Volkswagen Golf 1994 News

We've seen the leaked patent images, the spy shots, and even the almost-ready-for-prime-time concept, but today, we get our first official look at the Volkswagen Golf R Cabriolet--the drop-top version of Volkswagen's hottest hatch. With 201kW of power and 350Nm of torque on tap from a turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, 4Motion all-wheel drive, and classically understated Golf looks, the Cabriolet is sure to be one quick little convertible. But does it make sense for the enthusiast? Perhaps. The Golf R in America is crippled by an always-on traction control system that has annoyed owners since its launch. The Golf R's European owners don't have to deal with this lawyerly bit of intrusion into the driving experience. Fortunately, some enthusiasts have found ways to circumvent the system by hacking the ABS code--though VW of America still hasn't come forward with an official resolution. With that in mind, Golf Rs of any flavor are likely to see little in the way of serious track duty, so why not cut the top off and make one fast and furious little cabrio? It will still be blisteringly quick, likely hitting 100km/h in well under six seconds. And as our experience with MX-5s and R8s has shown, taking the top off almost always results in more fun, even if it's not the quickest way to do things. Look for more official information and details soon. www.motorauthority.com

... when the soft-top models go on sale later this year.VW teased fans at this week's 30th annual Worthersee car show in Austria with "concepts" of the two cars that look ready to roll off the production line tomorrow.They were joined on the massive VW stand by what the 30,000 devotees of VW Group products, and specifically the GTI, had hoped to see, a 35th anniversay model fitted with the 2-litre direct-injection engine usually found under the bonnet of the Golf R.That gives the Golf GTI Edition 35 an 18kW lift over regular GTIs to 173kW, while torque is up from 280Nm to 300Nm.VW said the car will use 8.0 litres of fuel for 100km with either the six-speed manual or six-speed DSG twin-clutch automatic transmissions and a 0-100km/h time of 6.6 seconds.Externally the special edition GTI runs unique 18-inch wheels, a revised front spoiler with winglets on the lower edges to improve airflow and black mirror housings. Inside the "golf ball" gearshift knob recreates the look of the first generation GTI and both the door sill plates and front headrests carry a "35" logo.VW Australia spokesman Karl Gehling said limited numbers of the special edition will make it Down Under. He touted the company line that the cabrios were purely “concepts” but admitted there will be a receptive audience for the roofless performance pair."The GTI has always been the halo car in the Golf range and I’d expect the cabrio versions to have the same impact," Gehling said.VW Group stablemates Audi and Skoda also previewed one-off concepts in the form of a track-ready A1 Clubsport quattro and a vRS 2000 speedster respectively.The 370kW/660Nm A1 uses a wildly worked version of the the 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo engine found in the TT RS. It also inherits the TT’s six-speed manual gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive system. That gives the A1 quattro a 0-100km/h time of 3.7 seconds, helped by the removal of most of the interior features from the sound system to the rear seat.The Skoda concept is based on the Fabria RS hatch, but engineers lopped off the roof, widened the track to match the Skoda S2000 rally car and created a glasshouse that slopes down to the rear to give the car a slick, clean look. Unlike the VW “concepts” the Audi and Skoda models aren’t expected to make it to showrooms.

They will be making a major contribution to the greening of our new-car fleet as they kill the engine at stoplights instead of wasting fuel and creating pollution as they idle at a red.I first drove a stop/start car around 1994 when Volkswagen brought an evaluation car to Australia to highlight the EcoMatic technology in its then-new Golf III. The greener Golf never got past the evaluation stage here, and only lasted about 18 months in Europe because of very slow sales, but it was the start of something special.I can still remember the horror of pulling up to a red light in Sydney's city centre and having the engine die. My instinct was to re-start it immediately, but I resisted the temptation and it fired when I selected a gear as the light turned green.I had the same mild panic when I drove a stop/start Land Rover Freelander in Britain a couple of weeks ago. As I selected neutral the engine died, but when I dipped the clutch to select first on the green it fired immediately with no drama.We are all going to have to overcome the same panic in future years as stop/start leads us into a generation of cars with all sorts of new systems. Some will have 'active' alternators which only charge on demand, others will have electric water pumps to cut engine drag, and there will be cars with all sorts of new controls for the power steering and airconditioning. Some will have the lot.We've already seen cylinder deactivation systems in cars from GM Holden and Honda, which effectively cut the size of the engine in low-load situations, and they will also be commonplace.Land Rover had hoped to be first in Australia with stop-start technology but is going to be pipped by Mini.The Cooper D will be in showrooms on May 1 with stop/start and the claim that it is the most fuel-efficient car sold in Australia.Other makers are likely to follow Land Rover, although Fiat and Citroen have already looked at stop/start for Australia and ruled it out because of the cost.But the price of fuel is creeping back up again and no-one is going backwards on emissions.So stop/start is definitely coming, although it is currently only available on manual cars because of the complication of re-starting an automatic which is stopped at the lights in drive. Many companies are already working on a stop/start system for their autos, but it usually involves some sort of special starter-alternator pack and American brands are calling theirs a new form of mild hybrid.Once the stop/start automatics start to land we are really going to see the dominos beginning to fall.

