Volkswagen Golf 2010 News

But even if not a sure thing, you wouldn’t bet big against it.  Within days of the traumatic three-car incident that smashed both a fair amount of the screaming Mazda RX-8 SP competing in this year’s rally – and any hopes of the car finishing  –  Mazda Motorsport’s formidable boss, Allan Horsley, had begun to think not of what might have been (that would be challenging the eventual winning Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo Strada), but what will be…In the wake of that trauma, Horsley’s team directed its full focus into Mazda’s second entry, the Mazda3 MPS driven by Brendan Reeves and navigated by his sister Rhianon Smyth. In this they achieved second in the Showroom class and a little less than astonishing ninth overall. Not only was it the fastest front-wheel-drive, it licked Porsches, Evos, WRXs and an Audi TT-RS.No mean feat over five days, 40 stages and 2000km of competitive driving in often appallingly, all too Tasmanian autumn conditions piloting what one of the crew wryly described as a “turbo, front drive shopping trolley”.“For those people who think that a two-wheel drive can’t perform in the wet, just look at Brendan and Rhianon’s result,” said Horsley, a figure of local motor racing legend, who has never been constrained by convention. “With the best car, the best crew and the best team behind them – anything is possible.”The “best car” in the entire Targa, Mazda would argue, was not the weepingly expensive Lambo, though this was the one that captured not only the Targa title, but the hearts and minds of the spectating public.   Going into the third day, the Mazda team confidence that this Targa could be theirs was evident.This Horsley special RX-8’s bantam 1280kg and forced induction rotary engine imbued it with lynx-like agility through Tasmania’s endless twisties into which it was able to brake, according to driver Steve Glenney, some 100 metres later than certain rivals.When the going got straight, however, it couldn’t hope to match the kilometre-crushing Lambo. Already, though, Horsley is onto solutions to extract more in 2011.That engine – or at least its essential ingredients – will be housed in a newly-built RX-8 SP after an incident 11.6km into the Mount Roland leg that made one of the Targa’s most spectacular stages memorable for all the wrong reasons. But for the razor reflexes of Glenney, it might have also have been the site of a tragedy.Pouring into the first bend of a double apex right hander near the peak of the mount – not too far from where Eric Bana memorably came to grief a few years back – Launceston’s Simon Froude struck oil on the road and speared his Porsche 911 into the “cheese grater” steel cable that stands between competitors and likely oblivion in the form of an almost sheer drop.With the Porsche snagged by the front axle, its nose pointed towards the heavens, the crew of the next car through – David Ayers and Robbie Bolton in their Nismo 400R – halted as per race regulations and rushed to their aid.Then Glenney, with navigator Bernie Webb, poured through at perhaps 160km/h. With a split second to react, Glenney flung the car about and went into back of the Nismo, left three quarters first – a brilliant manoeuvre that surely saved himself and Webb from disaster. But not the RX-8 SP.“It was running beautifully,’’ Webb lamented as we waited for the flatbed to retrieve the shattered Mazda from the mountain road that now seemed even wetter and colder. “We’d had issues, but we’d overcome them. We’re out through no fault of our own.”By race’s end on Sunday afternoon, the Mazda crew, though ebullient over the MPS, knew they’d be back in 2011 to take care of what they clearly regard as unfinished business.Besides, what matters the 19th event when you can win the 20th and bequeath to the buying public an RX-8 SP 20th Targa (very) special edition?  You wouldn’t bet against it.In the meantime, we drivers of keenness, but infinitely less ability, can approximate in street legal form the Mazda Targa experience without access to car manufacturer’s racing budget.Every inch a rival for Volkswagen’s award-winning Golf GTI, the Mazda3 MPS starts from similar money - $38,435 – and packs an output that towers over the VW’s: the Japanese entrant rings 190kW and 380Nm from its turbo-charged four potter, over the German’s 155kW/280Nm.The RX-8, meanwhile, remains the world’s only mass –produced rotary engined car. While the version available to you and I comes without the Motorsport’s turbo-charger, but it does rev past 8000rpm and, from $55,715 (though you really want the $57,778 GT), seems unbelievably reasonable for something unique.

