Nother CarGuy

VW has finally pulled the covers off the all-new, eighth generation Golf GTI and its siblings, the plug-in hybrid GTE and diesel GTD. As expected, the new VW Golf GTI isn’t a fan of loud styling exercises, opting instead for a more subtle approach to display its high-performance underpinnings. The front end is dominated by the one-piece honeycomb-pattern lower grille that features the striking, but optional, X-shaped foglights. The standard LED headlights are united via a thin LED strip with another colored strip runs across the width of VW’s iconic hot hatch – finished in red for the GTI, blue for the GTE and silver for the GTD. Moving on to the sides and we find a set of new 17-inch Richmond alloy wheels offered as standard to the Golf GTI. VW will also offer 18- and 19-inch wheels as an option while the brake calipers are finished in the classic red. The side skirts are also wider and finished in black. The rear end of the new VW Golf GTI gets a sporty diffuser, alo...

Volkswagen disappointed rally fans when it withdrew from the World Rally Championship at the end of last season. Now, less than a year later, the German automaker has announced its return to the rally scene, just in a very different capacity. Instead of fielding its own Polo R WRC in the top-tier rally series, VW is preparing to offer another version of the Polo to customer teams. Previewed for the first time in this teaser sketch, the new Polo GTI R5 is being built by the same people behind the previous version – including VW Motorsport technical director François-Xavier “FX” Demaison and Sebastien Ogier's race engineer Gerard-Jan de Jongh. Full specifications haven't been announced, but the R5 is being based on the new Polo GTI with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine employing direct injection to channel 270 horsepower to all four wheels through a five-speed sequential gearbox. “With the Polo GTI R5 we are hoping to transfer our expertise from four WRC titles t...

Volkswagen has unveiled its bold Golf GTI First Decade concept ahead of its public debut tomorrow at the annual Worthersee meeting. The concept, the 10th created by VW apprentices for the Golf event, is powered by a small petrol engine delivering 404 hp through the front wheels and a 17 hp electric motor that drives the rear wheels. Volkswagen says that the car can be configured to be solely front wheel drive, run in all-electric rear-wheel drive mode or in combined mode where both the ICE and electric motor work hand-in-hand. To charge the two batteries in the rear of the hatchback, the 13 Volkswagen apprentices have designed a regenerative braking system. Visually, the Golf GTI First Decade stands out thanks to the dark blue and light blue livery, black and blue wheels, a rear spoiler from the GTI Clubsport and a number of badges reading ‘First Decade’ and ‘10’. In the cabin, blue trimmings can also be found, as can a 1,690-watt sound system with 11 speakers and a subwoofer....

To many enthusiasts (and with apologies to Peugeot), the letters GTI mean one thing and one thing only, and that's a hot Golf. But Volkswagen applies the treatment to smaller Polo as well. And now it's going even smaller. Set to debut next week before the gathered enthusiasts at Lake Wörthersee is the Volkswagen Up! GTI. Though the show car is billed as a concept, VW promises a production version to follow early next year. To live up to the name, the city car has been upgraded to 113 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque. (Though the turbocharged engine's other parameters have not been disclosed, other versions of the Up! Employ a 1.0-liter inline-three.) With only 1,786 pounds to motivate, that's said to be enough for a 9.0-second 0-62 time and a top speed of 122 miles per hour. Now before you go turning up your nose at those figures, VW's eager to point out that it's pretty close to the specs of the original MkI Golf GTI. That “ur-GTI” produced slightly ...

Volkswagen might have restructured their product plans in the aftermath of the  Dieselgate , but they won't focus solely on  electrified powertrains .  In fact, the Germans are said to be working on a  range-topping version of the Up!  city car, which will be named the GTI. Coming to back up this statement is  AutoExpress , who claim to have driven such a prototype in South Africa, and the verdict is on the positive side.  " VW has given its smallest car a real grown-up GTI feel. Just like the Golf GTIs, the Up! has that blend of fast fun and everyday usability. Our early drive shows plenty of promise with decent performance, the all-important GTI feel and excellent quality. It's just a shame we're going to have to wait so long for it ", the Brit publication wrote.  The more potent member of the  city car  is said to use a 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine, with increased compression ratio and a high-pressure...

Volkswagen launched the Golf VII almost four years ago, so it comes as no surprise the people from Wolfsburg are readying a mid-cycle refresh. According to  AutoBlog.nl , this is it. Our Dutch colleagues managed to get their hands on several images allegedly depicting the inbound facelift for the regular hatchback and estate, as well as for the spicy GTI version. To be honest, you’d have to be a diehard Golf fan to spot the differences between the current model and the facelifted version right away. The most obvious change is noticeable at the front where Europe’s best-selling car has received a new set of headlights. According to the rumor mill, the facelifted Golf range will gain full LED headlights as optional equipment, unlike the outgoing version which is available with LED lights only in the electric e-Golf and the plug-in hybrid Golf GTE models. Other than the new front lighting clusters, the 2017 VW Golf will have slightly ...

VW presented its new hardcore Golf GTI Clubsport S that not only gains the title of the fastest  front-wheel-drive production car  on the Nürburgring, but also eclipses some recent high-output entries like BMW’s M4 and Dodge’s Hellcat. The Golf GTI Clubsport S completed a full lap on the Nordschleife in 07:49:21, versus the new  306hp (310PS) Honda Civic Type R’s  7:50.63, the 425hp BMW M4’s 7:52 and the 707hp  Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat’s  7:51.51. That’s a pretty impressive feat given that the hottest ever production Golf GTI makes a whole lot less power than either of those two rear-wheel drive models, with the re-tuned 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder pumping out 306hp (310PS) and 380Nm (280 lb-ft) of peak torque at between 1,700 and 5,300 rpm. One of the secrets behind the  Golf GTI Clubsport S’ track capabilities  is a 30kg (66 pounds) reduction over the already slimmed down GTI Clubsport pushing its curb weight down to 1,280kg (2,8...