Looking for a safe used car? Think German. The 2007 Used Car Safety Ratings suggest that German-designed cars are among the best choices.Volkswagen's Golf and Bora, Holden's German-sourced Astra TS and Mercedes-Benz's C-Class all rated well for occupant protection and safety for other road-users.With improvements to occupant safety, coupled with reduced risk to other road-users, smaller cars have replaced large family cars as the pick of the litter.In previous years the BMW 3 Series and the family-friendly Holden Commodores and Ford Falcon have been the star performers.This year the researchers highlighted the Golf, Bora, Astra TS, C-Class, Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord.The ratings show that if you make the wrong choice of used car, you could be up to 26 times more likely to be killed or seriously hurt in an accident.The research, by Monash University with the RACV, TAC and VicRoads, shows a staggering difference between used cars.As new-car safety has improved, it has widened the gap between the safest cars on the road and the most dangerous.The latest data shows that a Daihatsu Hi-Jet made from 1982-1990 is 26 times more likely to leave occupants dead or seriously injured than a Volkswagen Passat built from 1998-2005.Two criteria were used: crashworthiness, which is the car's ability to keep its occupants safe; and aggressiveness, which is the likelihood of injury or death to unprotected road-users.TAC senior manager of road safety David Healy says the ratings will play a crucial role in reducing the road toll.“It's going to make a huge difference” Healy says. “We know that by producing safer vehicles we can reduce the road toll by up to a third."“It is another piece of the jigsaw puzzle fitting into place. We now have reliable information on 279 second-hand models on the Australian market."“That means we have real-world data to tell the consumer the car to buy that's safer in a crash as well as safer for other road-users involved in the crash.”Of the 279 models covered by the study, 48 were rated “significantly worse than average” for crashworthiness. Another 29 were rated “worse than average”.On the flip side, 38 models performed “significantly better than average”. Another 48 recorded “better than average”.It means plenty of safe models are available. You just have to pick the right one.Australian New Car Assessment Program chairman Ross McArthur: says: “That, for me, is an important bit of information.“People need to know that picking a car that meets the minimum standard is not enough. You have to be more careful.”Buying a used car often means there are budget considerations, but that shouldn't rule out safety.McArthur says the study highlights affordable models and consumer should arm themselves with that knowledge.“You can get safe cars that are cheaper, and more expensive cars that don't perform as well,” McArthur says. “The key is to be selective. Look around. Don't make the decision on the first vehicle you see.”And don't always trust used-car salesmen.“You need to be properly informed. If you are informed, you are in a much better position to make a decision.”Small cars such as the well-performing 1994-2001 model Peugeot 306 start at $7000.Family cars such as the Holden Commodore VT-VX and Ford Falcon AU also score well and start at reasonable prices.The study clearly shows advances in car safety, with newer models being progressively better.For example, the Holden Commodore VN-VP series received a “worse than average” crashworthiness rating; the later VT-VZ range scored “significantly better than average”.With stricter safety standards and improved crash-test ratings, McArthur is looking forward to a time when all cars are as safe as they can be.Until then the Used Car Safety Ratings is a crucial tool to protect drivers.“I hope we get to the point where every car is a five-star rated car,” McArthur says.“But as a general rule, the newer the car, the better it performs."“But that's not always the case, so you need to look at the Used Car Safety Ratings.” The hit listHow the cars performed in both criteria - crashworthiness (occupant protection) and aggressiveness (risk to pedestrians). Best performersVolkswagen Golf (1999-2004, below)Volkswagen Passat (1999-05)Holden Astra TS (1998-05)Toyota Corolla (1998-01)Honda Accord (1991-93)Mercedes C-Class (1995-00)Peugeot 405 (1989-97) Worst performersMitsubishi Cordia (1983-87)Ford Falcon XE/XF (1982-88)Mitsubishi Starwagon/Delica (1983-93/1987-93)Toyota Tarago (1983-89)Toyota Hiace/Liteace (1982-95) Crash course in car safetySmall carsBest performersVolkswagen Golf (1994-2004)Volkswagen Bora (1999-04)Peugeot 306 (1994-01)Toyota Corolla (1998-01)Holden Astra TS (1998-05, below) Worst performersVolkswagen Golf (1982-94)Toyota MR2 (1987-90)Mitsubishi Cordia (1983-87)Nissan Gazelle/Silvia (1984-86)Nissan Exa (1983-86) Medium carsBest performersBMW 3 Series E46 (1999-04)BMW 5 Series E39 (1996-03)Ford Mondeo (1995-01)Holden Vectra (1997-03)Peugeot 406 (1996-04) Worst performers Nissan Bluebird (1982-86)Mitsubishi Starion (1982-87)Holden Camira (1982-89)Daewoo Espero (1995-97)Toyota Corona (1982-88) Large carsBest performersFord Falcon AU (1998-02)Ford Falcon BA/BF (2002-05)Holden Commodore VT/VX (1997-02)Holden Commodore VY/VZ (2002-05)Toyota Camry (2002-05) Worst performersMazda 929/Luce (1982-90)Holden Commodore VN/VP (1989-93)Toyota Lexcen (1989-93)Holden Commodore VB-VL (1982-88)Mitsubishi Magna TM/TN/TP/ Sigma/V3000 (1985-90, below) People moversBest performersKia Carnival (1999-05)Mazda MPV (1994-99) Worst performersToyota Tarago (1983-89)Mitsubishi Starwagon/L300 (1983-86) Light carsBest performers Daewoo Cielo (1995-97)Daihatsu Sirion (1998-04)Holden Barina XC (2001-05) Worst performers Daewoo Kalos (2003-04)Hyundai Getz (2002-05)Suzuki Alto (1985-00) Compact 4-wheel drives Best performers Honda CR-V (1997-01)Subaru Forester (2002-05) Worst performers Holden Drover/Suzuki Sierra (1982-99)Daihatsu Rocky/Rugger (1985-98) Large 4-wheel drives Best performers Ford Explorer (2001-05)Nissan Patrol/Safari (1998/04) Worst performers Nissan Patrol (1982-87)Toyota Landcruiser (1982-89)