Volkswagen

Accessorize Your New Ride, Right at the Factory

In recent weeks, the test driveway has hosted a couple of models that we have already reviewed in the past year. Much of what we have found in the Jeep Cherokee and Volkswagen Atlas is pretty much a repeat of our favorable impressions we reported. So let’s talk about accessorized versions of these two, right from the factory.


2019 Volkswagen Jetta is the ‘Betta Jetta’ Yet

Volkswagen is one of the leading automakers in the world, and right now is a great time for product here in the U.S. We have seen a great new 3-row SUV (Atlas) and a total makeover of the Tiguan crossover. Now we see the next-generation Jetta compact sedan, and what a winner this is.



2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Is All Grown Up

(Sigh) They grow up so fast. I am talking about the 2018 Tiguan crossover from Volkswagen and the release of the all-new second-generation model. It has grown more than 10 inches for North America and now boasts a third-row seat and includes all of the latest technology.


2018 Volkswagen Atlas Already Taking the Cake

Three-row crossover utility vehicles are popular and they are putting a real pinch on minivan and sedan sales across the showrooms. And while they have been around for some time now there apparently is still room for competition as Volkswagen has just rolled out its entry into the segment, dubbed Atlas.


2017 Volkswagen Passat Toes the R-Line

Last year we brought you our review of the refreshed 2016 Passat from Volkswagen. For 2017, the German-American midsize sedan sees the addition of the R-Line trim level that adds some sportier touches some safety technology coming standard to this and other models.



2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI Is the Real Hot Hatch

Volkswagen says its GTI defined the term hot hatch – a fun-to-drive hatchback offering power, playful performance, refinement, and style. The latest iteration was North American Car of the Year for 2015 and recently we spent time behind the wheel of the 2016 Golf GTI. If ever there was truth in advertising it is the embodiment of the Golf GTI. Volkswagen got things right with this one despite its struggles with TDI models. The Golf GTI is offered (for now) in two- and four-door models with our tester arriving as the latter. At the heart of the fun is a…


2016 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Is the Jetta That Does

Several months ago I reviewed the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta sedan. I liked the car but it was a sedate, average daily driver. Recently I received the Jetta GLI, and I gotta tell ya, where the Jetta 1.8T left off the GLI begins, and for 2016 the GLI gets some nice upgrades.


2016 Volkswagen Passat Might Just Surprise You

Volkswagen has had some rough times lately but during its troubles with diesel fuel economy, the automaker still manages to build some good vehicles. The midsize 2016 Passat sedan, for example, is on par with its segment competitors and it offers a fun, powerful driving experience while offering very good value.


2016 Volkswagen Jetta: Compact Sedan Delivers Big – Updated

Despite the drama surrounding the diesel fuel economy cheating scandal, Volkswagen is still one of the leading producers of automobiles globally. And no matter what unfolds in the wake of its recent problems, the automaker still offers some good vehicles and that includes the 2016 Jetta 1.8T compact sedan with turbocharged gasoline engine.


2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen: the German-tuned Wagon

Just when you thought station wagons had gone the way of the Dodo bird, Volkswagen releases a new model – dubbed SportWagen – and releases it on the family of vehicle that brought home the 2015 North American Car of the Year crown, the VW Golf. The V-dub Golf S-dub arrived earlier this year and it replaces the Jetta SportWagen.


2015 Volkswagen Golf R Is Simply ‘Stun’ning

If I had to choose just one word to describe the all-new 2015 Volkswagen Golf R – the fastest and most powerful Golf from VW yet – I’d use stunning. This new hot hatch, based on the new seventh-generation Golf, is stunning to look at, stunning to drive (especially in “race” mode) and stunning to learn the window sticker price.


2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Good Just Got Better

Volkswagen’s best-selling car in North America just got better. The Jetta, which received a major redux in 2011, has been updated for MY2015, and the car receives some styling updates along with new technologies, making it both smarter and safer. And when mated with the new clean diesel TDI powertrain the new Jetta is a vehicle shoppers need not overlook.


2014 Volkswagen Beetle TDI: Same Soul, Different Heartbeat

The Volkswagen Beetle has seen great success and is one of the true automotive icons around the globe. Now in only its third generation since debuting in 1938, Beetle has seen the engine move from the rear to the front, but aside from that – and a few modern technologies – the model is as easily recognizable today as when first introduced.


2014 Volkswagen Tiguan is the GTI of Cute Utes

The compact crossover utility segment is crowded, almost to the point where so many competitors get overlooked due to shopper fatigue. When Volkswagen of America launched its entry into the cute ute segment a few years ago they sought to bring a little fun – some of that Fahrvergnügen if you will – in the form of the Tiguan.


2014 Volkswagen Passat TDI Is One Dandy Diesel

It was only a few months ago when I reviewed the 2014 Volkswagen Passat midsize sedan. This past week, I’ve found another VW Passat in the test driveway; this review model outfitted with the TDI diesel engine backed by manual gearbox, so this review is pretty much just going to be an update for the powertrain variation.



More Debuts in Detroit at NAIAS

As media days for the 2014 North American International Auto Show come to a close, Detroit prepares for the onslaught of visitors to the show that is boasting some 50 concept and new model debuts from automakers. Before the doors open to the public in Motor City Jan. 18-26 we bring you a photographic look at the rest of what was debuted this year.


2014 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible Lets the Good Times Roll

Continuing in the “then and now” theme begun last week in the Grinding Gears Garage Volkswagen sent us a 2014 Beetle Convertible, along with a week’s worth of sunny weather. Our last look at the Vee Dub droptop saw seven days of stormy weather so we did not get the total experience of just how enjoyable this car is.


2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid for Earth Day

Let’s face it – going green will cost you, at least when it comes to your automobile. Nearly every automaker charges a premium for their most environmentally sensitive models when compared to comparable gas-only alternatives. At Volkswagen things are no different. The last new Jetta we tested was the TDI turbo-diesel model that arrived at the high end of the pricing spectrum for the model line. Now the German automaker offers a gasoline/electric hybrid version its popular compact sedan and it tops the Jetta pricing scale. Part of the reason is research and development costs need to be recuperated while…