He says most of their customers are people who have been given a rally lesson as a gift."Almost exclusively it"s a gift from a female to a guy as a Father"s day, birthday or Christmas present," he says."Only about 10 per cent of our customers are females.Our customers are often people who are hard to buy presents for.They already have everything like a big screen TV and this is a bit different."RallySchool last year conducted courses for almost 5000 customers over 153 days in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.Of those, 80 days were in Sydney, 30 in Victoria, 22 in Perth and eight each in Queensland and South Australia, but this year Ryan plans to increase the Victorian courses to 52, South Australia to 14 and Queensland to 10.The courses include six-lap drives, 12-lap drives, and half-day and full-day courses with prices from $195 to $995.They also host corporate events and level two instruction which leads to CAMS licensing, however Ryan says only about one percent of their customers ever progress to competition level."Most people have had very limited previous competition experience and aren't interested in competing," he says. "We want to teach them driving skills and promote the sport. We want to show them how addictive it is." RallySchool has over 50 instructors with about half competing at varying levels from club to international."We have six instructors at each event with an average of about 100 years" shared experience," Ryan says.Currently among their team is Ben Atkinson who began driving in club rally championships in 1999, but has mainly filled his trophy cabinet as co-driver to his brother and former World Rally Championship driver Chris, plus Cody Crocker, the most successful driver in the history of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.I recently attended a half-day course with 10 other drivers at the Ipswich-based Willowbank track, which Ryan says is the fastest in the country with its clay base.The event begins with a briefing in which Ryan explains the fundamentals of rally driving and how it differs from road driving."The instructors will encourage you to go faster by pressing harder on the brake pedal," he says."Keep both hands on the steering wheels at 3 and 9 o'clock because you need to know at all times where your front wheels are pointing."You need your front wheels pointing down the road and you need to look down the road not where the car is pointed."He advises we leave it in third gear around the tight circuit to reduce the amount of wheelspin.Sceptical drivers head out with an instructor and pretty soon find out that the old dictum of "in slow, out fast" really works and a higher gear than you would normally select provides more control over the driving wheels. The cars have limiters to prevent you going ridiculously fast, but still hurtle around the track at higher speeds than most can handle.They run on normal road tyres to avoid churning up the track, but apart from the rubber and some suspension tweaks, the vehicles are virtually race ready. Pretty soon instructors have the novice drivers picking up speed and confidence and returning to the pits with a grin as wide as their outstretched arms.As Ryan says, "the guys on TV make it look easy". Having never driven on a dirt track before, I first had to "un-learn" a lot of tar habits such as trailing the brake and using a wide arc through corners. On the dirt, he says you get your braking over in a straight line and you stick to the "clean line" on the inside of the corner where the best grip is. They don't teach the "Scandinavian flick" or handbrake cornering, but they do teach valuable lessons in car feel and control.Each driver gets four six-lap sessions, one in each car (Lancer, Subaru and Ford ute), and the fourth in the car of their choice. Around the country, RallySchool has 14 vehicles: two Ford utes, one Holden ute, eight Subaru WRX STi sedans and four Evo Lancers.The three cars used at Willowbank are spread out on the track at the same time, so there is little down time for customers. They also rotate through a second Subaru as a passenger with Atkinson showing them the finer points of rally driving.To cap it off, customers also experience a hot lap with a rally driver, which puts their own brave attempts into perspective. The hot laps are a real adrenalin rush, but they also show just how far off the pace you are. For an extra $50, customers can also buy a video of their experience.Brad Hooper, 32, drove five hours up from Kempsey in his Golf GTI to take part in the course. "The instructor gets you to pick up your speed quite quickly," he says.The motorsport fan who also owns a Ducati 1098 motorcycle was given the gift by his wife, Kathryn, two years ago.Michael Whitehouse, 46, of Brisbane, has no interest in motorsport and was given the course as a present from his partner, Lynne Newbury."It's just an adrenalin rush," he said after his drive. Newbury bought the course for Whitehouse "because he has everything else"."I thought it best to buy him an experience he will remember," she says. "Now he can tick that one off his bucket list."WHAT I LEARNTI will never be Chris Atkinson;I drive too fast into corners and don"t use enough brake;If you go slower into the corner, you can get on the throttle earlier and achieve more terminal speed on the next straight;Braking transfers weight to the front wheels which gives them more grip and steering feel; The smoother you drive, the less you unsettle the car.SNAPSHOTWHAT: Rally driving lessonsWHERE: Richmond, Toronto NSW, Willowbank QLD, Werribee VIC, Tailem Bend SA and Bakers Hill WAHOW MUCH: six-lap drives ($195), 12-lap drives ($375), half-day ($555) and full-day course ($995)WHO: RallySchoolWEB: rallyschool.com.auPHONE: 1800 208 000

