Volkswagen

With EVs and Hybrids slowly starting to take over, the manual transmission that once widely served as the standard for entry-level models has now become an expensive option and sought-after commodity for sports cars and hot hatches. We’ve explained why the manual transmission is living on borrowed time and even gone into depth on how BMW is slowly moving away from the manual transmission too. Meanwhile, other automakers like Porsche are trying to remain true to their manual roots. The continuity of the manual transmission is a mixed bag, no doubt, but as it turns out, Volkswagen is going to go the route of Porsche, which is now even offering certain trims of the 911 with a manual, by keeping the manual transmission on the cars as long as there is a demand for it.

The Volkswagen ID.4 comes into VW’s lineup as the second new electric vehicle to the lineup and is based on the previous ID Crozz show cars. It is the brand’s first electric SUV, and it resides in the compact segment, which allows it to return decent range and power for its size. This is what we know about it.

The 2020 Volkswagen Touareg R is a high-performance version of the familiar midsize SUV. Unveiled in February 2020, ahead of the Geneva Motor Show, the 2020 Touareg R is the first of its kind to boast an "R" badge. It’s also the first R model with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain and the first range-topping variant of any Volkswagen nameplate to feature electrification.

The 2020 Touareg R also makes the Touareg the third VW nameplate to offer a hybrid model after the Golf and the Passat. Because Volkswagen no longer offers the Touareg in the United States, where it has been replaced by the Atlas, the Touareg R won’t cross the pond to North America. Let’s find out more about this SUV in the review below.

Volkswagen took the time to reveal the new Volkswagen Golf GTI, GTD, and GTE before their official debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. Surely, customers have no reason to complain should they want to get a more performance-focused Golf, because VW is offering a hybrid, a gasoline, and a diesel model as alternatives to various preferences or needs.

If the recent rumors hold any truth, the audacious VW ID.R all-electric racer did serve a higher purpose than it was initially thought. It will lend a hand in developing the next-generation all-electric sports cars that VW plans to deliver by 2025.

Mind you, the said sports cars will only inherit a fraction of the ID.R’s mad performance potential - most likely in the form of e-motor technology and perhaps battery know-how, but that should make them less capable on the road.

The McLaren 720S has been instilling fear into every out-and-out supercar, muscle car, and sports car you can think of. It has more drag race wins under its belt than we can count and it’s arguably one of the most quick-accelerating cars on sale today. But it is no match for the audacious Volkswagen ID.R.

The Volkswagen Arteon came to our attention back in 2017, during its unveil at the Geneva Motor Show. Three years into the fastback-shaped sedan’s career, Volkswagen is planning to give the Arteon a well-deserved nip and tuck which would keep customer interest fresh and address the areas that needed further improvements.

With the refreshed Arteon, however, we’re expecting Volkswagen to introduce a spicier, more performance oriented version under its notorious R badge. Our suspicions are backed up by a recent set of spy shots that show a virtually undisguised test mule that wears a lot of R-specific features. Allow us to detail, then.

We spied the upcoming Volkswagen Golf GTI once again and this time it was the hotter TCR version.

The TCR will of course have more power than a normal GTI and it will also be more driver focused. Where the regular GTI will have 180 kW / 245 horsepower, the TCR will have a mighty 221 kW / 300 horsepower. And like the old GTI TCR, the power goes via a DSG dual clutch gearbox and a locking differential to the front wheels. No manual option is planned as for now.

The brake discs are drilled and the suspension is lower and more firm compared to a standard GTI. The intercooler hidden behind the front bumper looks slightly bigger than on the standard GTI but we are not really sure.

There will of course also be some optical changes like special wheels and oval exhaust pipes. The rear spoiler on the production ready car will be bigger than on this prototype and the interior will also be special for the TCR.

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen! It’s been a long road to get to this point, but now we’re finally getting our first look at the next-generation Volkswagen Golf R. A test mule of the big daddy Golf R was recently spotted doing some test runs in the snow, and yes, this particular prototype is wearing nothing but fresh paint.

There’s no camouflage in sight, allowing us to see the next-generation Golf R in all its glory. Specific details in the prototype present clear markings of the Golf R’s DNA so unless Volkswagen has a surprise for us with a different Golf-based hot hatch, what we’re looking at here is the next-generation Golf R.

