Volkswagen Golf 2008 News

Volkswagen's global head of engineering for Golf and GTI, Rolf Trump, says fans should not expect to see any more than incremental increases in power over the generations to come. “It's not all about power. We believe 210hp (the 155kW in MkVI) is sufficient and 230-240hp (172-179kW) is essentially the limit for GTI,” Trump says. “Why put extra in when in maximum situations you can't use it. Most of the systems you have to control the car simply take the power off." “From MKI to MkV, Golf GTI has been growing more and more powerful, and at this point we have realised we have nearly come to our limits with that. “I don't think we have hit the wall. But with front-wheel drive there is only so much power you can get safely.” Trump says the main area of effort now will be in optimising the GTI's consumption and emissions while still getting a little more out of the engine. “We believe that with fuel economy and emissions improvements, that a moderate power increase is reasonable for a GTI and with that — albeit modest — increase we are still in a position to improve emissions and the dynamics of the car.” “What we can continue to work on is weight reduction - and people are working on it very hard now. “We are determined to work to make it not only more efficient but lighter - that is the future of it.” However that future will not include a seven-speed DSG, even if one was developed - like stablemate Audi's seven-speed S-tronic (appearing in the sporty S-line models) that can handle up to 550Nm of torque, but is designed for longitudinally-mounted engines, while the GTI's four-cylinder is transverse-mounted . “There are no plans to ever develop a seven-speed for this car,” Trump says. “We believe the six-speed is perfectly suited to the GTI. “The seven-speed gives you an overdrive function and does not make sense for sporty cars.”  

Volkswagen has launched its most powerful Golf, the limited edition GTI Pirelli.With 169kW, 0-100km/h of 6.6 seconds and a bespoke yellow hue, it certainly has the pace to match its new face.The new Pirelli GTI continues the long history. In May 1983, the ‘Original Pirelli’ arrived on the market in Europe with a distinctive feature of specially designed alloy wheels with the ‘Pirelli P’ on their outer edges. A remarkable 10,500 special models were built and sold within half a year.Based on the Mark V Golf GTI, the Pirelli is fitted with 18-inch titanium look Pirelli wheels and 18-inch 225/40 Pirelli P-Zero tyres, the first time a GTI has been fitted with 18s as standard.The Pirelli’s distinctly unique interior features yellow stitching, and a mix of leather and anthracite, but it’s the Pirelli tyre tread pattern wound into the micro-fibres that makes the biggest impact. Additionally, the front headrests that normally feature ‘GTI’ now features ‘Pirelli’ stitching.GTI Pirelli equipment features also include heated seats, electrically adjustable lumbar supports in front, and all-leather centre armrest in the rear.Up from the current GTI’s 147kW, the Pirelli’s 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder produces 169kW @ 5500rpm and 300Nm between 2200-5200rpm. Its 0-100km/h of 6.6 seconds is backed up with a 245km/h top speed, all through a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox.External features include the new yellow colour, along with a discrete Pirelli badge on the rump and tinted rear windows.Available in both three and five-door body shapes, the Golf GTI Pirelli is priced from $47,490 and $48,990 respectively.