Europe is back in business, celebrating the end of the global financial crisis that rocked the car world and drove the biggest of them all - General Motors - into bankruptcy.There were green shoots of happiness at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 2009, but this week's Geneva Motor Show shows the same sort of excitement and promise of an early spring morning in Europe.Every carmaker has something new in Geneva, from full-blown production models to quirky concepts. The Swiss show is often dismissed as a sideshow but this time, with 25 new models as diverse as the Nissan Micra and Porsche Cayenne, there is serious action on every front.Carmakers are predictably focussed on green solutions to meet the challenges of fuel economy and CO2 emissions - with Fiat even showing a tiny two-cylinder engine for its funkoid 500 - but there is also room for fun.  How else do you describe a Honda city concept that looks like a 20th-century take on the unicycles used by Circe du Soleil acrobats?But even the green machines have turned mean as Ferrari shows its 599 Vettura Labratorio hybrid, although BYD from China balanced things with its fully-electric E6 hatch.Porsche also has its 918 supercar concept and both it and the Ferrari tap Formula One technology with KERS hybrid packs - that's Kinetic Energy Recovery System - to store energy for a quick, explosive boost of extra power.Porsche plans to put the 918 into production but, as yet, Ferrari is only using the super-special 599 - painted symbolically in green instead of the Italian brand's signature red - as a rolling labratory.  "We want to understand how to use this technology. We are not yet at the point to see it in a road going Ferrari," says Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari's CEO.The upbeat mood at Geneva is captured by the top man at Bentley, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, who says the reaction to his company's Mulsanne and Supersports models has filled him with confidence after a shocking 2009.  "There is a feeling that it is behind us," Paefgen says as super-wealthy Bentley buyers emerge from their GFC-proof bunkers.Walking the stands at Geneva I see green machines that are more than just concepts and plenty of choices for small-car buyers, from budget hatches to baby prestige cars like the Audi A1.  The little Audi gets a rousing reception, Volvo wins praise for the safety and styling of the new S60 sedan and the Alfa Giulietta - replacement for the 147 - raises more questions about the often-promised renaissance for the brand.Lexus shows a compact new CT200h hybrid that brings petrol-electric power to a new group of buyers, Mini has the Countryman with extra ground clearance and the basics for a World Rally Championship challenge in 2011, and the Mitsubishi ASX crossover - test driven this week by Peter Lyon near Tokyo - heads the Japanese contingent.For Alfa fans, the Giulietta is pitched at the Volkswagen Golf with a range of 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines.  BMW’s new 5 Series and a 4-litre six-cylinder X5 diesel creates a predictable buzz among SUV fans.Kia’s head of design, Peter Schreyer, lifts the wraps off the stylish new Sportage, which is due in Australia later this year, with the promise of both turbodiesel and petrol engines, as well as front and all-wheel drive.  The Sportage could be major hit for the Korean brand, matching the impact of the Hyundai ix35, when it goes on sale with an opener in the sub-$30,000 bracket.Ford leverages the first European appearance of its new Focus hatch in Geneva by unveiling the Focus wagon, which at this stage is a Europe-only car. Europeans are big wagon buyers and the wagon is expected to account for one-third of all Focus sales there.But the Focus wagon is only the halfway point - the fifth of 10 proposed models - using the same basic building blocks and the future includes a Focus electric car. Currently, the wagon, hatch, sedan and C-Max and Grand C-Max all share the same underpinnings.