2009 Volkswagen Citivan Reviews

It is by far the most dominant automotive brand in Australia, and it’s just been confirmed that it was the biggest selling manufacturer globally last year.

Porsche has given itself a birthday present, but there’s a lot more to the Vision 357 than just a celebration of the brand’s 75th anniversary of building sports cars. The Vision 357 is the latest concept car from the Style Porsche department, taking inspiration from the brand’s original sports car - the now-iconic 356 - but underpinned by the latest 718 Cayman GT4 RS powertrain.

At last, it seems a car-maker has realised just how silly it is to have an entirely different brand name for its electric car line-up. Yes, Mercedes-Benz sounds as though it's going to drop its EQ brand name for its EVs, because it’s all going electric, right? So what’s the point? Now we just have to wait for all the other car manufacturers to realise that it was all a big mistake.Yep, last week I wrote a story about how Mercedes-Benz was rumoured to be planning to axe its EQ sub-brand name.Currently, Mercedes-Benz uses EQ to denote an electric vehicle in its line-up. There’s the EQB which is an electric version of the GLB, the EQE which is an electric E-Class, and so on. Well, a Reuters report questioned Mercedes-Benz over the rumours to which the car maker responded with this statement:“With the goal of our parent Mercedes-Benz becoming fully electric by the end of the decade, we will adapt the positioning of the vehicles and thus the use of the brand in line with the times, but it is too early for details on this at the moment.”Sounds very much like the bosses at Benz have realised the whole EQ thing was not a very good idea. An electric E-Class in the future will be an E-Class, as there won’t be a combustion engine version.So what about the rest of the carmakers who have also gone down the same dead-end street?I’m looking at you Hyundai with your Ioniq brand - your Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. Great cars, but why not just use your existing nameplates such as i30 and Tucson and Santa Fe? Are you going to throw those in the bin?And Volkswagen. You’re doing it, too. There’s the ID.3 which is obviously being lined up to replace the Golf. The Golf, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year. Nice birthday present. You're old, get out. Word is, Volkswagen will keep the Golf name for that petrol car only for as long as it exists and the same goes for Polo, Tiguan, Passat and the rest. You can get sentimental about a 2009 Golf GTI, but will anybody be looking back on their ID.3 the same way? And Kia with your imaginatively named EV6 and EV9. I’m being sarcastic, Kia. Come on, these aren’t phones or computers we're talking about. Sure, Carnival probably isn't the best name and neither is Stonic, nor Seltos or Sportage and what was going on with Pro_ceed GT? But that’s beside the point. When it comes to names give me a Sportage Electric over an EV6 any day.BMW your names have always been extremely methodical and read like a list of ammunition supplies. When you did try to start bringing in actual words you messed it all up with things like Gran Coupe, but at least your electric names aren’t completely ridiculous. Then iX, the i4, the i7 -  they make sense even if the whole ‘i’ thing is as out of date as an iPod.And Audi. Don’t even get me started on e-tron.Why do we have these EV sub brands when the whole car industry is going to go electric anyway? Well, it could be because vehicle development plans can stretch decades ahead. They need to create a name separate to the current line-up as the new electric vehicles will be on entirely different platforms, so they are essentially totally different cars.Car-makers could also be protecting their breadwinning petrol and diesel models too, from the potential failure of electric models by keeping them in separate ‘baskets’ until the EV models start to prove themselves and pay their way.These electric sub-brands could be being used as testing labs until the technology, the charging, the batteries and the cars are good enough to wear the regular nameplates?So what’s going to happen? Are we going to go through a whole series of Final Edition i30s and Farewell Special Golfs, or will car companies see the light like Mercedes-Benz it seems and drop the electric sub-brand name thing altogether?Well, it will come down to money. If the car company feels that losing a loved nameplate is detrimental in how customers view and connect with the brand, and especially if the action significantly affects sales, then you’ll probably see the name stay… or return.Imagine the fanfare (and the sales) around bringing back the Golf nameplate after everybody thought it was long gone.Perhaps that’s been the plan all along…

The new-generation e2 is the latest in a long string of new BYD products announced for release in 2023.

Hold onto your dreamcatchers, ageing hippies, Volkswagen has announced that a GTX high-performance version of its ID.Buzz electric Kombi is coming and VW Australia has told CarsGuide it’s considering bringing it Down Under.

