2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S, Part Two

Exterior Design: ****
The 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan puts its best face forward, literally. The front fascia borrows more from the attractive Touareg and CC than its platform-mate, the bland Rabbit. The proportions look muscular enough to tackle harsh roads (it actually isn't), sporty enough to best the competition on the track (it won't) and roomy enough to stow your gear (it can't). Even from the back, the Tiguan is still attractive despite being a touch bland.
Interior Design: **
The interior is the familiar Volkswagen design, borrowing a radio from the SportWagen, the transmission position of the Golf and the steering wheel from the generic VW parts bin. What sets the cockpit apart from the rest of the VW lineup is higher positioning of the control surface on the dash. The seats fold forward all the way, including the front passenger seat, stretching the usability of the interior. All in all, it's nothing to write home about.

Acceleration: ***
The turbo four, the standard engine for every version of the Tiguan, propels the Tiguan to 60 mph in just under eight seconds. It's enough power to quickly accelerate past traffic at highway speeds when the six-speed tiptronic transmission is in "sport" mode. In "regular" mode the transmission takes its time, almost as if it needs to call VW headquarters to make sure it's cleared to speed up before acceleration commences.

Braking: ****
As competent as the Tiguan's brakes are, and they're perfect for a vehicle this size, the parking brake is perhaps the neatest feature. Unlike the typical lever-activated handbrake or the modern push-button job, the VW has a paddle-actuated electronic parking brake with Auto Hold, which allows the driver to set the car to automatically engage the brake if on a hill. This serves almost no purpose on this tiptronic-equipped car but would have been awesome if we'd had been given a manual model to test.

Ride: ***
Even with the same three-spoke steering wheel as the Rabbit, you'll not be easily confused about what VW you're cruising in. The Tiguan offers an enjoyably soft ride ideal for the kind of customer it's going to attract. Crossing long stretches of highway there's little excess vibration and not a hint of harshness.

Handling: **
Though the steering response is quick and the crossover has a tight steering angle, the Tiguan's height and excess weight conspire against it when it comes to piloting around turns. Perhaps it's because they've played up the sportiness of the Tiguan so much, but I felt it didn't meet expectations. Too much lean. Too much chirp in the corners. Nothing about the handling helps the Tiguan differentiate itself from the competition.

Gearbox: ***
Not surprisingly, we'd recommend the six-speed manual over the tiptronic six-speed automanual. In normal driving, the transmission suffers from a high-school-Senior-early-accepted-to-Notre-Dame level of torpor. Choosing to select your own gears doesn't help much, either. The "sport" mode, however, selects slightly more aggressive shift points and speeds up the process.

Audio: **
Though the sound coming out of the 8-speaker system isn't bad, the basic in-dash CD system is too simple. The buttons are too large and the display too small, as if it were a Fisher Price My First Car Radio. Even more annoying, all models come with an auxiliary iPod port but this radio is unable to interface with it. It just sits there and basically mocks you. Booooo.

Toys: *
In S trim, the basest of base levels, the Tiguan doesn't offer much more than the auto hold feature as an added extra. If you want to expand the definition of toy, the rear seat features a fold-flat section with built-in cupholders. Yeah! Cupholders.

Value: ***
The Tiguan is well positioned as a vehicle slightly nicer than the cheaper-feeling and lower-priced Escape, with a better look than the Vue and performance not that far off from the significantly more expensive Acura RDX. Assuming good reliability, and this is a large assumption, the added cost may be worth it to someone who is not moved by the domestic or Japanese offerings but can't swing a Lexus.

Overall: ***
Based on the rest of the segment, Volkswagen has accomplished no small feat with the Tiguan. They've built a CUV with sporty looks and the quickness necessary to appeal to buyers who think it's what they want, but cushy and comfortable enough to meet their actual needs. If I needed the space and wanted a VW I'd be more inclined towards the more nimble SportWagen. But, the Tiguan's a vehicle something I'd let my girlfriend get without much protest.

2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S, Part One

As legend has it, Abraham Lincoln walked three miles through the snow to return a book because it was the honorable thing to do. That's nothing. I drove 164 miles through Texas in a 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S to return a book because I've got a bad history of losing my best friend's books. I once loaned one to someone who took it to Spain and then loaned it to someone else who took it to San Francisco. I systematically destroyed another one with notes, dog-earing and misuse. Another one just disappeared altogether. I was on the verge of forever losing borrowing privileges from my few remaining friends. What else could I do? I headed towards Austin.

The book in question, Nixonland by Rick Perlstein, was rather appropriate for the trip I was making. It discusses how Richard Nixon managed to take us from a country that overwhelmingly elected Lyndon Johnson and his Great Society to one that overwhelmingly elected Nixon and his secretive society.

I say appropriate because Austin, my destination, is full of the kind of liberal McGovernites that Nixon used to divide the country to his advantage. Volkswagen has always been the brand of liberals [well, post Hitler – Ed.]. From the Volkswagen Beetles of the free love generation to the Passat station wagons of the yuppie crowd, if you see that VeeDub logo on the front you're more likely to see a "visualize world peace" sticker than a "Newt in 2012" one.