Volkswagen has launched its most powerful Golf, the limited edition GTI Pirelli

In a swiftly changing motoring environment carmakers are searching for new ways to cut fuel use and emissions and improve efficiency.Among the hundreds of concepts and new and updated models on display at the Paris motor show over the next 15 days are some definite standouts. Renault has combined gull-wing doors, comfort, refinement and a slippery design with a hybrid diesel engine and plonked it all on massive 23-inch wheels in its range-topping Ondelios concept car (cover picture).It's 4.8m long and has a hybrid 150kW version of the 2.0-litre dCi engine.There are also two 20kW electric motors at the front and rear to provide extra boost recovered during braking.Mercedes is unveiling one of the world's fastest cabriolets. The SLR McLaren Roadster 722S has 478kW of power and accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 335km/h.Just 150 of the two-seater supercars will be built. It complements Mercedes' other show star the ConceptFascination, a wild two-door sportswagon. It's a modern version of the old British “shooting-brake” where a wagon tail has been planted on a sporty saloon.Citroen's crossover concept, Hypnos, hasa 150kW engine that boasts miserly fuel efficiency figures of 4.5-litres per 100km.However, it what's inside that is different. An extremely colourful rainbow light show highlights its sleek styling.Honda is using the Paris show to highlight its green commitment. Star of its stand is the new Insight Concept, a dedicated petrol-electric hybrid car in the vein of Toyota's Prius.It is expected to go into production within the next few years.From the US, GM will debut a close to production version of its revolutionary Volt electric car. Chevrolet is showing its new crucial small car the Cruze, plus its first seven-seat multi-purpose family car, the Orlando show car.A form of SUV-family van and wagon crossover, it has a 2.0-litre diesel engine.Alfa Romeo is unveiling its little MiTo compact which is due to come to Australian the middle of next year.Fiat is showing the MiTo's likely competitor in the super-mini category, the 120kW 500 Abarth EsseEsse (SS) plus its PUR-O2 eco-range of cleaner, greener 500s. New technology includes the ability for the engine to turn itself off while idling and back on to continue driving.Mini will show its all-wheel-drive Crossover Concept, while BMW will premiere its X1 wagon. The Mini is intended for adventurous twenty-somethings, while the Concept X1 will go into production as a safe, practical family car.Chasing a similar small, sporty car market is Audi with its new A1. The near-production version will be a feature of its stand.Saab is exhibiting its 9-X Air concept car, while Volvo is debuting its production-ready ultra-safe XC60 crossover which is headed for Australia.Porsche has several new models in the911 range plus the go-anywhere Cayenne S Transsyberia super-4WD.Mazda's all-new Kiyora urban compact four-cylinder concept car will sit alongside the world debut of production cars, the new generation MX-5, the Mazda6 with a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine and the Mazda2 1.6-litre diesel.Lamborghini has joined the rush to GT supercars with its four-door Estoque concept.Like Porsche's Panamera, Maserati's Quattroporte and Aston Martin's upcoming four-seater, the Estoque, brings a new versatility to one of the world's most uncompromising sports marques.Lamborghini stresses that although there are no production plans for the AWD Estoque it has been developed as fully production capable.Toyota has three world premiere vehicles ranging from its little four-seater city car, the iQ, to the all-new Avensis sedan and wagon and the 1.4-litre diesel-engined Urban Cruiser All Wheel Drive.Ford is debuting the all-new Ka city car with a choice of 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litrediesel engines, the hot Focus RS and the new economic Fiesta.Volkswagen will show off its latest Golf GTi. The hot hatch for 2009 is cleaner, smoother and much more refined than earlier cars.It will still come with a 155kW turbo petrol engine and the promise of a 7.2-second sprint to 100km/h, but is missing the wild body bits of earlier GTi road runners.Nissan's debuting Nuvu concept is just three-metres long. It only has two normal seats plus a third that folds down for luggage and groceries. The city car has solar panels on the glass roof.Ferrari will debut its chic two-seater V8 California sports car.From Korea will come Hyundai's i20 small car and a 2.4-litre engined hybrid SUV.Kia is showing its Soul range of urban crossover concepts that come with either petrol or diesel engines. There's also a hybrid version. Additional reporting by Kevin Hepworth and Paul Gover. 

Volkswagen is presenting a brace of new models at the Australian International Motor Show, running the full range from performance to economy.Volkswagen’s sporty R line has recently been bolstered by the addition of two new models which join the Golf R32. The new Touareg R50 comes with sports parts and performance and is based on the V10 TDI turbo diesel. It’s joined by the Passat R36 which produces 220kW from its 3.6-litre V6 and becomes the fastest car in the VW range, with a stunning 0-100km/h time of 5.6 seconds.Another Passat will make its public debut at the Show, the Passat CC. The swoopy styled sedan offers coupe styling with the practicality of four doors. Unlike other CC models however, it doesn’t stand for Coupe Convertible, but Comfort Coupe.Due for launch in early 2009, the Passat CC will come in either front-drive diesel or all-wheel drive petrol versions paired to the six-speed DSG manu-matic gearbox.BlueMotion is a term Volkswagen is promoting as its eco-friendly models. The Polo BlueMotion and Passat BlueMotion labels are attached to the most economical models in the class.BlueMotion not only refers to the automobile itself, its fuel economy and emissions, but comprehensively to the whole brand. Blue, the corporate colour of Volkswagen, stands for the elements to be protected: water and air.Motion embodies the aspect of forward, future-directed mobility. The goal is to protect Earth’s resources for future generations without compromises in driving fun.Key measures of the BlueMotion range are engine software changes, longer gear ratios, aerodynamic aids and lowered suspension as well as light alloy wheels with low rolling resistance tyres.Volkswagen Australia is evaluating the BlueMotion models with a view to offering this technology in the not to distant future so if you like what you see at the Motor Show, let VW know.Volkswagen also has an ace up its sleeve, or should that be a banana? The Golf GTI Pirelli will debut at the Sydney Motor Show, continuing one of VW’s longest traditions that started with the first Golf GTI Pirelli in 1983.The new MkV Golf GTI Pirelli will be the most powerful Golf GTI ever with 169kW, available in three or five door, manual or DSG. Along with a bespoke yellow hue, Pirelli’s influence is obvious not just in regard to the specific wheels designed with the Pirelli ‘P’ or the Pirelli P Zero tyres, but the unique Pirelli tread pattern featured on the seats. Pricing will be announced at the show. 

