volkswagen

Twenty days, 48 states, and 9,419 miles after leaving Bluefield, Va., John and Helen Taylor arrived in West Virginia as Guinness World Record holders for fuel economy around the country. The Volkswagen- and Shell Oil-sponsored trip was completed in a showroom stock 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI and 11.04 tanks of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. The hypermiling couple finished with an official 58.82 U.S. mpg, which averages out to 6.9 cents per mile.

The Taylors credit smooth driving and proper vehicle maintenance, amongst other techniques, for their record-setting fuel economy.

Edited: Thanks to our astute readers … Read more

One of the first things we noted about the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S is its similarity to Volkswagen's hot hatch, the GTI MkV. Both vehicles have 200 horsepower 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines. Both have about the same amount of passenger space and a similar wheelbase and track width. Aside from the Tiguan's taller stance, you'd be hard pressed to note any difference between the two vehicles when driven with a degree of civility.

However, when driven aggressively, the differences become more apparent.

Read the full 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S review.

One of the bugbears for greenhorns taking their driving test is the grind of parking. Fail this, and you can kiss your license goodbye. Until the next test, that is.

The bad news is you still have to pass your parking to score a license. The good news is, once you do, you may never have to worry about parking again. You can get your own chauffeur--or Volkswagen is bringing its Tiguan to Singapore roads, joining the rarified car marques here like Toyota Estima Aeras in offering an intelligent parking system.

Volkswagen's 2-liter SUV will launch in early September in the Republic with its nifty auto-parking feature. But like the Toyota, this is extended as an option. So if you desire this functionality, factor in an additional amount (price to be revealed later) to the car's $74,425 sticker (with COE, for 150bhp turbo engine; $88,600 for the 200bhp version).

There's another catch: this only parallel parks and it isn't quite fully automatic. Volkswagen only recently showcased its second-gen auto-parking system that will do vertical lots and doesn't even require a warm body in the car while parking. … Read more

The Pebble Beach Concours D'elegance is best known for meticulously preserved or restored classic cars, but more automakers are seeing the event as a launchpad for new models and special editions that cater to the opulence and exclusive nature of the event.

This year was no different with special editions from Lexus and Volkswagen, a new model from Bugatti and a one-off showcase from coachbuilders Pininfarina.

View 2008 Pebble Beach special editions slide show.

After having images of the 2009 Golf Mk VI leak to the Net ahead of the official Wednesday reveal, Volkswagen has gone ahead and released the details surrounding the new Golf, which will launch in Europe in October.

Among the details outlined in the press release are side mirrors that are aerodynamically designed to get less dirty and reduce wind noise; but we're not interested in side mirrors. We want the tech!

Firstly, VW has replaced its conventional automatic option with its dual-clutched DSG transmission in all but the most basic trim levels. The DSG will be either a … Read more

Official images of the 2009 Volkswagen Golf Mk VI have leaked to the Net, and it looks like the new VW Golf will look a lot like the old VW Golf. Surprise!

VW has made incremental styling changes, such as the replacement of the current Golf's "goatee," with a face that's similar to (but less sporty than) the world market VW Sirocco. But the overall look is still more "facelift" than "new model."

The 2009 Golf's powertrain options are still subject to speculation, but the general consensus is that VW will offer a range of turbocharged gasoline and diesel direct-injected motors and that VW's DSG transmission will be somewhere in the mix. More specific details will undoubtedly be revealed when VW officially unveils the 2009 Golf on Wednesday.

In the meantime, enjoy the images after the break.… Read more

According to information found on popular Volkswagen enthusiast site, VW Vortex, Volkswagen of America has announced that owners of the Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen will be eligible for a $1,300 federal income tax credit. This announcement is affirmed by the Internal Revenue Service, which has issued a certification letter that defines the credit more specifically as the Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle income tax credit.

Factoring in this new tax credit, the clean diesel Jetta is only about $700 more expensive than the gasoline version. While this is good news for VW, it's not like they … Read more

Volkswagen showed off its fourth generation fuel cell research vehicle in San Francisco, making its North American debut. This vehicle, built into Volkswagen's new Tiguan crossover model, uses hydrogen to create electricity, providing power for the car's electric drive motor. It also has a lithium ion battery pack for extra electricity storage, and gets the gasoline equivalent of 42-to-62 miles per gallon. A Volkswagen spokesman predicted a consumer version in 7 years to 10 years, when a hydrogen refueling infrastructure is built up.

Click here for photos of the Volkswagen HyMotion fuel cell vehicle.

The small wagon, one of the most practical body styles, is back with the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagon. The small wagon mostly gave way to the more sporty hatchbacks in the 1990s, but Volkswagen seems confident in the body style, launching the wagon version of its Jetta sedan. There isn't much difference between the Jetta sedan and the Jetta SportWagon when it comes to the drive train or cabin electronics, which is really too bad. We were hoping for Volkswagen's next-generation navigation system, which we saw in the Passat CC at the 2008 Detroit auto show. And the … Read more