating the ground. Then the winds approaching 60 mph at times blew against the trees, uprooting many and causing numerous power failures. We were continuously watching the weather reports trying to determine what the weather would be like for Sunday. Of course, to add more confusion, Saturday night was also the time change to Daylight Saving Time.

On Sunday, I got up early to check the weather and it seemed to be OK but there were some road closings and high winds were anticipated. I was going alone since Jane had one of those nasty colds going around and was in no condition to brave the cold and wind.

I tried to program my GPS but it wouldn't accept the address where I would be going. I could go many ways and I didn't know what path I'd take until I got on the road. I wanted to see how bad the wind was. Turns out it wasn't bad at low speeds but at 65+ mph, it tossed me around a lot. That made me leery to try to go over the Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway. I opted to head north via Route 18 through New Brunswick. That route was uneventful except for all the potholes and construction. When I finally got to I287, I had the option to head west on I78 and traverse country roads in a northerly manner until I got to Long Valley. However, I might encounter streams that had overflowed their banks or possibly trees across the roads. I decided to continue north on I287 and pick up Route 206. That turned out well as the speeds were lower and the winds less objectionable.

The last 10 miles were enjoyable as I climbed in elevation and the temperature lowered. The mountains and trees were all around me and I was comfortable in my electrics nestled behind my full windshield. It was a good polar bear day.

As usual, I arrived and immediately started taking my pictures and short videos that I place on the Polar Bear Grand Tour Web site each week. You'll find them on the Long Valley page.

While taking pictures I saw a nice 1974 Volkswagen Beetle in the middle of the motorcycles. It had a "QQ" plate. Here in New Jersey, the "QQ" plate designates a car at least 25 years old. I had a 1933 Chevrolet once with a "QQ" plate. I couldn't just drive the car anywhere. It had to have limited mileage and be used for educational purposes. The 1974 I saw was the same year VW I once owned. The owner, a polar bear rider, had recently bought it completely restored. He had driven the car today instead of riding his bike since he had a bad cold. It was my good fortune. He showed me the car. It was beautiful. I took pictures and a couple of videos. You'll find them on the link above. I once wrote an article about the three VW Bugs that I owned including my own white 1974. That article was written when I was the Motorcycles Guide at About.com. I had joined with all the car Guides to write about the VW after the last VW came off the assembly line in Mexico.

On the way home, I decided to ride through Princeton, New Jersey. The trip was stop-and-go down Route 206 but I was in no hurry. After I got to the Route 1 traffic circle, I found the road closed. There was some storm damage beyond. I quickly turned around the circle and headed north on Route 1. When I saw a familiar crossroad, I turned off, pulled over to the side of the road, and switched the GPS to "Home" to get myself un-lost. Thank God for the Home button. It gave me a neat country ride over a road I had never been on and then suddenly pointed me to a familiar road that took me home without a hitch.

All in all, it was a good riding day. I survived the wind and cold another day even though I only saw a couple of clumps of snow over the 104 mile route.

I'm hoping the remaining winter is kind to me. I don't expect to see any more snow, in keeping with the way things are this year. On the other hand...