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New Volkswagen Rabbit Golf (VW rabbit)
.. Structural solidity, good control relationships, quality interior, attractive base price.
New Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit with standard stability control, free trial Sirius subscription are new. iPod adapter discontinued.
Volkswagen Rabbit : Essentially a hatchback version of the Jetta sedan, it’s solid, roomy, versatile, and responsive. Power is modest from the 170-hp five-cylinder engine, but it’s still a driver’s car.
The car does well around town and won’t disappoint as you flog it hard, either. We tested the 160-hp, 1.4-liter engine with the TSI twincharger setup, a supercharger and a turbocharger. It is a hugely complex arrangement, designed to do away with any turbo lag. At low rpm, a Roots-type Eaton supercharger provides boost; a turbocharger kicks in soon after. They work in unison up to 3500 rpm, at which point the turbo takes over completely.
The sound is so muted it is almost impossible to detect the frantic activity under the hood. The 160-hp Golf is a quick car, with a 137-mph top speed and instant acceleration on tap, but it’s not fascinating. The twincharger arrangement doesn’t rip the car forward, although 160 horses from 1.4 liters is nothing to sniff at—and we wonder why VW went through all the trouble. Many of today’s turbochargers don’t produce nearly as much lag as they used to, especially if coupled with a modern direct-injection engine as in the company’s own wonderful GTI, a winner of two straight 10Best Cars awards. And the remaining lag can nearly be compensated for by an automatic’s shifting strategy, particularly when that transmission has more than four or five gears.
Next-Gen DSG Sports Seven Gears
The 160-hp TSI we drove was coupled with a new, dry-plate seven-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission. There’s no word on whether the gearbox will be offered with different engines in the U.S., but the company’s strategy in the States seems to be to save the dual-clutch setups for Audis and high-performance VWs. We’ll be pleasantly surprised if it finds its way into U.S.-spec Golfs.
Mileage
EPA Fuel Economy Est - City (MPG)21
EPA Fuel Economy Est - Hwy (MPG)30
Displacement 2.5L/151
New Volkswagen Jetta TDI is Fuel efficiency and quick acceleration --
With Quality interior materials, plenty of powertrain choices, smooth styling, Germanic solidity, efficient turbo-diesel option.
Redesigned for 2005; TDI diesel model and standard stability control added for 2009.
Mileage
EPA Fuel Economy Est - City (MPG)21
EPA Fuel Economy Est - Hwy (MPG)30
Engine Type
Gas I5
Displacement2.5L/151
Fuel System SMPI
SAE Net Horsepower @ RPM170 @ 5700
SAE Net Torque @ RPM177 @ 4250
Statistically, if you’re the owner of a Volkswagen diesel, you’re 189 percent more likely to have passed out at a Grateful Dead concert than the rest of the population, 92 percent more likely to have yelled, “Kind veggie burrito!” at one point in your life, and 61 percent more likely to have slept in a Volkswagen bus, or under one. Okay, maybe the numbers are a hair off.
the Jetta TDI gets a 140-hp turbo-diesel (40 more than the previous 1.9-liter engine) with 236 pound-feet of torque (59 more than before). The new engine is squeaky clean—enough so that it can be purchased in every state in the union. According to the EPA, the Jetta TDI achieves 29 mpg in the city and 40 on the highway, so we weren’t too surprised to get 33 mpg. What did surprise us was the TDI’s 8.1-second sprint from 0 to 60 mph, which was 2.2 seconds quicker than the ’06 Jetta TDI’s. In fact, this new TDI exactly matched the 0-to-60 and quarter-mile times of the last 170-hp, five-cylinder 2.5-liter gas-engined Jetta we tested. And that one even had a manual.
Put an unsuspecting driver in a Jetta TDI, and most wouldn’t think the car unusual in any way. The new 2.0-liter diesel feels far more powerful and refined than the previous 1.9-liter turbo-diesel engine. Power builds in a steady and linear manner, and although a whiff of turbo lag remains, it is far more tolerable than it was in the past. The massive torque increase makes passing easier, too, but the optional dual-clutch automated manual can be reluctant to downshift
on its own.
VW Jetta TDI Mileage
EPA Fuel Economy Est - City (MPG)21
EPA Fuel Economy Est - Hwy (MPG)30
Engine Type
Gas I5
Displacement2.5L/151
Fuel System SMPI
SAE Net Horsepower @ RPM170 @ 5700
SAE Net Torque @ RPM177 @ 4250
Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Beautiful Cars Feature
2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG - Specs
(continued)
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 4-door sedan
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 379 cu in, 6208cc
Power (SAE net): 507 bhp @ 6800 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 465 lb-ft @ 5200 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 7-speed automatic with manumatic shifting
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA fuel economy, city/highway: 13/20 mpg
C/D-observed fuel economy: 13 mpg
the new CLS63 AMG 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V-8 engine is an improvement over the supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 that was an AMG staple—particularly, if the new car is quicker or slower off the mark. Well, the answer is yes and no, at least on the evidence of the CLS63 AMG that we have been stylin' in of late. The 6.2-liter V-8 makes 507 horsepower in the CLS, up from 469 hp in the old CLS55 AMG. Torque is down, though, from 516 pound-feet to 465 lb-ft. More power usually results in better top-end performance, whereas more torque normally means quicker mid-range and off-the-line acceleration.
To a certain extent, that's what our numbers show. The CLS63 gets to 60 mph from rest in a blistering 4.1 seconds, a tenth quicker than the CLS55, but is identical otherwise up to 120 mph and shares a 12.6-second quarter-mile time. The 30-to-50 and 50-to-70-mph figures show the benefits of the supercharged motor's fatter torque curve (2.2 and 2.5 seconds, respectively, compared with 2.5 and 3.1 for the CLS63), while the extra top-end grunt of the 63 comes into play above 120 mph. By 150 mph, the CLS63 is ahead by almost a second and a half.
So, apart from marginally better performance away from a stop light and in go-to-jail-fast territory, what are the benefits of the new engine? Well, it sounds absolutely fantastic, especially as it nears the 7200-rpm redline. (Yeah, that's right: a 6.2 liter V-8 that spins past seven grand.) The loud, guttural growl is a bit too intoxicating, because the desire to hear a blaring soundtrack makes it all too easy to stray into triple-digit temptation. It really does pickup and go past 100 mph.
The seven-speed automatic transmission is as smooth as a luxury-car salesperson, not to say that the old five-speeder was bad. More important, manual shifting is now effected by a pair of paddles on the back of the steering wheel—right for upshifts, left for down—in place of the buttons in the CLS55.
Still, the CLS63 has lots of grip, decent steering, and is very entertaining once the traction control is turned off and the throttle is mashed. It isn't quite as sweet a chassis as a BMW M5's, but the CLS has the advantage of a fine automatic transmission in place of the M5's clunky Sequential Manual Gearbox and a torquier, more compelling engine. Only serious AMG-heads are going to be able to spot the difference between this one and the CLS55. Discreet 6.3 AMG badges on the flanks and tail are the only real external clues, while there is a new instrument cluster & fabulous, race-car-like steering wheel. Otherwise, the gorgeous CLS shape and lush interior remain.BYMARK GILLIES
