Touareg debuts with hybrid drive and high-tech range of engines
Volkswagen SUV is 208 kilograms lighter and 20 percent more fuel efficient
WOLFSBURG/MUNICH — Volkswagen is unveiling the completely redeveloped Touareg as a world premiere. It is the most technically innovative “VW” since the brand has been in existence. This Touareg is reinterpreting the fascinating multipurpose SUV idea in a contemporary way – thanks to a range of engines that are nearly 20 percent more fuel efficient and a large variety of new assistance and safety systems. The Touareg will also be the first and only off-roader in Europe by a German car maker to be available in a hybrid version too. It sets standards among fully off-road capable SUVs with petrol engines that have a fuel consumption value of just 8.2 litres fuel per 100 kilometres. The Touareg Hybrid can be driven up to 50 km/h in purely electric mode – emissions-free. Among the diesel engines, the Touareg V6 TDI with 7.4 litre combined fuel consumption now posts the best value in the segment of genuine SUVs. Both versions, the Touareg Hybrid and V6 TDI, are the most fuel efficient petrol and diesel SUVs ever built in Europe in this large vehicle class. » Read more: World Premiere: New Touareg Takes the SUV into the Future
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World Premiere: New Touareg Takes the SUV into the Future
March 1st, 2010Toyota Recalls Millions of Cars, Trucks
January 29th, 2010Earlier this month, Tokyo-based Toyota Motor Co. issued a massive recall regarding the accelerator pedal on nearly half of their model line up in the United States. According to Toyota’s Press Release, the company would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific models.
Toyota Issues Recall on Camry, Others
Rollin’ on New(er) Rims
March 10th, 2009This past January, my good friend, Chris, drove out from San Diego (yes, drove out…).
He did this for two reasons: 1) He wanted to do a cross-country trip, and 2) He was bringing me a set of 17-inch VW OEM Santa Monica alloy wheels he got at a steal of a price!
He originally bought them off Craigslist (or eBay, don’t remember) for his 2001 Subaru Outback, then realized they wouldn’t fit his car, so he called me up and asked me if they would fit my Golf. He sent me a couple of pictures and I told him that they would, so he decided to drive out to Atlanta from San Diego to bring them to me and spend some time with his family here.
Well, I finally had the funds to wrap the rims in rubber. Chris and I talked about tires for a while when he was here, and after he got back to San Diego, and I finally settled on a set of General Tire Exclaim UHPs.
I got them mounted and installed the today, so I figured I’d post a couple of pictures.
On to the next… project! 
Dressing Up The Golf (Part 1)
March 10th, 2009Over the past few months, I’ve been thinking about the interior of my 2000 Golf and how I want to bring it up-to-date, and dress it up, like how Volkswagen did with the Mk4 20th Anniversary GTIs, R32s, and Jetta GLIs. These three models shipped with updated trim around the car to set it off, and bring the sporty style full circle.
The updated trim consists of subtlety placed brushed aluminum bits through out the car: radio cage, pop-out cup holders, door pulls, door handles, and front ashtray. So, I started looking around the Internet for deals on some of the parts as I plan to piece together the trim for my 4-door Golf.
A few days ago, I found a guy on VWVortex that had the radio cage I was looking for, the only draw back was that he didn’t have the trim piece for the pop-out cup holders. So on the contrary, he was selling it for a reasonable price. I contacted him and got my PayPal account lined up, and ordered them. » Read more: Dressing Up The Golf (Part 1)
New Air Intake
February 15th, 2009I’ve been thinking about some modifications to the engine I’ve been wanting to make. Now, some times my mind goes on a mild rampage and I dream of these interesting mods that would really bring this 2.0L 8-valve “AEG” econo-motor to life, but I figure I’ll start with some simple mods first, before digging into the heavier projects (like removing the engine, and installing a turbo – )
I did some poking around the VWVortex website asking about some simple intake modifications and found that ABD’s “Big Bore” was a favorite among 2.0 owners (and 1.8T owners as well).
So, I went to their website and for around $170 (with shipping) I ordered a Big Bore Intake for my Golf. I called up my friend Sam shortly after it arrived, and we got it installed yesterday after driving around for a while trying to find an air filter cone that would fit.
So, here’s the final result. Looks good, engine is breathing a bit better, and it does seem to help deliver a bit more power to the wheels during the first and second gears. Pictures are below, here’s to hoping to get the exhaust sometime soon!
EDIT: I have since installed a smaller air filter for the Secondary Air Injection (SAI) and removed Volkswagen’s plastic “2.0” engine cover.
Newest Addition to the Golf
November 8th, 2008The other day, I was surfing around the VWVortex website and I noticed some people on the fourms had front mounted European license plates on their Volkswagen’s and Audi’s.
In fact, I’ve seen afew German cars around town with their own custom plates So I decided that since I want to go towards an “All Euro” theme with moding the body, that I should order one online. I found GermanPlates.com, a German-based company in the custom plate business and shipped to Canada and the USA, I placed an order for a plate that almost mirrored my Georgia-issued tag. » Read more: Newest Addition to the Golf
Volkswagen Releases Photos of MkVI Golf
August 4th, 2008Yesterday, offical photos of Volkswagen’s up-coming 6th generation Golf/Jetta platform (also known as the MkVI) and body were leaked to the Internet.
The photos (shown below) reveal Volkswagen’s next design move towards a more agressive design style.
The agressive front-end design takes cues from the production-level model of the 2009 Scirocco sports coupé (currently avaliable in Europe only). While the slender headlights and dominating lower grille work in favor for the Scirocco’s exotic design nature, it’s not meant to be stamped out on to every Volkswagen model. The new design looses touch with Volkswagen’s current “water fall” design currently found on the 5th generation models: Golf/Rabbit, Jetta, GTI, Eos, and Tiguan.
The rear end design of the hatchback models continue taking design cues from other models. The Golf, GTI, and (eventual) R32 hatchbacks, recieve an updated tail light design from the companys’ mid-sized SUV, the Touareg. While the tail lights appear to be an improvement over the 5th generation design, some may not like the “Mini-Touareg” appearance the car reflects.
The interior is also largely revised and updated for the upcoming 2010 model year, and once again takes styling cues from another model, the Tiguan. However, unlike the questionable front and rear designs, the updated Tiguan-insipred door panels are a welcomed change for the platform. The dashboard and control placement remain largely unchanged, aside from some minor tweaks here-and-there which enhance the refreshed interior.
The overall body remains largely the same, which gives the car more of a mid-model design change rather than an “all-new” design.
Pictures below:
