Posts Tagged ‘Golf’

By Barbara Schaffer

Half Moon Bay, Calif. – As automotive writers, my husband, Bill and I continually reassess what car we would buy if we quit the business and had to drive our own car.  Of course, when you drive two new cars or more each week, the answer is a moving target, because it’s easy to fall in like with the new car that arrived on Tuesday, and then again when the other one pulls into our garage on Thursday.

In 2004, Mercedes-Benz introduced the CLS Class and coined the name “four-door coupe”.  From that day on, I’ve been in major like with the four-door coupe look – four doors for practicality and a sweeping coupe like roof line that makes the car look low, sleek and sexy.

While we could play the game, “If I could have any car and price was no object” and my choice might be one of the growing list of four-door coupes that now includes such beauties as the Porsche Panamera, Jaguar XK and XF, Audi A7 and Fisker Karma.  However, I am a practical person and I know we wouldn’t be buying any of those $50,000 to $100,000 beauties. Read the rest of this entry »

 The drive from the Portland, Oregon area, where I now live, to my home town of Deer Lodge, Montana is 630 miles.  For me to make that drive, I wanted a car that was comfortable, fun-to-drive and very fuel-efficient.  From experience, I have found the cars that best fit my criteria tend to be diesels.  They get excellent fuel economy, the high torque gives them very good acceleration and passing power and generally the cars fitting those requirements have been quite comfortable. Read the rest of this entry »

The most Powerful VW Sport Performance Vehicle, Ever.

Volkswagen confirmed plans to bring the European version of the Golf R to the U.S. in 2012.  The high-performance R model is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated at 256-hp,  which makes it the most powerful Volkswagen sports performance vehicle ever built.  The R is equipped with the 4^th generation Haldex 4Motion all-wheel drive system, larger brakes, 18-inch alloy wheels and upgraded sport-tuned suspension. Read the rest of this entry »

Volkswagen chairman, Martin Winterkorn, confirmed the company will sell a zero-emissions, plug-in electric Golf beginning in 2013.  The car called the Golf Blue-E-Motion is part of the VW electric vehicle strategy that also includes a small city car called the Up Blue-E-Motion.  A 115-hp electric motor, mounted in the engine compartment will drive the front wheels through a new, single speed gearbox.  The electricity for the motor is stored in a 26.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack mounted in the middle tunnel of the floorpan under the rear set and in the floor trunk.  VW says the electric Golf a 93-mile range.