And there will not be an automatic — at least until a new price leader car is introduced.Each of the petrol and diesel engines set for the new Golf, from the basic 1.4 petrol to the 2-litre diesel, have turbocharged forced induction and even the starter car from late 2009 is likely to have a new 1.2-litre turbo in place of the current 1.6-litre petrol motor.The change comes as Volkswagen chases maximum fuel economy with minimal emissions, a combination which is achieved best with forced induction of a small-capacity motor. It already works well in the current Golf with the GTi’s performance turbomotor and the 1.4-litre twin-charge system — with a supercharger and a turbocharger — in the GT model.The move away from traditional automatics is part of a shift to twin-clutch manuals, which can be set to perform like an auto but have the response and efficiency of a manual.

It's one thing to get wiggy with the options list; it's quite another to chuck bucks at a top-line model when the lesser version has the same drive train and essential safety equipment.In the case of several of the most popular models we've chosen, the cheaper version also has the impertinence to be the better drive.So it can come down to deeply personal questions such as: can you live without the caress of leather? Light and easyFirst thing to know about this class of car is that you should learn to drive a manual. Small cars go better this way. They're also cheaper.But some 90 per cent of you would sooner slaughter your own meat than change gear for yourself, which means you'll need to pay $2K more for Hyundai's three-door Getz 1.4 S.Add the absolutely non-negotiable safety pack — with electronic stability program, ABS brakes and traction control — and suddenly you're at $17,280, still better value than the SXi at $18,490.Which brings us into price range of the critical and popular small car du jour. The Mazda2 comes in three-or five-door shape and three model lines, the top auto Genki a touch over $23K.Get the five-door, four-speed automatic Neo with $1100 safety pack — including stability control and extra air bags — for $19,740. Medium fareThat the generality has deserted big 'Strayan family cars for smaller but high-quality imports is no cause for wonder. But, in the lemming-like rush to downsize, they've also skipped over a car that's also more fuel-efficient, faster and safer than the one chalking up the sales.Moreover, with the recent price cut, the class-leading Mazda6 medium car now starts under the upper-echelon versions of the Mazda3. A bigger and better car for less? Oh, yes.Best of all, the base model $28,490 Mazda6 Limited manual sedan has the same 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and active/passive safety measures as the $42K-plus Sport Luxury.For our money it also has the better ride/handling compromise.If you want a trip computer and the more popular hatch/liftback shape with its truly commodious passenger and luggage space, get the Classic with five-speed auto at $35,990. That's still $8K off the toptop dog.When Volkswagen negotiated a sub-$40K starting price for the brilliant Mark V Golf GTI it didn't anticipate it becoming the second-biggest seller in its perennial hatch's line-up. Now every thrusty tosser in a white baseball cap gets into them.Subtler, cheaper, greener and — in its way — cooler, is the Golf GT Sport TSI with its exceptional twin-charged engine.Never mind the seemingly weedy 1.4-litre capacity, the TSI teams a supercharger with a turbo charger to achieve a 125kW/250Nm output and performance not very distant from its better recognised sibling.At $37,490 you do without a hole in the roof or cowhide, but you do get the six-speed twin-clutch transmission, which is both faster and more efficient than the conventional manual. When size mattersHow Holden and Ford must curse the rise of the soft-roader.To appreciate its dominance of the family car market you need only observe any school drop-off zone.With off-road ability propping up the list of daily requirements, Toyota's Kluger KX-R seven-seat 2WD at $41,490 has the whole package for less than a top-line RAV4. It has the same 3.5 V6 and five-speed auto as the $66K top Kluger, plus all its size, utility and the whole outfit of active and passive measure. Save for all-wheel-drive, that is. But when you're at Woolies, who exactly cares?If you're of the ever-diminishing mob who must have a big sedan, Toyota's Aurion Touring SE Special is another that lacks some of the fruit of the top-line model but has all its wherewithal — not least the 3.5 V6 and excellent six-speed auto.At $34,990, not only is it $15K cheaper than the Presara, it gets by without a stupid name. Aspirational autosMuch, far too much, has been made of the varied faces of the excellent Mercedes-Benz C-Class. You can have the more traditional face of the Classic or Elegance lines or the SLK-emulating Avantgarde.You also get to pay $5K or more for the latter.The up-puffed supercharged 1.8 petrol engine of the C200K is better than before but, once you've sampled the thrust of the 125kW/400Nm diesel C220 CDI Classic ($60,500), there's no going back.It's good enough to make you wonder where the extra $35K is in the top-line C320 CDI. The 220's options list is encyclopedic, but standard kit is a good deal more than adequate.For some, though, the lure of six petrol pots is too much. In that case, the Lexus IS250 Prestige with six-speed flappy paddle auto at $58,990 is our choice.It lacks the sat-nav and phat rims of the exxier versions, but drives better almost all the time.Better yet, the Prestige comes in under the luxury car tax, so you keep Treasurer Wayne Swan's sticky fingers out of your wallet. 