But the genius of Nixon wasn't that he divided the world into liberals and conservatives or Republicans and Democrats, it was that he split society into the elites and everyone else. Perlstein focuses on an undergraduate election at the Whittier College, where Nixon won the election for president of the student body by taking on the campus elite, represented by an organization called The Franklins. Nixon formed his own group, The Orthogonian Society, made up of everyone else. He won by a large margin.

Driving from Houston to Austin I had plenty of time to consider whether the Tiguan, in a compact crossover segment that's becoming increasingly crowded, is an Orthigonian everyman like the Ford Escape or in the more elite company of the Infiniti EX35. Who would drive the Tiguan? Richard Nixon or John Lindsey?

On the open road the torquey turbo four, shared with just about every other VW product, has a distinctly European feel to it. The quick response and ample torque across the rev range suggests good breeding and a life spent at boarding schools. Think Phillips Exeter Academy or Georgetown Prep. I hoped, while passing through Bastrop County, a notoriously Orthogonian area, that no one would notice the Franklinesque nature of the powertrain.

Pulling into Austin I predictably hit traffic and decide to carve my way through some hilly backstreets on the way to my friend's house. Here's where the Tiguan finds a more common attitude. It's a familiar ride to anyone who has driven a car in this segment. Not overly soft or abrasive. Not exciting but not disappointing. Though it shares a platform with the Golf/Rabbit/GTI family you'd be forgiven for not realizing it around turns as this crossover is a victim of its size and (car) class. It's height adding lean and vagueness, but its size retaining enough of the Golf's nimbleness to ensure it never feels totally out of its element around bends. Orthogonions would approve.

When I finally caught up with Dan he inspected the book and was satisfied to see that it was in almost perfect condition. It was time to repair to dinner so, along with his girlfriend, we hopped into the Tiguan. Dan, like many Austinites, drives a Volkswagen Golf when not using public transportation and is therefore familiar with the automaker's appointments. He liked it. Even in the basest of trims the Volkswagen stands above its non-luxury competitors — the Ford Escape and Saturn Vue — in terms of design, material and feel. The Tiguan's interior is light, airy, uncluttered and made from high quality materials; no cheap plastics or undamped switchgear in here. It's big too, the body's added height adding a roominess the Golf it's based on is totally lacking. A point for the Franklins.

I point out the folding seats and rather simple radio as a way of racking up more points for the common set, hoping to get the kind of even balance that makes these kinds of comparisons more relevant, but it doesn’t quite work. Driving around in a German CUV, even one that isn't particularly luxurious, is still driving around in a European car. An impoverished Duke is still a Duke.

In the end, the Tiguan ends up being not common enough to be an Orthogonian though not quite luxurious and well bred enough to be a true Franklin. We'll call it a Franklin anyways. As Nixon became more paranoid just about everyone who wasn't completely in support of his presidency became lumped in with the Franklins and, were he to know that we were on our way to a place that served gourmet cafeteria food, he'd probably consider us Franklins too

2009 GTI

Like the original “hot hatch” icon that first appeared on U.S. shores in 1983, the 2009 GTI serves as Volkswagen’s shining example of what affordable, sporty performance looks like — and acts like.
With a starting price of $22,990, the latest GTI offers all the refinement and technology found on vehicles that cost thousands more. More than anything else, the GTI delivers an exhilarating driving experience — enhanced via a lowered “sport stance” suspension — that strikes directly at the hearts and souls of those with an affinity for the brand and authentic European engineering.

Highlights

• Optional Autobahn package
• Standard equipped ESP
• 2.0-liter FSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine
• Upgraded 4 wheel disc brakes

