Volkswagen

With millions of units sold worldwide and some love from a future Pope, this is everything you need to know about the VW Golf mark 4, one of the best AND most boring cars ever made.

I should know, I own one.

So stick around and read until the end to find out how Volkswagen managed to transform a cheap-ish hatchback into basically a premium compact car, paving the way for the luxuryfication of the whole brand. And if that isn’t a word, it is now. Also, it’s one of the best, cheap and most reliable second-hand cars you can buy today, with tons of parts available and easy servicing at home, so it’s got that going for it, I guess…

When you think about compact cars with great tuning potential, 8 out of 10 people would probably think of the Honda Civic. However, in Europe, there’s another popular alternative – the Volkswagen Golf. A while back, a video was circulating around the internet where someone in a Nissan 350Z was chasing a Porsche 997 GT3. At the same time, a stock-looking Golf Mk1 came out of nowhere and embarrassed both the Z-car and the 911, without even a sweat. The Golf on the video is an Mk2 and it’s said to be the fastest on the Nurburgring.

Introduced in 1976 and produced continuously over eight generations as of 2021, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is arguably the world’s most famous and popular hot hatchback. The Golf GTI is often regarded as the world’s first hot hatch and the car that started it all, but it’s no true. There are at least four companies that unleashed performance-oriented hatchbacks before Volkswagen and this article will set the record straight.

Volkswagen has brought back one of its most famous colorways for a one-off showcase that’s sure to delight — and somewhat disappoint — fans who have lived long enough to remember the famous color scheme. Twenty-five years ago, Volkswagen launched the Polo Harlequin — it was called the “Harlekin” in Germany — to tremendous fanfare. The Polo Harlequin ended up being such a big hit that Volkswagen turned it into a limited-run production model.

Fast forward to 2021 and Volkswagen Netherlands decided to tap into the old magic well, bringing back the Harlequin name and colors on a one-off 2021 Volkswagen Polo.

Automakers are coming up with multiple ways to counter range anxiety. Other than developing batteries that offer more miles per charge and fast charging options, there are portable chargers that can be hitched to the back of your ride, too.

Now, Volkswagen has developed a mobile charging robot that can walk up to an EV on its own, charge it up, and walk out of there without any human intervention.

EPA fuel economy estimates for the new, 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 are in and the German EV is just as efficient as the company claimed it would be. The Environmental Protection Agency says that the ID.4 will be able to travel for up to 250 miles on a single change, which is identical to Volkswagen’s forecast for the U.S. market. This figures places the ID.4 above the Standard Range version of the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Back in 2016, Volkswagen launched the first ID concept, signaling the birth of an all-electric sub-brand. Four years later and the German firm introduced the first two ID-badged production models, the ID.3 hatchback and the ID.4 crossover. At least six more electric vehicles are scheduled to hit the roads by 2023 and it seems Volkswagen is also working on a station wagon based on the ID Space Vizzion concept. The latest info coming from Volkswagen says that it will have a range of 700 km (around 435 miles).

Performance and practicality are two words that rarely go together. More often than not we talk about the perfect compromise between the two, rather than the perfect blend. That doesn’t stop manufacturers from trying to give us the best performing version of a normal car.

Station wagons, in particular, seem to be making a comeback and currently, Volkswagen is rigorously testing a more practical version of its Golf R – the Variant. Regardless of which version we talk about, the people’s car from Germany has always been a good all-rounder, but does the Golf R Variant still has what it takes to compete?

Sometimes, a car needs a full redesign to address a fundamental flaw. Perhaps it’s too small, or too big. Maybe its styling is stale or unappealing. Or perhaps its platform can’t support modern needs.

The 2020 Passat has revised interior and exterior styling, more standard features, and an updated engine. That’s a cheaper set of changes than a full redesign, and Volkswagen is passing those savings on to the customer. Is that enough to excuse the Passat’s old bones? Or are you better off opting for a fresher competitor? Here’s what we learned from our time behind the wheel.

Diesel cars have a bad reputation for being slow. And that’s because old diesel cars were indeed slow and this fuel type was usually associated with trucks and busses. Modern diesel cars are still somewhat slow compared to their gasoline counterparts, but there are a few notable exceptions. The eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf GTD is one of them and this new video from Automann-TV reveals that it’s impressively fast.

The Volkswagen Golf has been on the circuit for almost five decades now, but it is still as popular as ever. In recent times, it looked like Volkswagen is paying all the attention to strengthen its SUV portfolio, introducing a new model every year for the last four years in the States. This led to people assuming that the enthusiasts are left out to dry. However, the company re-instilled the faith by announcing the return of the Golf R after a small hiatus. Arriving as a 2022 model year, the new Golf R will be the most powerful Golf ever built!

The Volkswagen Golf is one of coolest hatchbacks out there, especially if it wears a "GTI" or an "R" badge. However, there’s one sports car feature you don’t get with a Golf. That’s rear-wheel drive.

The Golf has been a front-wheel-drive car since day one, even though some versions are offered with AWD. Ever wondered what’s it like to drive a rear-wheel-drive Golf? Well, someone from Finland converted a seventh-generation Golf to RWD and dropped a BMW engine under the hood.

For over 40 years the Golf has been defining and refining the hatchback formula. With generation eight, we get plenty of performance. And with the recent rise in performance in the hot hatch scene, the German brand had to bring a bigger gun in order to stay competitive. The Golf GTI Clubsport Mk8 is tailored specifically to the harsh terrain of the Nordschleife. Could they have made the ultimate hot hatch, or is it just an overly stiff grocery-getter? Let’s find out.

Volkswagen just unveiled the Clubsport version of the latest Golf GTI. While it’s not a big departure inside and out, the Clubsport cranks out an extra 54 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of torque and it’s 13 seconds quicker than the standard Golf GTI on the Nurburgring Nordschleife. That’s all excellent news, but if you were hoping for a beefed-up Clubsport S version and a new Nurburgring record, we have bad news: Volkswagen isn’t going to do it.

Whenever the Clubsport badge is attached to a Golf, you know that’s going to be a special car. In this case, the Mk8 Golf-based GTI Clubsport promises to keep day-to-day usability intact while it spices up everything else, including your weekend spent on the Nürburgring.

Volkswagen only recently introduced its first I.D. all-electric production model, but it’s been toying with the concept since the Dieselgate emissions scandal in 2015. Following its withdrawal from motorsport, Volkswagen developed the I.D. R, an all-electric race car with 671 horsepower.

The German brand first raced the I.D. R at Pikes Peak in 2018, setting a new record for electric cars. It also set records at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Good Festival of Speed Hillclimb, Tianmen Mountain, and Bilster Berg. More recently Volkswagen gave the EV to F1 driver Nico Rosberg for a hot lap around the Nurburgring F1 track and the I.D. R sounds like a space ship under full throttle.

The paradigm shift towards SUVs and crossovers has forced automakers to abandon sedans and pour in most of their resources into developing new, budget high-ride vehicles. Take Volkswagen itself, for instance. The company has launched four SUVs in less than half-a-decade, but that didn’t deter it from introducing a fifth product in the series.

The company has unveiled a new compact crossover for the U.S. market called the Taos. The Taos will slot below the Tiguan in the automaker’s lineup and will take on the likes of Jeep Compass and Subaru Crosstrek. Can it make a name for itself and co-exist without affecting the Tiguan’s sales?