Many carmakers talk about cutting body sizes to boost efficiency, but VW is turning to the engine room. It has plans for a new family of high-efficiency engines with smaller capacities, starting with its twin-charge 1.4-litre four which boosts outputs with both a turbocharger and supercharger.The 1.4 twin-charge is fitted to the Golf GT in Australia and for 2009 it will be slotted into a version of the Jetta at the expense of the car's regular 2-litre four. Other engines will follow in everything from the baby Polo to the Passat.“We are downsizing engines as there are lots of requirements in Europe to go down in CO2 and that is easier with small engines. But we also find we can have good performance with low emissions in smaller engines,” says Volkswagen Group Australia head Jutta Dierks.“We don't start downsizing. But Volkswagen, as a manufacturer, thinks that downsizing engines is a good strategy. We can achieve these tougher CO2 requirements and achieve good economy and still have performance.”The new move on downsizing comes, ironically, as Volkswagen begins a stronger push for its high-performance R series cars in Australia. It now has a full-three model line-up with the R32Golf, R50 Touareg and the latest R36 Passat.The 2009 Jetta will pick up the TSI twin-charge engine from the Golf in a logical next step, although it will lose the GT badge from the hatch.“We want to try to get people familiar with that sort of engine,” Dierks says.“A lot of people are interested in that technology. I can think of Polo, Golf, Jetta, and it could also be Passat.”Meanwhile, the Volkswagen efficiency drive has already given it an important win over GM Holden.It has picked up a big fleet deal thanks to the diesel models in its range, beating out Holden and Peugeot to a contract with Woolworths.Peugeot revealed the outcome of the tender, which ended a 25-year run link between Woolworths and Holden.“We think it came down to the Jetta,” says Peugeot national sales manager Ken Thomas.“They had a conventional sedan and we didn't, and a lot of fleet drivers coming out of Commodores would want a conventional sedan.Volkswagen refuses to discuss the finer details of the deal, which it only says is for a “lot of cars”.“It's big for us and it's over a couple of years. The pleasure is that Golf, Jetta and Passat are all involved,” Dierks says. 

