Volkswagen’s Passat Estate Alltrack lifted this year’s overall trophy, and also scooped class and category wins in The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Competition.

The competition’s 47 entrants, which were split into seven price classes and two weight categories, saw winning vehicles from Volkswagen, Citroën, Peugeot, Škoda, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

However, it was the Volkswagen Passat Estate Alltrack that took the overall victory. It was described as “one of the classiest mid-range cars by a mile”.

Each towcar was thoroughly tested – being judged not only on its towing performance over the testing circuit at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, but also for ‘caravanability’.  Caravanability evaluates how well the car caters for caravanner’s needs – how much typical holiday gear and caravan essentials it can accommodate, how easily it can be hitched up to a caravan and the quality of towing information available in its handbook.  Also added to the marking equation was the towcar’s value for money.

Seven driving judges evaluated each car for its dynamic abilities and ergonomic qualities – the test route included tight and twisty ‘country lanes’, 17% hill stops and starts, as well as circuits of a high-speed bowl.  They were also put through rigorous reversing examinations. These four days of rigorous evaluation highlighted that every vehicle could be considered a respectable towcar, so long as it was properly matched to its caravan.

Price class awards in the competition went to: the Citroën C4 Cactus Rip Curl BlueHDi 100; Peugeot 308 SW Active BlueHDi 120;  Škoda Superb SE L Executive 2.0TDI 150PS; Volkswagen Golf Estate Alltrack 2.0TDI 4MOTION 150 PS; Volkswagen Passat Estate Alltrack 2.0TDI SCR 4MOTION 150 PS; Mercedes-Benz E220d AMG Line Saloon; and the BMW X5 xDrive40d M Sport.

All-wheel drive vehicles competed in two additional weight categories; ‘Under 1800kg’ and ‘Over 1800kg’. The BMW X5 xDrive40d took the ‘Over 1800kg’ prize, while the Volkswagen Passat Estate Alltrack took first place in the ‘Under 1800kg’ category before going on to win the overall title.

The results of the competition were announced at The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards ceremony, held at the Royal Automobile Club in London on 22 September.  The awards were presented by Olympic athlete, Roger Black MBE.

Grenville Chamberlain, The Caravan Club Chairman, said: “It was a thrill to see such a great choice of vehicles being put through their paces during the Competition – the winning manufacturers should feel very proud of their achievements.  These vehicles will enable our Caravan Club members to have wonderful holidays and effortless towing experiences.”

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

• MSRP ranges from $26,950 for the S model to $32,890 for the top-tier SEL trim
• 4Motion® all-wheel drive, Hill Descent Control, Alltrack-exclusive “Off Road Mode,” and increased ground clearance provide exceptional performance on a variety of road conditions
• Available advanced driver assistance systems include: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist), front and rear Park Distance Control (ParkPilot), Parking Steering Assistant (Park Assist), Lane Departure Warning system (Lane Assist), and High Beam Control (Light Assist)
• Golf platform offers the utility of a compact SUV—cargo volume, roof rack—without compromise in road manners 
• High-tech features include a standard 6.5-inch touchscreen with rearview camera, Volkswagen Car-Net® App-Connect and an available Off-Road HMI section for the MIB infotainment platform

Herndon, VA – The Golf Alltrack, the eagerly awaited derivative of the Golf SportWagen, marries that vehicle’s practicality and fun-to-drive nature with the capabilities of 4Motion® all-wheel drive and rugged exterior styling. The Alltrack offers an affordable yet upscale alternative to existing all-wheel-drive wagons that are on the market.

The Alltrack uses Volkswagen’s powerful yet fuel-efficient 1.8-liter TSI® turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder engine, which makes 170 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. The TSI engine will initially be offered with a six-speed DSG® dual-clutch automatic transmission, with a six-speed manual transmission available later in the model year. The latest generation 4Motion all-wheel-drive system features a fast-acting center differential. Golf Alltrack will be available in three trims—S, SE and SEL—and will be in dealer showrooms in October.

Article source: www.vw.com

Expanding on the extensive appeal of the new up!, which has already been roundly praised for its style, versatility and quality, the new e-up! builds on the standard car’s accomplished packaging with a zero emission solution.

With its 82 PS electric motor the e-up! boasts a peak torque figure of 210 Nm, equating to a brisk 0-62 mph time of 12.4 seconds and it will keep on going, where the law permits, to 80 mph.  The car boasts a maximum range of around 93 miles between charges.

This e-up!’s power derives from a lithium-ion battery pack located within the car’s floor and consisting of 204 cells, together rated at 374 volts and 18.7 kWh.  The motor is mated to a single-speed gearbox that is optimised for minimum friction.  The driveline is particularly quiet and compact as a result of the electric motor and the gearbox being integrated with very high quality intermeshing inside a single housing.

The battery weighs 230 kg but, despite this, the e-up! still weighs less than its internal combustion engined sibling, tipping the scales at 1,139 kg thanks to Volkswagen engineers’ extensive weight-saving measures.  The necessary variety of charging cables includes a fast charge connection which allows for up to 80 per cent of the battery’s capacity to be replenished in just 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, a full charge from a standard household plug takes nine hours.  Customers can purchase an optional wall box for home garage use, which provides a 3.6 kW supply and can recharge a battery in six hours. 

Zero emission electric drive doesn’t mean compromising on comfort or convenience, either.  A strong line-up of factory-fitted equipment includes electronic air conditioning as standard, as well as cruise control and parking sensors.  The windscreen wipers function automatically, and when the sun goes down a dusk sensor automatically activates the headlights. 

