Volkswagen Talk

The R32 is a tough act to follow when you look at the hatchback market. The VW Golf R32 was an offering complete with great handling, excellent features, and affordable pricing. It is a big shoes to fill but the 2010 Golf R from VW is out to conquer the world as it was recently launched during the auto show in Frankfurt.

The 2010 Golf R is a hot-hatch that will sport the same engine used by the Scirocco R. The new Golf R can output 265 horsepower and about 258 lb-ft of torque. Looking at the figures, the 2010 Golf R has the most powerful engine in the production of the Golf range.

The R32 successor can speed up from 0 to 62 mph in just 5.5 seconds when packaged with the DSG dual-clutch system. The manual transmission version is just a blink away doing it 0.2 second slower.

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The Volkswagen Scirocco R was unveiled in Europe recently and is set to hit the showrooms when it goes on sale this summer. Although the potent performance car from VW will not hit the US market, the new generation of VW Golf will be getting the powertrain of the Scirocco R.

The downsizing of engine is all over the auto industry giving cars like the Scirocco R more power without sacrificing fuel efficiency. The lighter engine that also has lower carbon emission provides a better driving experience for car owners.

The next VW Golf following the R32 due for release in the United States early 2010 will be sporting a turbocharged 265 hp 2.0L engine. The four cylinder powerplant is also the heart of the Scirocco R. The previous generation of the R32 runs on a 250 horsepower naturally aspirated powerplant.

The engine of the new gen of Golf R32 is part of the EA113 Volkswagen engine lineup. The Golf GTi, on the other hand, uses the 2.0L engine similar to the basic Scirocco release which uses an engine from the EA888 line.

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Volkswagen joins other car manufacturers in Europe in growing their range of natural gas and autogas powered vehicles. The car manufacturer introduces the Passat TSI EcoFuel and the Golf BiFuel.

The Passat TSI Ecofuel that first took center stage in the 2008 Geneva Car Show is powered by a 148 horsepower engine that runs on gasoline or natural gas. The car is designed to be monovalent and the car manufacturer does not have any plans to include an option of manual switchover from natural gas to gasoline. The gasoline tank is just there to serve as a fuel reserve.

The fuel consumption for the Passat TSI Ecofuel is an impressive 100 kilometers for every 4.38 kilograms of autogas. Carbon dioxide emissions are measured at 119 g/km making the car Euro-5 compliant.

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There are many people who look at awe at the Volkswagen Golf GT1 but ask them about the history of the car and they are dumbfounded. Most of them know about the Volkswagen organization and know about the quality of the cars they produce, but few of them have any idea about the individual models. They will be surprised to know that the Volkswagen Golf GT1 has been around for a long period of time, more than 3 decades to be specific. Manufactured by Volkswagen, this particular model is also known as the Rabbit or the Caribe. The Volkswagen Beetle preceded this famous model from Volkswagen.

Originally this car was designed as a small family subcompact car when production started in 1974 and this was the trend till 1984. From 1985 onwards the design of this was changed and it was made into a compact car. Even now one can find people purchasing this beauty that is famous for popularizing the use of hatchbacks in C segment cars. This is how the Golf class car of Volkswagen was started. Earlier versions of this car were famous for their swallowtail rear side and many people still seek those cars. The diesel version of the Golf GT1 was introduced in late 1976. A notchback version of this series was released in the fourth quarter of 1979 and was called Jetta. In January 1980 the Cabriolet was released along with the VW Caddy, a golf-based pickup.

The Bluemotion series are extremely strong when it comes to fuel economy, and in the light of the recent shifts towards alternative car fuels and caring for the environment, that’s not only an important thing for the liberals, but also an excellent sales pitch for any multinational corporation…

The 1.6 liter diesel engine in the 2009 Bluemotion Golf (turbo diesel!) with just over 100bhp will perform well in city-area’s and the highway, and will average diesel usage of under 4.5 liter per 100 km.

Expected in January 2009.

Photos thanks to Wheeltronix.