Used car buyers need to get the newest car they can afford to maximise their safety, according to a real-world review of more than three million serious crashes.The findings of the 2008 Used Car Safety Rankings show there are safer cars in every price and size class, but that newer models - often with multiple airbags - are almost always the best choice.The rankings cover 349 vehicle models built since the early 1980s which are compared to similar vehicles involved in crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1986 and 2006. The results based both on occupant protection and injuries to others, including cyclists and pedestrians."You are about eight times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in the worst cars, compared to the best cars," the man who led the study, Dr Stuart Newstead of the Monash University Accident Research Centre, said yesterday."The general rule of thumb is that newer is generally better. There are some exceptions, like the Hyundai Getz. A lot of them only had the bare-basic essentials."But it is possible to buy a top-ranked car for as little as $5000 with many of the safest secondhand cars priced at less than $15,000.Dr Newstead said the reign by Volvo at the top of the rankings had ended, with brands such as Volkswagen now showing significant safety and a range of individual models doing well in the various classes."Volvo used to market predominantly on safety but a lot of people have now caught up. Volkswagen really know what they are doing," he said."Certainly, we are seeing a lot more newer cars managing to perform really well."European and Japanese cars dominated the best performers, with only one locally-made car - the VY-VZ Holden Commodore - making the top group."Our findings show 89 vehicle models scoring better than average, with 26 of these models scoring much better than average," Dr Newstead said.Some of the safest cars in the rankings are the VW Golf and Mazda3 in the small-car class, the medium Holden Vectra and VW Passat, Mitsubishi Nimbus people mover, and Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester in the compact four-wheel drives.At the bottom of the rankings are cars including the Daihatsu Rocky, Charade and Hi-Jet, Mitsubishi Starion, Holden Camira and Nissan EXA.The secondhand safety study has been run since 1990 and is now the biggest of its type in the world. 2008 Used Car Safety RankingsSafest vehicles (not all)Small cars:Volkswagen Golf, 1999-2004Peugeot 306, 1994-2001Mazda3, 2003-2006Medium cars:Holden Vectra, 1997-2003Volkswagen Passat, 1998-2005Saab 9-3, 1998-2002Subaru Liberty, 1999-2003Mazda6, 2002-2006Compact four-wheel drive:Honda CR-V, 1997-2001Subaru Forester, 1997-2002People mover:Mitsubishi Nimbus, 1999-2003Commercial van:Ford Transit, 2001-2005 

Within three years, production-line workers will build cars with names they can't pronounce.It's nothing new but when the Russians start pumping out Mitsubishis and Peugeots and Citroens, it is another step in the process that sees car makers move out of their backyard and onto foreign soil.The reasons are cheap.Picking a developing country with available employment, low yet aspiring standards of living and government incentives such as free land and tax breaks is the financial equivalent of a Stephanie Rice wall poster.And there's no reason to feel shy about deserting the homeland in search of reduced manufacturing costs even if Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking is scathing of the practice — though the Cayenne body is made in Slovakia — and says so in his new (only) book “Don't Follow The Crowd”.Look around.You probably know it because you're on the carsguide.com.au site, but most car owners haven't a clue where their metallic ego in the driveway was born.The Honda Accord and Jazz are from Thailand, the Volkswagen Caddy in Poland, the Suzuki APU (named after the 24-hour shop owner in The Simpsons?) van in Indonesia, the Chrysler Grand Cherokee in Austria — on the same line as the BMW X3, no less — the Volvo XC70 in Belgium and the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus hatch and BMW 3-Series four-cylinder models in South Africa.As these countries grow richer on their ability to make cars cheaper for the world, so their prices — of labour and taxes and energy — will rise.Are there any countries left that have even lower costs that car makers can exploit? While you sift through the Atlas (get a current one, some countries and borders have changed in the past decade) let me tell you about one that has it all.And only recently is word out that this could be the next big think in car manufacture.Unlike Russia or Thailand or Slovakia, this country has English as its predominant language.It has an able workforce and rising unemployment.Its needs are many because the country has high consumer goods consumption.Yet the workforce — perhaps through desperation — can be turned to receive a modest wage.There are tax breaks and land going on offer throughout the country, most close to the ocean or rivers for easy transportation of raw materials and finished product.The icing on the cake is that it has existing infrastructure to support car assembly.The country is the USA.Now the focus turns from outward looking to the manufacturing equivalent of navel gazing.Now European countries have seen a weakened USA become ripe for domestic manufacture.The US dollar is so weak that it makes importing European cars too expensive.Far better to look at camping on US soil, in the way a cuckoo camps in another nest to exploit its personal needs.While General Motors seeks manufacturing in China, Volkswagen is looking at the USA.Volkswagen is not alone, European suppliers are also sniffing out what the USA can offer.The tide has unexpectedly changed and perhaps the only hindrance will be a revival in the US economy.Preoccupied with the 'war with no end' in the Middle East, the US is poised to become the world's next big car factory.Who would have thought that possible?