The new e-up! is available as a five-door, and fresh styling includes beefier front bumpers which house unique ‘C’ signature LED running lights that make the e-up! stand out from the crowd.  At the rear, a more angular bumper includes a prominent diffuser panel alongside a sharper tail light design.  The interior of the new e-up! features a leather-trimmed steering wheel, while chrome-trimmed interior door handles, air vent surrounds and instruments add a finishing flourish. 

The new e-up! scores highly when it comes to bringing the online world into the cabin.  Like the new up! it features an innovative smartphone docking station which enables the driver’s phone to be turned into the car’s infotainment system.  Simply click the smartphone into the ‘Maps + More’ docking system on the centre console to unlock a host of features via the Volkswagen app. 

The smartphone can be used to select and play music, or as a navigation system.  It can even display key data from the e-up!’s systems and tips from the Volkswagen Think Blue. Trainer - which coaches a driver in efficient driving techniques.

The smartphone connection is extended in the new e-up! thanks to Volkswagen’s Car-Net e-remote.  This gives the driver the power to manage the car’s charging process from their smartphone via the Volkswagen e-up! app.  They can also use the app to switch on their e-up!’s air conditioning remotely before getting in and review vehicle trip statistics, too.  A three-year subscription to the Car-Net e-remote service is included with the new e-up!.

The new e-up! is priced at £20,780 (RRP OTR) including the Government Plug-in Car Grant of £4,500.  Deliveries are expected to begin in October and the e-up! comes with a standard three-year warranty.  The vehicle’s battery comes with an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty, while the standard service interval is 20,000 miles or two years.

Currently, the e-up! is available from £275* per month via Volkswagen’s e-Solutions Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) scheme, with a £900 deposit contribution.  The deal is based on 6.4% APR representative, with full details available from Volkswagen Retailers.

The latest e-up! is a continuation of Volkswagen’s long history of electric mobility provision.  The first electric Golf, for instance, was launched fully 40 years ago, in 1976, badged as the CityStromer. Around 100 examples were built. 

Now the e-up! joins the all-electric e-Golf in Volkswagen’s line-up of plug-in cars.  The Volkswagen range also includes the award-winning petrol-electric hybrid Golf GTE and Passat GTE models.  These four cars represent the start of a significant acceleration toward electro-mobility for Volkswagen.  The German manufacturer has stated, via its recently announced TOGETHER – Strategy 2025 programme, that it will introduce 30 additional electric or plug-in hybrid models by 2025.  And by that year Volkswagen expects purely battery-powered electric vehicles to account for a quarter of the global passenger car market.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

An eclectic mix of Volkswagen Golf GTIs from across the model’s remarkable 40-year history journeyed to Volkswagen UK’s headquarters in Milton Keynes on Saturday (20 August) to attend a special ‘birthday celebration’ for the iconic hot hatch.

The unique event, organised in association with the UK’s largest online motoring forum – PistonHeads.com – saw the owners of 85 GTIs from across the years set their alarms extra early and ignore typically British ‘summer’ rain to make the pilgrimage to the cars’ spiritual home in Britain – the headquarters of Volkswagen UK in Milton Keynes. 

Branded the first PistonHeads’ Golf GTI Open, the event drew a remarkable mix from across the four decades of the car’s existence – with everything from meticulously restored examples to flamboyantly modified GTIs converging on the brand’s UK HQ.

The honourable award for rarity went to the solo Golf GTI Mk III in attendance, while a plethora of Mk V cars – 24 to be precise – saw that iteration of the charismatic hot hatch become the most numerous on show, just pipping the Mk II of which 23 examples were on display.

Volkswagen UK supported proceedings with a mini GTI showcase of its own including a carefully restored Mk I and, bringing things bang up to date, the very first example of the already sold-out Golf GTI Clubsport S to be seen in the UK; the left-hand drive car having been loaned for the event by Volkswagen’s global headquarters in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony.

James Drake, Head of Community and Marketing at PistonHeads, said: “The PH Sunday Service is a tried, tested and hugely popular format for gathering PHers together at significant motoring-related venues nationwide to admire cars, swap ownership stories and generally bring the online forums into the ‘real world’.

“When Volkswagen suggested we consider creating a PH Sunday Service-style celebration event for the GTI we jumped at the chance and Saturday’s PH Golf GTI Open with its impressive turn-out of superb Golfs from across the years, and across the country, clearly demonstrates both the breadth of PH membership and the appeal of the GTI.”

Mike Orford, Head of Press and PR for Volkswagen in the UK, was at Saturday’s celebrations.  He said: “This inaugural Golf GTI Open has been a resounding success.  I can honestly say I’ve never seen such a varied selection of Golf GTIs in one place, and to gather them together here at our headquarters for this celebration shows the depth of feeling – love, even – British owners of this iconic hot hatch feel for their cars.”

The Golf GTI was launched to a stunned automotive audience in 1976, with the German brand initially targeting sales of around 5,000, globally, for the newly minted performance version of its already well-regarded compact hatchback.

Today, 40 years and more than two million registrations later, the Golf GTI remains a genuine icon of ‘everyday’ sporting excellence. 

The latest chapter in this exciting story, limited to just 400 examples worldwide, is the exceptional Golf GTI Clubsport S of which 150 in right-hand drive form have been earmarked for UK customers.  The 310 PS ‘ultimate GTI’ sold out here within weeks of its announcement, which came as the car claimed the front-wheel drive lap record for the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife in an incomparable seven minutes and 49 seconds.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk