Volkswagen took a bit of flack for rebadging and (slightly) retuning Chrysler's Town & Country minivan to come up with its Routan rather than manufacturing its own from scratch, especially given the German car company's history of making with innovative vans. In the face of dismal sales, the fate of the Routan is uncertain, but there's one tech aspect of the vehicle that benefits from its platform sharing.
Chrysler offers one of the best stock rear seat entertainment (RSE) systems available, and carbon copy was included in a 2010 Routan SE I recently tested, renamed JoyBox. JoyBox include two 9-inch drop-down screens for the second- and third-row seats. And via the system's wireless headphones, rear-seat occupants can access any entertainment source the vehicle offers: DVD/CD, AM/FM/Sirius, music stored on a 30GB hard drive and A/V any device that can be plugged into the audio-only aux input on the head unit and two set of audio/video inputs next to the driver's-side sliding door.
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Categories: Test Car Notes, Volkswagen
When you own a fuel efficient car, you tend to obsess over improving your fuel economy. During my five mile commute to work, I started to notice that my fuel economy would take a big hit when I took surface streets. Since there was heavy traffic in the morning, I'd average between 24-26 mpg, according to the fuel consumption indicator. Recently, I began taking the freeway to work. While this route actually backtracks part of the way and adds an extra mile to the commute, it's significantly increased my fuel economy.
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Categories: Editors' Personal Cars, Volkswagen
My girlfriend is looking to buy a car. Her current mode of transportation consists of a Honda 750 Shadow with saddlebags and whatever car I have to drive her around in. The bike is cool, but when she has to transport something like, say, an avocado tree, it becomes problematic. Her budget is limited (let's say in the $15,000 neighborhood) but she's got sporting intentions.
The current car that's got her attention is a used Mini Cooper S, with a manual transmission. I think it's a safe bet to assume any of her choices should be offered with a stick-shift. Looking at Edmunds TMV, even a Cooper S that's only three years old is in the target price range. Other concerns are insurance (no super sporty cars) and maintenance (it'll have to be reliable or at least something I can work on).
It's going to be tough to beat the Mini, but here are my top three.
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Categories: Ford, Honda, MINI, Volkswagen, Weekly Top 3
"Practice what you preach" the old saying goes. As a Consumer Advice Associate for Edmunds.com, I did just that. I found a car that is fuel efficient, fun to drive, and even qualifies for a $1,700 tax credit. But if you had asked me what I'd be driving now, seven months ago, I wouldn't have a clue. It took a drive through the desert to realize that I wanted a diesel vehicle.
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Categories: Editors' Personal Cars, Volkswagen
Here's Day 2 from the Fuel-Sipper Smackdown 3: SUV Edition. It was a miracle we ended up in the garage at all after St. Patrick's Day in Las Vegas -- but we had fuel sipping to do to find out which SUVs get the best fuel economy?
Day 1 Video
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
Categories: BMW, Comparison Test, Ford, Fuel Efficiency, GMC, Hybrid Vehicles, Thoughts from the Curb, Toyota, Volkswagen
If ever there was a car that could change Americans' seriously outdated, preconceived notions about diesels, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI is it. Although BMW and Mercedes-Benz offer diesels in some of their models, VW is the only carmaker to offer diesel power for the masses. And like other modern diesels, its TDI (Turbocharged, Direct-Injection) engines are not slow, loud or gross polluters but rather are spirited performers that quietly and cleanly deliver fuel mileage significantly higher than their gas-drinking brethren.
Yes, hybrids are an amazing example of automotive technology, but if we're talking about spending $25- to $28,000, my money's going on the Jetta SportWagen TDI. I could give you three good reasons why, but I won't. I'll give you six.
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Categories: Test Car Notes, Volkswagen
If you've been reading my "Karl on Cars" blog entries for any length of time, you already know how I feel about modern vehicles. Essentially, there are no truly "bad" cars today. Sure, there are some subpar cars, but even they aren't truly bad.
(I could Focus on such vehicles, but that would be a low Caliber and unPatriotic approach to this topic, and might annoy people living in Colorado -- or in a Canyon. BTW, Cobalt blue is a nice color).
Anyway, saying there are no truly bad cars isn't news, but I think we've hit another paradigm shift in the last 12 months or so: There are an increasing number of downright great cars.
Sure, the "just fine" part of the graph is still the fattest, but the top part (representing "great cars") is taking on mass and could threaten to topple the whole thing over if things keep going in this direction.
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Categories: BMW, Cadillac, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Karl on Cars, Lexus, Volkswagen
Last week I happily kicked 2009 to the curb, along with the many automotive divisions and models that won't be around for 2010. But with the New Year comes new hope for a future awash in worthy and exciting cars (also political intelligence and personal responsibility/accountability...but I'm not holding my breathe on those).
In the spirit of looking forward let's examinie the North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) finalists, cars I'll be voting on today before the winner is announced next Monday. On the car side we have the Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Volkswagen Golf. On the truck side we're talking about the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Transit Connect and Subaru Outback.
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Categories: Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Subaru, Talk Back Tuesday, Vehicle Awards, Volkswagen
Okay, so you know what it is. And now you want to know why. This week's Magnum Triple (deagle13's best work yet) is coming right up.