There’s no set timetable on when the Golf R is expected to arrive, but with the just-as-new Golf GTI expected to debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen could hold off the Golf R’s debut for later in the year. Or it could join the Golf GTI in Geneva. Either way, the all-new Golf R is here.

Volkswagen showed up to the 2019 New York Auto Show with the Tanoak Pickup concept. Based on the Volkswagen Atlas, the Tanoak concept was fairly well received. So well, in fact, that Volkswagen was even considering bringing it to market. Things were looking so well for the Tanoak, that we even made a rendering of it based on the Atlas at the time. Despite the well reception, though, there was a major question that had to be addressed: Does the market really need another midsized, unibody pickup truck? Can a company that’s hardly touched the pickup segment globally really step in the ring and throw down with brands like Ford, Chevy, or Toyota? As it turns out, the answer is no. Volkswagen knows it, and that’s why the Tanoak will never move beyond the concept stage. Well, at least not in its current form….

Introduced in 2017, the Volkswagen Atlas replaced the Touareg in the United States. Come 2020 and Volkswagen rolled out the first mid-cycle facelift for the midsize SUV, at the Chicago Auto Show. The seven seater boasts mild design changes on the outside, new technology on the inside, but it’s available with the same engines under the hood.

The 2020 Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet is a drop-top version of the company’s subcompact crossover. Launches two years after the coupe regular version, the 2020 T-Roc Cabriolet isn’t just a T-Roc with a soft-top, it also features only two doors instead of four. What’s more, the soft-top has a sleeker design, so the Cabriolet looks sportier than its standard sibling. Inspired by the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet and the Range Rover Evoque Convertible, the 2020 T-Roc Cabriolet is Volkswagen’s only small convertible to date after the discontinuation of the Beetle.

The soft-top and the revised shape of the roof are the only features that set the 2020 T-Roc Cabriolet apart from its standard sibling. The bodywork and the interior are similar, as is the technology package. They’re identical under the hood as well, although the 2020 T-Roc Cabriolet doesn’t yet feature the more powerful gas engines. Volkswagen doesn’t offer diesel mills for this model either. Let’s find out more about this bold convertible in the review below.

The 2021 Volkswagen SMV is a brand-new SUV that the German firm will unleash on the Chinese market sometime in 2020. Based on a concept vehicle unveiled at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show, the SMV is slightly bigger than the Atlas, currently the company’s longest SUV.

Specifically, at 201 inches long the SMV is almost three inches longer than the Atlas, sold as the Teramont in China. The production model doesn’t have an official name yet, but it was spotted testing in cold weather in Sweden. But don’t get your hopes up, although Volkswagen is testing it in Europe, the SMV will be a China-only vehicle. Let’s find out more about it in the speculative review below.

With the Volkswagen Golf 8 here to stay for a while, it was only a matter of time before Volkswagen started declining it into various guises. Hotter guises, that is.

Among those, the first one to make a debut is, according to a recent report coming from Autocar, the Golf GTI. It will be followed by the GTD, which will supposedly share the stage too in Geneva, and later on (read summer 2020) by the Golf R.

We have been itching to get behind the wheel of the 2020 Volkswagen Golf Mk. 8 and would really love to try out the yet-to-be-released Mk. 8 Golf GTi, but we’ve been told we still have to wait a while. To make things good, however, and hold us over, Volkswagen decided to send out an MK. 7 2019 Golf GTi and, while it wasn’t exactly what we wanted, we have to admit that the week we spent with it was beyond memorable.

As you can see from the photo gallery organized into the slider above and the page below, the Golf GTi, even in its older design, is quite the looker. It’s attractive from all angles, and the interior really gives you the feeling that you’re sitting in a proper hot hatch. The flat-bottom steering wheel and eight-inch infotainment displayed helped in the regard, but the overall fitment of the seats and materials put together one hell of a package.

The 2.0-liter turbo-four under the hood isn’t the most powerful four-cylinder on the block – the title is reserved for the Mercedes-AMG A45S – but it’s powerful enough to keep just about any enthusiast happy at 228 ponies and 258 pound-feet of torque. Volkswagen claims that’s good for a 5.7-second sprint to 60 mph, but we actually got there around one-tenth faster. More impressive than that is the fact that this baby is as nimble as can be. The 35.8-foot turning circle means it can turn on a dime (this is much better than both the Focus ST and i30 N that it competes with) while the 5.1-inch ride height feels like the sweet spot in terms of dealing with typical road conditions.

