News & Reviews- Make: Volkswagen

Volkswagen is known for its special editions, especially when it comes to the iconic Beetle. This year alone brings us the 2016 Beetle Dune, a crossover style soft-roader, and this new Beetle Convertible Denim, while the Classic carries over from last year.

I doubt anyone in Wolfsburg remotely remembers long since forgotten (except by yours truly) Levi's editions of the Chevy Chevette and AMC Gremlin, but like every Beetle model the Denim pulls inspiration from yesteryear and this one gives a nod to the oddly yellow Euro-market "Jeans Bug" of the '70s. The Beetle Classic just mentioned took my memory to new depths, reminding fondly of dad's '66 Beetle, my bro's '69, and a '72 Super Beetle left in my care one particularly good summer by a pretty young woman who went on vacation.

This Denim edition has two tires stuck in the past and the other set rolling along in the present thanks to equal parts '70s-era Britannia, Howick and Jordache flares (sans rainbow coloured pocket Read Full Story

The Volkswagen Tiguan is now four years into a mid-cycle refresh of its first generation with a complete overhaul expected in early 2017, so therefore after nine years on the North American market and yet more time spent in Europe, where I first drove it way back in September of 2007 at its Budapest, Hungary press introduction, yet another Special Edition bids this version of VW's classy little crossover farewell.

Despite its years the Tiguan has held up very well. VW finished its interior to a higher standard than most of its peers back in the day, while its straight-line performance has always put a smile on my face and its ride and handling compromise has long been less of a compromise than most in this class, the little Tiguan delivering segment-leading maneuverability despite a very comfortable, compliant chassis. It was one of the smallest compacts on the Canadian market when introduced and still is, even rubbing shoulders with some subcompact SUVs, which is reason enough Read Full Story

The Golf GTI is mostly carryover for 2016, but I don't think anyone will complain. The redesigned 2015 model was multi award-winning after all, delivering the type of go-fast VW experience that fans of the hot hatch have rallied around since it came into existence in the mid seventies. It's all about small, light, quick yet practical performance, and this new GTI represents one of the best interpretations of these core values in years.

The result has been more sales, with Volkswagen's Canadian division delivering 156 more GTI's in 2015 than the year prior, a difference of 6.3 percent, with the end result being 2,625 sales last year compared to 2,469 sold in 2014. The numbers are bigger and better south of the border where VW's U.S. division sold 23,669 GTI's throughout 2015 compared to just 17,362 the year before, representing 36.3-percent growth, and 2014 improved from just 13,310 sales in 2013.

From a styling perspective the new GTI is clean and crisp, yet it shows Read Full Story

In VW-speak the GTI gets the lion's share of attention, even more so than the hyperactive R or in this review's case, the GLI.

To be clear there have been at least 25 GTI-branded models from numerous manufacturers over the years, including Citroen, Dacia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Proton, Rover, Seat, Suzuki and of course Volkswagen, the name originally shortened from Gran Turismo Iniezione, Gran Turismo Injektion or Grand Tourer Injection, depending on where it was coined, fuel injection being new and worthy of emphasis in the '70s when the Golf/Rabbit-based GTI was introduced. Mention "GTI" in most parts of the world and the majority of car enthusiasts will think only of that legendary VeeDub. As for where the "L" in GLI came from nobody seems certain, VW needing a three-letter acronym for the sportiest version of its Jetta four-door and the middle letter likely derived from the German word limousine that directly translates into sedan. I'm guessing that VW fans won't likely Read Full Story

It's hardly news that Volkswagen had a tough year, or rather a rough final quarter of 2015. Despite what might appear like doom and gloom when reported on 24-hour news channels, and they're likely not through the worst of it, there are some positives to build on. One is the recently redesigned Golf, which saw the strongest sales growth of any top-25 seller last year at 68.4 percent, rising to the eighth most popular car in Canada which is very close to the sixth bestselling Jetta, albeit that latter model has fallen in popularity by -10.7 percent.

I'm willing to bet this new Golf is one of the reasons why the Jetta's sales have slowed. It's normal for brand loyalists to swap between models, the latest and greatest most often getting the lion's share of attention, and so it is with the Golf that was redesigned for the 2015 model year and therefore mostly unchanged for 2016. I covered it in 5 Door Highline trim, 5 Door TDI Highline trim (a collective sigh for the TDI) and as the Read Full Story