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Driving the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

If you think diesels are slow, noisy, and smelly, or that they're only for trucks, trains, and ships, think again. Or better yet, wake up and join the 21st century.

Volkswagen's 2009 Jetta TDI, available now, is the first clean-diesel vehicle to be offered in all 50 states. To underscore that, VW introduced it to the automotive press in Santa Monica, Calif., with a drive route that included the Pacific Coast Highway, some of SoCal's finest canyon roads, and even a little freeway driving.

As Norbert Krause, director of VW's Environmental Engineering Office, put it so aptly in his part of the morning presentation, "this is not your grandfather's diesel." I got into one of the few stick shift examples in the morning, and twisted the key. No clatter, no smoke, very little noise. A little diesel sound from outside, but luxury car quiet from inside the cabin. An auspicious beginning.

Light clutch, good shift linkage, slip it in gear, and get on the road. Doesn't sound like a diesel. And acceleration is just fine, thank you, with strong torque from about 1,800rpm. Playing a bit with different gears, the engine's sweet spot seems to be around 3,000rpm, and it pulls, strongly, to about 4,500rpm, at which point power drops enough to discourage acquaintance with the rev limiter. According to the specifications, the car has 140 horsepower at 4,000rpm, with 236 foot-pounds of torque from 1,750rpm through 2,500rpm. … Read more

New VW Scirocco takes a bow

When we saw the Volkswagen IROC concept at the Paris Motor Show in 2006, we knew that Volkswagen had a two-door sports hatch up its sleeve, and today the wraps came off. The 2009 Scirocco (IROC was fortunately dispensed with) revives the nameplate after a 16-year absence, and from the look of the display models, the new car has been worth the wait. The Scirocco retains some of the side-profile design cues of the IROC with a rising beltline, plus a hidden B-pillar and a meaty C-pillar holding up a swooping roof.

At the front end, the new Scirocco seems … Read more

Automotive interfaces: From worst to best

We've gathered photos from our Car Tech reviews of every major automaker's software interface. These interfaces are what you see on a car's LCD, and we've covered manufacturers from Mercedes-Benz to GM. Many of the interfaces are poorly designed, probably taken straight from the original equipment manufacturer who built the car's navigation system and stereo interface. For our comparison, we concentrated on music screens, as these show on-screen buttons and fonts. Take a look and tell us which company you think offers the best and worst interface.

Click here for photos of every automotive interface available.… Read more

Volkswagen builds a minivan

Volkswagen rolled out its new Routan vehicle at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, reinforcing Chrysler's idea that the minivan is alive and well. Frankly, we don't care for the conventional minivan look of the Routan. The minivan segment was pioneered by Volkswagen way back in 1950--with the Type 1 Transporter, or microbus--so we would expect something more interesting looking than the Routan. The Routan offers minivan amenities in the form of three rows of seats, with second row captain's chairs, and 32.7 cubic feet of cargo space. Without the third row seats, there is 83 cubic … Read more

Review: 2008 Volkswagen R32

Hot hatchback aficionados dream of a car like the 2008 Volkswagen R32. Where most hot hatchbacks, such as the 2007 Honda Civic Si, use front-wheel drive and a four-cylinder engine, the R32 upgrades those specs with all-wheel drive and a 3.2-liter V-6, giving it exceptional handling and power that doesn't fade at high speed. And the look of the R32 is about as refined as a hatchback can be.

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Photos: VW Space Up Blue

Volkswagen is getting as much mileage as it can from its Up! concept microvan. After appearances at both the Frankfurt and Tokyo auto shows in recent months, the model made another appearance at this year's Los Angeles show in the form of the Space Up Blue concept. In contrast to the previous variants, the four-door Space Up Blue came with some drive-train details: it is powered by an energy network of a lithium-ion battery pack, a high-temperature hydrogen fuel cell, and a solar panel. Check out our slide show of the blue sky Blue here.

VW Space Up concept takes hydrogen

Volkswagen introduced the Space Up to the U.S. press at the 2007 LA Auto Show on Wednesday.

With its U.S. debut, Volkswagen has offered a little more information on the Space Up concept car, which was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo auto show in October.

The hybrid concept vehicle, which would run on a combination of compressed hydrogen fuel and lithium-ion batteries, would have a top speed of about 75 mph.

Its batteries could be recharged from common electrical outlets. On electrical battery power alone, the Space Up could travel about 155 miles, and on a full tank … Read more

Heads up on the VW Space Up

Is there such a thing as a mini minivan?

Volkswagen's Space Up, which was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo auto show on Wednesday, certainly seems to qualify.

The four-door Space Up is just 3.68 m (12 feet) by 1.63 m (5 feet) compared to the VW Touran minivan, which is roughly 4.3 m (14 feet) by 1.8 m (6 feet).

The Space Up follows the two-door Up that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. As with the Up concept car, the drive train for all of the gasoline, diesel, and electric drives for this … Read more