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Categories: Volkswagen, Weekly Top 3
Remember when buying an Acura or Audi or BMW or Lexus or any other premium brand meant you got a premium car? The idea was pretty simple: If you wanted a premium car ownership experience you had to pay a premium price and purchase a premium vehicle.
As I drove the new 2009 Volkswagen CC recently it occurred to me the only thing separating this car from its Audi brethren was the emblem on the grille. Interior materials, performance, high-tech features, heck even exterior styling and "presence" were all up to Audi standards.
So was the price, of course, with a VR6 4Motion model starting at $40,000 (though $27,000 will get you into a base 2.0T car, which is still quite nice and a much better value).
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Categories: Acura, Audi, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus, Talk Back Tuesday, Toyota, Volkswagen
Today I'm at a press event for the new 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
. As a fan of both fuel efficiency and fun-to-drive cars I've been waiting too many years for a new California-legal VW diesel. We've had our certified long-term 2005 Jetta TDI
in the fleet for about nine months, and as much as I enjoy driving it I'm ready to experience the new car's 40 additional horsepower (now up to 140), 59 additional lb-ft of torque (now up to 236) and additional gas sipping powers.
The exact fuel mileage of the new Jetta TDI is in question, as most in-the-know folks feel current EPA testing standards undercut the real-world mileage of modern diesels. EPA ratings of 29/40 have been disputed by third-party testing that put the TDI's numbers at 38/44.
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Categories: Fuel Efficiency, Volkswagen
If I had to pick a compact crossover based purely on model name I'd have a surprisingly limited selection. CR-V. CX-7. RAV4. Sportage. VUE. X3. Not exactly names to brag about when discussing your latest purchase with the neighbors. I don't mind "Forester" and "Escape" actually sounds kind of cool.
The all-new 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan doesn't do much to break the "goofy compact crossover name" trend, but otherwise it's a solid entry.
I think I'm most impressed by how much interior space the automakers can now pack into these otherwise small vehicles. I remember when the Escape came out in 2001 and it had almost exactly the same interior volume as the outgoing Explorer. Then the BMW X3 came out a few years later with nearly as much interior volume as the then-current X5.
Same situation exists with the VW Tiguan. When I initially approached the vehicle in the parking garage I questioned how much usable second-row and cargo space would exist in that tiny footprint. Looking in through the windows did nothing to change my impression, but after adjusting the driver's seat for my six-foot frame I hopped in the second row and found fully adequate leg and head room.
Then, despite the short distance between the second-row seatback and rear glass, I popped the rear hatch and marvelled at the functional cargo area. It's no GMC Acadia, but as a compact crossover there's plenty of space for groceries or luggage or even a couple kids' bikes.
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Categories: Volkswagen
If you're running (likely screaming) from your gas guzzler, and if you have embraced the idea of giving up all manner of fun and luxury in the name of lower fuel costs, the Volkswagen Rabbit is not the economy car for you.
It's not for you because, at a combined EPA fuel rating of 24 mpg, it's simply not that fuel efficient. And at a starting price of $17,000, it's not particularly inexpensive. However, with Germanic steering feel, 170 horsepower from its base engine, and a zero-to-60 time in the 7-second range, it's also rather fun to drive. And with supportive and comfy seats, soft-touch plastics throughout the cabin and a pumpin' base sound sytem it feels more luxurious than most economy cars.
Basically, the Rabbit is a perfect example of moderation in action. If you're looking for super cheap to buy and/or super cheap to feed there are better choices. But if you're looking for relatively cheap to buy and relatively cheap to feed, all while maintaining some sense of luxury and driving entertainment, the Rabbit offers an excellent mix of the aforementioned.
I'm not sure about the name change, as Volkswagen Rabbit always makes me think of the convertible-cheerleader-mobiles from high school, and that's not a positive connotation IMHO. Yes, I know, technically those cars were called "Cabriolet" -- whatever.
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Categories: Fuel Efficiency, Volkswagen
I told you it was coming last week, now it's live and the final results are in.
The most interesting aspect of this test is that it accurately captured the miles-per-gallon results for distinctly different driving conditions. Most tests just lump all mpg figures together and say, "We got XX mpg in mixed driving." What exactly does "mixed" mean? For our fuel test we broke the results up and recorded fuel costs and gas useage for each segment of the driving loop. This makes it easy to see which of the competitors did well in each driving condition.
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Categories: Ford, Fuel Efficiency, Hybrid Vehicles, Smart Car, Toyota, Volkswagen
If put to a real-world test, which of these cars would get the best fuel mileage? That's the question we intended to answer with our test of a 2008 Ford Focus, 2005 (certified used) Volkswagen Jetta TDI, 2008 Toyota Prius and 2008 Smart Fourtwo.
So we ran each of them through an identical test loop of close to 1,000 miles. The loop included everything from highway travel and constant speeds to stop-and-go driving in one of the most congested towns on the planet (not L.A.) to medium speeds on deserted two-lanes. When you put a diesel (Jetta) up against a hybrid (Prius) up against a traditional economy car (Focus) up against a...a -- well, whatever the Smart car is -- what do you get in terms of fuel mileage and fuel costs?
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Categories: Ford, Fuel Efficiency, Hybrid Vehicles, Smart Car, Toyota, Volkswagen