All told, our week with the Golf GTi isn’t one that we’ll forget, and we can’t wait to try out the MK.8 to see just how Volkswagen will manage to improve. Until that happens, though, you can enjoy our massive photo gallery. We’re busy putting together an in-depth review on the 2019 golf GTi, so be sure to check back in with us soon to learn the finer details!

The seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI may still be the most popular hot-hatchback out there, but it’s getting a bit long in the tooth after more than four years on the market. With Ford already working on a new-generation Focus ST, which will be significantly more powerful than the current Golf GTI, Volkswagen needs to roll out a new hatchback really soon. Fortunately, the Germans are already testing the next-generation Golf GTI, which is rumored to break cover sometime in 2019.

Not much is known about the upcoming performance hatchback, but it should borrow many design features seen on recently introduced Volkswagen models, including the sporty Arteon sedan. The company also promises a revolution inside the cabin, including a "total digital environment," according to design chief Klaus Bischoff. Set to use a revised version of the company’s MQB platform, it will also a new engine with power ratings of up to 250 horsepower. Let’s find out more about that in the speculative review below.

Updated 12/30/2019: The 2021 Volkswagen Golf MK8 GTI was caught doing some cold-weather testing with next to no camo and zero padding. Check out the new images and the latest details in our spy shots section below!

Volkswagen will be in attendance at the 2019 SEMA Auto Show, and it’s bringing with it a host of tricked-out SUVs that are built for the American outdoors. Arguably the coolest of these concepts is the Atlas Adventure Concept. It looks the part of an SUV that can handle itself in the Nevada desert with the kind of ease you won’t see from a lot of SUVs offered at SEMA. It comes with a menu of unique equipment, including a clever housing accommodation setup that should make it comfortable for you and yours to enjoy a good night’s sleep under the stars. The Volkswagen Atlas Adventure Concept is one of three Atlas concepts that will be on display at Volkswagen’s booth in the world’s biggest aftermarket auto show.

If you want an eighth-generation, 2020 Volkswagen Golf, you have no choice but to get one with four doors plus a hatch. Just like the brand did with the Polo, it’s nixing the potential of a three-door golf hatch because the body style just didn’t sell well. It’s not surprising considering how hard it was to get into the rear of a three-door, but it’s still a damn shame. Fortunately, independent artist Aksyonov Nikita posted his latest work on Behance to show us just what a three-door MK. 8 Golf would actually look like. It certainly reminds us of simpler times, and it makes the itch for a three-door Mk. 8 Golf come stronger than ever.

Volkswagen held an event in China to show off some of its latest models, including the Vilorian minivan and Tacqua compact crossover, but the highlight of the lineup there was the ID 4 prototype. Undoubtedly, VW plans to enter the Chinese market with the ID 4 compact as well, but since it needs to make a big splash in the states, you’d think that prototype would have been shown here, where the brand has been withholding its new ID lineup.

The 2020 Volkswagen Golf is the eighth-generation of the iconic hatchback. Unveiled in Wolfsburg, Germany, the company’s home town, the 2020 Golf Mk8 shares the same MQB platform as the third-generation Audi A3 and Seat Leon. An evolutionary design on the outside, the 2020 Golf looks similar to its predecessor but employs more angular styling features similar to larger Volkswagen cars and SUVs. The interior is a notable departure from the old car and sports a more upscale design and fresh technology. Under the hood, the 2020 Golf continues to offer gasoline and diesel engines, but Volkswagen started using 48-volt systems and now offers a higher performance hybrid.

Arguably the most advanced vehicle in its class, the 2020 comes with a major drawback: it will be notably more expensive than the competition. Actually, there’s a good chance that the 2020 Golf will be only marginally cheaper than the Audi A3 Sportback, which could become a serious issue for the German automaker. What’s more, the 2020 Golf won’t be sold in the U.S. in base trim, as Volkswagen confirmed that only the GTI and R models will cross the pond to North America.

Volkswagen just launched 2020 Golf Mk8, and by far, the biggest surprise is a hybrid GTE model that cranks out 242 horsepower. That’s more than the outgoing Golf GTI, rated at 227 horsepower in standard form and 242 horses with the Performance Pack. Now that the hybrid GTE is more potent than the regular GTI, is there a future for the GTI badge in the Mk8 lineup?