News & Reviews- Make: Volkswagen

If you bring the name Volkswagen up in conversation these days it can cause quite a stir. Some will immediately comment on the number one auto news story of 2015, Dieselgate, while others will excitedly want to talk about one of the brand's new or significantly updated models, such as the 292 horsepower all-wheel drive Golf R, the redesigned Passat, or the long awaited seven-passenger crossover that is expected later in 2016. One thing's for sure, VW is never boring.

Take the CC. When it arrived on the scene in 2008 it was the first ever four-door coupe in the mainstream volume sector and today, seven years later, it arguably remains as the only four-door coupe in the mainstream volume sector, although some rivals are now encroaching on its territory without using the class moniker. It received a mid-cycle makeover for the 2013 model year that replaced its deeper U-shaped grille design with the more uniform horizontal strakes that now permeate the entire VW lineup, the new version Read Full Story

The Tiguan typifies the "cute ute" genre. It's hardly sleek, with a stubby shape that results from abbreviated length and comparatively tall height, giving it a cute, cuddly and dare I say pudgy look, the baby penguin of the CUV class. VW dresses up its front end with a nice classy chromed grille, mind you, with horizontal ribs to add visual width, as well as fog lamps and a stylish silver under tray down below, while it gets tough looking black cladding around each side, attractive multi-spoke alloys at all four corners, a simple roof top spoiler and relatively small, clean LED taillights at back. It's not a standout design, but it looks good in VW's usual understated way.

Inside it's an entirely different story. Unlike most in the Tiguan's compact crossover SUV segment, VW's entry combines a soft-touch dash top that wraps halfway down the instrument panel with soft-touch front door uppers, while the lower half of the IP is hard matte plastic just like the Audi Q3 that shares Read Full Story

I've long been a fan of Volkswagen products. For many decades, they've been big on safety and reliability, and fun to drive. Think Rabbit, Golf, GTI, CC, and Golf R. But they also offer a good value when it comes to affordable sedan performance. Think Jetta and Passat. For those who like the ability to carry families and gear, Tiguan and Touareg SUVs foot the bill.

On a recent fall day in beautiful Stowe, Vermont, Volkswagen assembled members of the automotive press to test drive the new 2016 Passat 1.8T and 3.6 V6 variants, the former base model a welcome $680 less expensive for 2016 at just $23,295. Noticeably, there is no TDI option in the 2016 lineup, as all diesels have been pulled from the U.S. market pending the outcome of so-called "DieselGate." During the press conference for the new Passat, VW handled the diesel car situation head on and promised media would be apprised when additional news was available.

Diesel powertrains aside, the new Passat features mostly Read Full Story

If Volkswagen only sold a diesel-powered pickup truck in North America its current state of affairs would be ripe for a heart-hurtin' country song all about its customers (and everybody else who breathes) being cheated, lied to, left on the side of the road (that's another issue with respect to very low JD Power VDS and IQS rankings), and no doubt someone's dog dying due to NOx emissions ingestion, but the Amarok TDI isn't sold here and either way there's no way the "new" powers that be in Wolfsburg will be able to sing their way out of this one no matter how melodic the tune.

This is where I'm forced to give you my personal apology. No, not for that lame-ass Slim Whitman intro, but more so for the 11 Volkswagen Beetle, Golf, Jetta, and Passat TDI reviews (not to mention the sole Audi A3 TDI review) I've done since the new "Clean Diesel" variant was launched for the 2009 model year. I've been unabashedly positive and even recommended this powerplant over hybrids for regular highway Read Full Story

Looking back over the last couple of years it becomes apparent that I deprived myself of two weeks of very nice motoring, at least that's how I see it after spending a week in Volkswagen's impressive CC. I don't remember why a 2014 model and this 2015 CC initially slipped out of my grip and into the lucky hands of another staff writer, the former a 2.0T Sportline and latter this 2.0T Highline, the last one I tested being a 2.0T R-Line, but such was the case and the result a shame, that is until I managed to get into the same 2015 CC 2.0T Highline with its optional Technology package.

I've always been a fan of Volkswagen's sportiest mid-sizer, the lone four-door coupe entry in the entire mainstream volume brand auto sector. Certainly others provide swoopy D-pillars and some even include claustrophobically cramped feeling rear quarters, but the very fact VW offers a large mid-size sedan in its Passat as well as this more streamlined variant sets the brand and car apart in the mass Read Full Story