The T-Roc small SUV is a key model for Volkswagen, which sits between the compact T-Cross and mid-size Tiguan SUVs.The T-Roc will continue to be more important for the brand into the near future, as in 2022 it overtook the Golf in Australia to become VW’s fourth best-selling model, after the Tiguan, Amarok, and T-Cross.With an update in late 2022, though, the T-Roc now offers an expanded range of variants and a significant shift in its standard equipment and pricing. To understand the current range, see our full layout 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc specs below:The Volkswagen T-Roc is currently available in three main trim levels, the base Style which costs from $37,100 before on-road costs, the R-Line which costs from $45,200 before on-roads, and the top-spec R from $60,300. There is also a limited R Grid Edition variant, which trims the price slightly for the performance variant to $54,300 before on-roads.2023 Volkswagen T-Roc prices before on-road costsThe T-Roc is available with a variety of standard equipment depending on the grade. The base Style scores 18-inch alloy wheels, an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a new digital instrument cluster, wireless charger, ambient interior lighting, rear window tint, leather steering wheel, digital radio, LED headlights and sport front seats with a synthetic suede material.Options for the Style include a 'Sound and Vision' package ($2000) which includes an upgraded digital instrument cluster, improved multimedia suite with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a 300W Beats audio system, a Nappa leather interior trim option ($3450), a sunroof ($2000), and a powered tailgate ($600).The mid-grade R-Line scores an 18-inch wheel in a sportier design, a sportier suspension with matching ‘progressive’ steering tune, an enhanced digital instrument cluster and improved multimedia suite with built-in navigation, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.Options for the R-Line include Vienna leather interior ($3950), a sunroof ($2000), or a powered tailgate ($600).At the top of the range is the T-Roc R. Aside from its larger engine and all-wheel drive system, the R scores larger 19-inch alloy wheels, new drive modes, a revised suspension tune, the electric tailgate included as standard, premium dash cluster and larger 9.2-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, improved LED headlights and taillights, as well as bespoke R seats and interior trims.Options on the R include the sunroof ($2000), black style pack ($1200), Beats audio ($750), and signature blue interior highlights ($250).The T-Roc has three variant-dependent engines. The base Style has a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine mated to an eight-speed traditional torque converter automatic transmission. It drives the front wheels only and has maximum outputs of 110kW/250Nm.The R-Line is equipped with a larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and the brand’s ‘4Motion’ all-wheel drive system. In this configuration, maximum outputs are 140kW/320Nm.At the top of the performance tree, is the T-Roc R. The R also has a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, seven-speed dual clutch transmission, and all-wheel drive system, but has much higher total outputs of 221kW/400Nm.Is the T-Roc offered in diesel?No, unlike its larger Tiguan sibling, the Volkswagen T-Roc is not offered with a diesel engine.Fuel consumption for the 2023 T-Roc range will depend heavily on the variant chosen, with official numbers ranging between 6.3L/100km for the base Style to 8.3L/100km for the performance-oriented R.Boot space in the T-Roc range varies between 440 litres for the base Style, or 392 litres for the R-Line and R.USB-C connectivity is standardised throughout the cabin, as are items like cupholders.The T-Roc has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating dated to 2017, before the car arrived in Australia.Standard equipment carries across most of the range, although due to supply constraints, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert will not be available on all cars delivered over the course of 2023.Cars which do not get this equipment will come with a $650 discount. The top-spec R will continue to maintain standard blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert.Current standard equipment across the T-Roc range includes freeway-speed auto emergency braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. There are also six airbags and the standard array of stability, brake, and traction systems.Available colours for the T-Roc include the standard (zero cost) 'Pure White', as well as optional metallic shades - 'Indium Grey', 'Kings Red', 'Petroleum Blue', 'Pyrite Silver' and 'Ravenna Blue'. The T-Roc R adds the option of 'Deep Black Pearl'.

A Volkswagen executive has indicated the brand is considering a small, Polo-based ute with a decision likely to be made this year.Martina Biene is the new CEO of Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA), and she's aiming to keep things on track for the Africa

Volkswagen Australia has bumped up prices for most of its models coming into 2023, with some new car prices increasing by as much as $1500.

The Volkswagen Touareg is in the large SUV family, and its size does not disappoint. But, does the beefy price tag of this five seater match up to its grandeur? Keep reading to find out.

In a post-dieselgate world, for the general car-buying population as well as car brand marketing teams, diesel is a little bit of a dirty word.