Car Throttle

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.

Well, it a wrap for today, and I thought I'd do a recap of some of the other debuts that happened today. I was over at the Subaru display area, and their new Legacy took the stage, in three different versions. They include the 4 cylinder 2.5i available with a new CVT transmission, the 2.5GT that receives a 265HP turbocharged engine, and the 3.6R with a new, more powerful, 256HP flat six. The Legacy itself, celebrating 20 years as a nameplate, competes with the much larger mid-sized vehicles in it's class like the Camry and the Accord. While Subaru was introducing their Legacy, Volkswagen has introduced the new GTI and Golf models. The Golf will introduce a 2 liter TDI clean diesel with 140HP and

With each and every passing generation of the automobile, one thing (pretty much) remains constant: "More is more." It seems to be what we all want, and so that's what we get.  More size, more weight, more features, more safety equipment, and more power.  More more more, each and every time.  Today's Civic looks gigantic compared to the original Accord - and the Accord these days is about as big as an Impala, which is disgusting. Cars these days are huge, and for the most part have way too much power.  They're losing the plot and losing the point, losing focus and losing touch.  Sure, there's more, and sometimes more's better.  Like when there's not enough to begin with.  But the American mentality of "more is

Well that was quick! After reintroducing the classic (and successful) Rabbit name to great fanfare for 2006, VW has announced that the name Golf is returning for the next generation model. This will help unify the brand around and save on marketing costs. Those little Rabbit logos cost a lot you know..... Yeah, I think it looks better as a Golf too. More prestige in the name? Maybe. VW thought the move would draw attention -  it did - and boost sales by linking to an iconic name. Anywhow, the venture didn't turn out too well as they didn't get the kind of sales they were looking for. I think they had a hard time marketing the car to men as well. The little Rabbit logo, etc. "Hey guys, I

For those craving the performance and handling of VW's legendary GTI, but wanting something a bit more sensible, VW might have just the car for you.  As long as you don't have a problem with pumping from the smelly pump, that is. It's called the Golf GTD, and it's just what you'd imagine - a GTI with a diesel engine.  Thankfully, it's a rather good diesel - VW's high-output 2.0L TDI, now with commonrail direct injection and a 16-valve head.  It compresses dead dinosaurs at an extremely high ratio to create 170bhp@4200rpm, and a  healthy peak torque of 258lb-ft (350nM) between 1,750 and 2,500rpm. This means that although the GTD is down about 40 horsepower on the GTI, it's got nearly 60 lb-ft more torque.  VW states