“We are now using our global resources to develop cars for all countries, including Australia,” says Ford's technical chief, Derrick Kuzak.  He also reveals the current Europe-only Kuga compact SUV and North American Escape will be replaced by a single global car, which could head to Australia, and hints that a hot performance Focus with a more-powerful version of Ford’s 2.0-litre Ecoboost turbo engine will also be available in Australia.Lexus uses Geneva to showcase its critically important CT 200h hybrid, which it hopes to become a volume player.  But the CT 200h is not the only car to push the green theme at the affordable end.Hyundai has the stylish turbocharged 1.7-litre i-flow concept sedan, which uses a lithium-ion battery pack with six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and it is joined by the ix35 FCEV hydrogen fuel-cell car and Opel’s Flextreme GT-E.Apart from Ferrari, Porsche shows off its GT3 R Hybrid - also with KERS - and 918 Spyder, both exploring the outer limits of hybrid drivetrains for race and road cars.  The Cayenne, along with the VW Touareg, share their hybrid debuts as Audi uses the first appearance of its baby A1 to reveal a full-electric E-tron concept that joins earlier R8-based plug-in supercars.Apart from the conventional petrol and diesel A1, Audi also adds the RS5 coupe to its A5 lineup and a hybrid A8 sedan. The RS5 gets a powerful 335kW/430Nm 4.2-litre V8, quattro all-wheel drive and seven-speed S-tronic dual clutch gearbox.Like the BMW-built Mini, Audi has several distinctly styled A1s on its stand. It says owners will have access to so much customisation that no two A1s will be exactly the same.Audi has the Mini firmly in its sights with an expected starting price around $33,000 for the A1, with a three-door car to kick of sales with a five-door and cabrio expected. The range-topper is expected to be an S version with a performance-tuned turbo four cylinder engine.Citroen springs one of the few real surprises of the show with its hot-pink Survolt sportscar while Giugiaro teams up with Proton to deliver a stylish hybrid city car.  The Survolt is a pure design fantasy with no likely production expected. The showcar did not even have an engine and Citroen says it has been designed to go electric.Apart from the sleek Citroen, two Italian styling houses - Pininfarina and Bertone - have show cars based on Alfa Romeo mechanical parts. Bertone returns to Geneva for the first time in two years with the Pandion 2+2 concept coupe and Pininfarina shows the two-seater 2uettottanta.Apart from the twin concepts, Citroen has the DS3 Racing as well as its DS High Rider three door, a pointer to the next-generation C4, which is due to be launched next year as a five-door.  The company will only build 1000 versions of the DS3 racing and the head of local importer Ateco Automotive, Neville Crichton, says he would like to bring a few to Australia but will initially focus on launching the DS range.“It certainly is a good looking thing,” Crichton says.  Mercedes-Benz continues to create a buzz at Geneva with its SLS Gullwing supercar but the F800 Style, a pointer to the next-generation CLS minus its cantilever rear doors, dominates the Mercedes stand and shares the limelight with the E-Class cabriolet.Fitting in the quirky category in Geneva is Aston Martin’s Cygnet hatch, a remake of Toyota’s iQ city car. The $50,000 makeover model will only be sold to existing Aston Martin customers.  Aston Martin boldly has the Cygnet right next to its four-door flagship sports car, the Rapide.

