Car Throttle

In the United States, the Golf has never been Volkswagen's largest seller. Here, we prefer vehicles of the sedan variety over their hatchback counterparts. Proof? Last month, VW sold 16,955 Jettas. The Golf, including Rabbit, GTI and R32 variants rings in at a decidedly lower 3,382 units. in Europe, the case is much different. The Golf is the brand's most important model. As such, VW has announced a redesigned Golf Cabriolet variant. The original model launched in 1979, and while it's grown quite a lot in size, power and feature since then, it still remains remarkably true to form. The Golf Cabriolet's is a soft top, but power operated, taking 9.5 seconds to retract. It can be operated safely at speeds up to 18 mph. The car

Lately products from the Volkswagen brand hasn't exactly been aimed at enthusiasts. In fact, new models are going for a broader section of the market than ever before. The 2011 Jetta has ditched the previous car's more premium design and price tag for a middle-of-the-road approach. That is set to continue across the lineup with new models such as the NMS (New Mid-Size Sedan) Passat replacement . Audi, on the other hand, has been consistently delivering the performance goods that appeal to enthusiasts. We'd like a little more of that over at the (cheaper) Volkswagen brand. VW North America has confirmed that the R20, successor to the previous V-6 powered R32, will be making its way to our shores "at the request of

The Volkswagen Polo GTI, introduced at the Geneva Auto Show has made waves as being the true successor to the original Golf GTI. It is a good bit smaller than the current Golf and closer to the intended mission of the original (not that we don't love the current Golf GTI). Now VW has the Golf GTI making literal waves in this new video - but snow waves, that is. No doubt an entertaining car to drive in any iteration, the new video shows the little white Polo GTI sliding around in the expanses of snow. 178 horsepower, 184 pound feet of torque and a curb weight of only about 2505 pounds to throw around. Fun? Oh yeah. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f7Se8AMi4I

Volkswagen is on a roll globally, with the company rolling out successful new products and successfully completing a purchase of Porsche. The new Polo was introduced at the Geneva Auto Show last year, debuting with VW's new design theme. It's time to spice things up now with the GTI. The way vehicle segments have grown with each passing generation, it seems as if the Polo is the de facto successor to the original, MK1 Golf. Small, sporty and lightweight Styling changes aren't extreme , but they manage to provide a good effect. There is a new front bumper and airdam, along with the GTI staple honeycomb grille with horizontal red strips and GTI badge. There are also new headlight units with the option of LED running lights that

There's a metric ton of exciting new metal coming out at Frankfurt this year. The list is pretty long:  R8 drop-top, Ferrari 458, a bunch of cool concept cars, a new Bugatti, supercars galore, little diesel-hybrid things, and god knows what else.  What am I most excited about the debut of, though?  ...A Volkswagen Golf.  Well, this Volkswagen Golf, to be particular. This is the new Golf R20, the high-performance variant of the new MKVI Golf/Jetta chassis.  You may notice a name change, and you're not to be blamed for thinking it isn't for the better.  The R20 replaces the Golf R32 as the top dog in VW's staid, sensible family hatchback range.  Where as the previous Golf R32 had a howling 24v 3.2L VR6 motor (a

Volkwagen's been one busy company lately. They're revamping their entire Golf lineup to improve refinement and reduce overall build cost as they transition to the MKVI, and the latest update is to the Golf Estate - known in the US as the Jetta Wagon. The updates are pretty minimal, to be honest.  The front end has been swapped for the new, narrow-eyed MKVI front end already seen on the regular Golf.  Around back, the taillights have been tweaked for added newness, and the lower body panels are painted body-color.  Err, and that's about it. Of course, the interior has been completely redone with the new MKVI dash layout and gauges, which I think is a nice look.  And the Jetta Wagon's still got 1,495L of maximum storage

It's a VW tradition.  Every year at the Worthersee show in southern Austria, which is the largest VW and Audi show in the world, VW usually debuts some fantastic concept cars to thousands of adoring fans.  A few years ago, it was a MKV Golf with a twin-turbocharged W12 mounted where the back seats go, driving the rear wheels.  In a sign of the times, this year it's a pair of spruced-up production hatchbacks: a MKVI GTi and a new Polo.  While they're not overendowed with weapons-grade horsepower (sadly), they do present distinctly producable packages for the Golf and Polo. The GTi Worthersee is a modified new Golf GTI, and the biggest difference is the paint - called Firespark Metallic, it's a deep-deep-deep cherry red with

One topic that automotive enthusiasts can never seem to agree on is: what is the best-sounding car? I realize it's a HIGHLY subjective field, and there isn't a possible definitive answer.  Everyone has different tastes in what sounds good - heck, some people think Harley V-Twin's sound good - but I've compiled my top ten favorite automotive noises here for you to pass your judgement on.  I think they cover a wide spread, but I welcome your comments and critiques on my choices.

10) Subaru EJ20ET Displacement: 2.0L Mechanical Layout: 180° Horizontally-opposed Flat Four Valvetrain: Dual overhead cam, 4v/cyl Aspiration: Turbocharged Applications: Subaru WRX

The EJ20 is one of the most unique sounding powerplants out there.  It's got this off-beat staccato burble

These days, the 1980's have something of a bad reputation. There was Rick Astley,MC Hammer pants, Metallica (personal opinion here!), a minor recession, massive inflation, and a general air of bad taste was prevalent.  However, you have to give the 1980's it's fair share of credit.  Cars were quite bad in the 1970's; by the 1990's the automotive world was well on it's way to the glorious state it's in now.  Cars of the 70's were awful almost entirely without exception; they were inefficient, unattractive, poorly performing, poorly built, crippled by emissions regulations, and filled with tacky tasteless features. The 1980's bridged that gap between then general feeling of Malaise in the 70's, and the revival of the automobile as we know it.  It was a

VW's 3rd-generation Golf GTi wasn't an absolute hit with fans of the original hot hatch when it was new, but thankfully as time goes by the appreciation for these cars has grown in the VW community to an impressive level, where today we're seeing really classy MKIII's on a regular basis.  Today's picture comes from NCDubs.org member VDUBNLUVN, courtersy of the "favorite shot of your car" thread. I'm a big fan of the fish-eye lens effect - it works well with the industrial background, and provides a great contrast the clean lines of this slammed MkIII.  The Europlate's a nice touch, too.