Engine and Transmission
The heart of the GTI’s performance capability comes in the form of its 2.0-liter FSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a 16-valve DOHC gasoline powerplant with a high compression ratio of 10.6:1 and maintenance-free hydraulic lifters for smooth, worry-free operation.
The advanced, compact powerplant — a pocket rocket in its own right -- incorporates a fully electronic engine management system and includes drive-by-wire throttle control and FSI direct injection for optimal fuel delivery, which increases power and improves efficiency while reducing emissions.
Engineered to the GTI promise, the 2.0T engine produces 200 horsepower at 5100 rpm and 207 lbs.-ft. of torque between 1800 and 5000 rpm. When combined with a standard six-speed manual transmission, it takes the GTI from 0-60 miles per hour in 7.2 seconds and to an electronically governed top speed of 130 mph. Yet -- with redline at just 6,500 rpm -- power delivery is smooth and relaxed, evident by the 7.5-second acceleration from 37 to 62 mph in fifth gear.
With the six-speed manual transmission, the 2009 GTI delivers a very efficient EPA-estimated 31 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg in the city.
When equipped with an optional, advanced automatic DSG® transmission, the GTI travels from 0-60 mph in a mere 6.9 seconds without sacrificing efficiency. The EPAestimated fuel economy of the GTI with DSG is 29 mpg in highway driving and 22 mpg in city driving conditions.
Like the 2.0T FSI engine, the dual-clutch DSG transmission is one of the GTI’s technical highlights. It utilizes direct shifting that automatically engages and disengages gears without the need for a clutch pedal. A computer engages one clutch on the next gear that’s needed, just as it releases the other clutch from the previous gear. The shifts are seamless and happen without the power loss associated with a traditional clutched shift.
Launch Control, combined with the DSG transmission, helps get the GTI off the line a little faster and with a little more “show.” The Launch Control program allows the engine to rev before the first clutch is engaged. The result is a controlled wheel-spin at launch.
The DSG transmission gives drivers a choice of fully-automatic operation, with no further driver involvement necessary beyond selecting “D.” The advanced transmission also offers automated manual shifting for drivers who prefer to be more involved in the gear-change process. The DSG with Volkswagen Tiptronic® lets drivers shift gears up and down with a tap of the gearshift selector or finger-operated shiftpaddles mounted to the steering wheel.
Chassis and Suspension
Beneath the 2009 GTI is a fully independent, sports-tuned suspension, a refinement that enhances overall vehicle dynamics and the hot hatch’s cornering agility. The front suspension incorporates a proven McPherson strut configuration with lower wishbones; aluminum subframe for reduced unsprung mass; tubular stabilizer bar; and track stabilization steering roll radius that helps create a more direct steering ratio and reduces body roll tendencies in tight turns.
The sophisticated four-link independent rear suspension carries a separate spring/shock absorber arrangement; subframe; and tubular stabilizer bar — the result is an optimal marriage of sporty performance with enhanced rear seat ride comfort. The configuration also enables a larger rear hatch opening for more cargo.
Large disc brakes (312- x 25-mm front/286- x 12-mm rear) are nestled behind 17- inch alloy wheels and are showcased via red-painted calipers. The GTI continues its mission as a driver’s car with handling precision enabled via its electromechanical power rack-and-pinion steering system with a 15.6:1 steering ratio.
The system is tuned to ensure extremely good on-center feel, confident straight-line, and exceptional responsiveness to inputs that results in a connected-to-the-road feel. At the same time, it provides the added capability of active-return steering and straight-ahead driving correction assistance.

Volkswagen may build Polo at Mexico plant

Volkswagen will be bringing its next-generation Polo to the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March. While the German automaker will be building a sedan at its new Chattanooga, Tenn., plant, it will add the new Polo to its Mexico plant making it more cost effective to sell in the U.S.

The next-generation Volkswagen Polo should arrive in U.S. dealers sometimes in 2011. Of course by that time there may be a minor facelift here or there.

What is yet to be confirmed is whether or not V-Dub will offer a high-performance 178-hp GTI version of the Polo.

Source: AutoWeek

Production Volkswagen BlueSport coming in 2012

According to one of Volkswagen’s key engineers, the mid-engined Volkswagen BlueSport roadster concept that was unveiled in Detroit earlier this week is at least three years away from production. What’s the reason for the three year wait?  The BlueSport is produced from production parts from a new transverse front-engined MQB platform that isn’t going to be produced until 2012 so since the roadster can’t borrow from the Volkswagen pars bin it will have to wait until then.

However, the production model shouldn’t be much of a change from what we saw in Detroit. According to advanced design chief Thomas Inglenath, the BlueSport was designed to be production ready.

Volkswagen says that the BlueSport will take on the likes of the Mazda MX-5, Honda S2000 and the Lotus Elise.

Volkswagen BlueSport Concept in Action

The Volkswagen BlueSport Concept was originally supposed to make its debut at the 2008 LA Auto Show. However, hoping to save some cost (we have no idea how), Volkswagen decided to delay the launch of the roadster concept for Detroit.

Power for the Volkswagen BlueSport Concept comes from a 2.0 TDI common-rail injection that makes a total of 180-hp. It runs from 0 to 62 in 6.6 seconds with a top speed of 140 mph.

When will it be put into production? According to a Volkswagen’s engineers you won’t see the production BlueSport Concept hit the roads until 2012 (click here to learn more if you’re interested).

Volkswagen planning a US-market Polo

Speaking at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen development chief Ulrich Hackenberg said that the German automaker is planning to sell its subcompact Polo model in the U.S. to take advantage of the increasing ehtusiasm for smaller and more fuel-efficient cars shown by American buyers.

“The small-car segment is the fastest growing segment in the U.S.,” said Hackenberg in an interview with Automotive News. “Oil prices will rise again and that will drive small car sales up further.”

He said that production of the U.S. Polos could take place at Volkswagen’s Puebla, Mexico plant; however, he didn’t mention when the Polo will officially go on sale in the U.S.

The next-generation Volkswagen Polo will make its world debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March. A high-performance Polo GTI is expected to debut later this year.