It’s a dread condition, one that smites otherwise quite rational car owners with an insatiable desire to not only drive Alfa Romeos, but to own them.

And Volkswagen Australia has confirmed the frugal fast four will be priced under the five-door $40,490 GTi when it arrives.  By adding a turbo-diesel with ‘GTi’ credentials, VW Australia is hoping to pick up where the previous-generation GT Sport left off.Because the five-door petrol GTi is the most popular model here, VW Australia spokesman, Karl Gehling, says only the five-door hatch GTD will be available.  "The three-door actually makes up a small proportion of total petrol GTi sales," he says.The GTD is no slug.  It will hit 100km/h in 8.1 seconds and has a top speed of 220km/h with a combined with average fuel consumption of just 5.3 litres/100km, giving the car a range of more than 1000km.  VW has applied the lessons learned through the creation of the sixth-generation GTI to the GTD.The GTD is powered by a 2.0-litre common-rail TDI engine that develops 125kW at 4200 revs and 350Nm from 1750 revs and CO2 emissions of just 139 g/km.  Like its petrol brother, the car gets a sharper chassis, firmer suspension, 15mm lower ride height and the added benefit of riding the torque wave from just 1750 revs.The car is expected to be available with either a six-speed manual or DSG gearbox.  Visually the GTD takes its cues from the GTi.  It gets the GTI's honeycomb grille, badge-style and front-end design, though with the addition of chrome rather than red highlights.The Golf's standard wheels are replaced with 17-inch Seattle Black alloys.  Inside, the main contact points are unique to the Golf GTD: a flat-bottomed steering wheel, a GTD gearshift and a standard tartan interior.  The tartan finish is subtly different from the GTI, being grey, white and black, rather than red, white and black.

A widely varied field from the soft-roader Audi Q5 to the baby Volkswagen Polo is competing for the biggest prize in world motoring

The Wolfsburg headquarters of the brand are readying a new-look performance division to be officially announced at next month's Geneva Motor Show.  Although no official details have been released, the new group is expected to be called R GmbH or R line.The bold R venture is a clear sign that VW AG wants a bigger slice of the high-performance sports market dominated by BMW M, Audi S and the Mercedes-Benz AMG divisions.  Apart from engine modifications to lift power and torque, cars will get specific alloys, suspension and other handling options as well as distinctive styling cues.The new project is expected to work alongside the niche low-volume VW Individual group.  VW Individual most recently released the Eos White Night model for Australia.The current R line-up consists of just four models, the Scirocco, Golf, Touareg and Passat.However, VW Individual showed off a Passat CCR show car at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show and has its eye on several other models in the VW family, including the Amarok ute.  The next-generation Jetta and Eos are other likely R candidates.Volkswagen Individual product management chief of the Golf R, Marcel Dalgado, would not be drawn on whether Individual would morph into a new performance division.  "Would I like to see something like that? Of course, yes," he says."But we have other challenges."  Currently Individual employs about 350 people, mostly engineers.  "It is a small company and the team is small yet very reactive to new challenges," Dalgado says.When it does go public with the R division, VW is also tipped to announce more jobs.  Individual is currently working on an updated go-fast Golf GTi 30 Edition, which could be sold under the R group.Apart from special edition models like the GTi 30 Edition, the new business will also have aftermarket engine performance and R-line styling kits.  Although early days, VW executives say they want to deliver a performance R car in every model.  However, there is some internal debate whether a Polo R would have the necessary branding to benefit from an R badge.

The sixth generation of the car beat 56 rivals representing 16 carmakers in testing by the monthly motoring magazine. Announcing the award yesterday, editor Ged Bulmer said the German-built car was a worthy winner."The turbocharged five-door hatch VW Golf range is outstanding," he said.  "It oozes sophistication, refinement and development in an energetic package that comes with fundamentally good steering and balance."Wheels whittled down its largest field of contenders over a week of testing that evaluated the cars for function, technology, efficiency, safety and value.

The Fusion Hybrid took the car trophy, while the truck one went to the Transit Connect.  The Fusion is now officially the US’s most fuel-efficient mid-size sedan at about 5.7l/100km in the city and 6.5l/100km on the highway – stealing the crown from the Toyota Camry’s 7.1l/100km in the city and 6.9l/100km on the highway.The Fusion Hybrid beat competitors like the Volkswagen Golf/GTI to first place, and is the second hybrid to win Ford the Detroit trophy after the Ford Escape Hybrid took out North American Truck of the Year in 2005.The Transit Connect that won the Truck award this year is a compact carrier aimed at small business owners. Ford says it offers the ability to slip through crowded urban areas -- while still having generous cargo capacity -- and offers twice the fuel economy of full-size vansOther finalists in the category included the Subaru Outback, but Ford made it a back-to-back – and their sixth truck winner -- after last year’s prize went to the 209 Ford F-150.  A jury of 49 automotive journalists in the US and Canada vote for the vehicles.

Back in 1999, the only diesel-powered vehicles on the Australian market were sports utility vehicles, light commercials and trucks.