volkswagen garage london blog - Independent Volkswagen Garage London - London's best independent Volkswagen Garage Specialists

This year, Volkswagen celebrates 60 years of importing vehicles to the UK, so we’re delighted to celebrate at the 20^th Goodwood Festival of Speed on 12^th-14^th July (dubbed ‘the largest motoring garden party in the world’), where UK motoring fans will get their first chance to see some of the most exciting new Volkswagen models.

Taking pride of place on the Volkswagen stand, and also making its way up the famous hill climb, will be the XL1. This super-innovative, ultra-frugal model looks like a vision of the future, but it is in fact already in limited production.

The XL1 is the world’s most fuel-efficient production vehicle, with an official combined fuel consumption figure of 313 mpg and CO₂ emissions of 21 g/km, and it is also one of the most advanced vehicles in the world. Its body is made largely of carbon-fibre reinforced polymer, while its drivetrain melds a two-cylinder 800 cc diesel engine with an electric motor. Like any good supercar, it is also low (at 1,282 mm high it is lower than a Porsche Boxster) and features scissor-opening doors (although its 120-litre boot does make it somewhat more practical than supercar enthusiasts may like).

Next to the XL1 on the Volkswagen stand is a rather faster machine, the Polo WRC car. This bespoilered beast is currently taking the World Rally Championship by storm, and visitors to the Festival of Speed will get to understand just what makes it so special, as it will also be powering up Goodwood’s famous hill.

Among those driving the XL1 will be Formula One legend and six-times Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx, and Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, outgoing Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for development, who will also pilot the Polo WRC.

If all of that seems a little far removed from what you might expect to find in a Volkswagen showroom, visitors to the Festival of Speed will also get the chance to see the latest iterations of two more familiar Volkswagens.

On the Volkswagen stand we’ll be exhibiting the exhilarating new Golf GTI alongside its frugal yet feisty sibling, the Golf GTD. The GTI needs little introduction; since it first appeared on the market some 37 years ago, it has become an icon, combining accessible performance, sharp design and practicality like no other car. The latest GTI comes with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing up to 230 PS, meaning it can sprint from standstill to 62 mph in 6.4 seconds and on to a 155 mph top speed.

The GTD, meanwhile, proves that parsimony at the pumps need not mean a hair-shirt driving Experience. Its 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine packs 184 PS and 380 Nm of torque, helping it to reach 62 mph from rest in just 7.5 seconds and hit 142 mph flat out, yet it returns 67.3 mpg while emitting just 109 g/km of CO₂.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

Our Discover Pro system offers a range of media entertainment and functionality at your fingertips on its 8.0“ touchscreen colour display. Complete with navigation system, DVD drive and DAB/FM/AM radio, you’ll have everything you need for your journey.

The dynamic 3D navigation with voice control offers you three routes – fast, short and eco-friendly – based on traffic messages to help avoid congestion. European maps are included, displaying a range of useful information, such as points of interest, speed limits and no-overtaking zones.

You can watch movies and listen to music on the DVD drive or enjoy playback in multiple file formats. You even have a built in internal Gracenote database, jukebox and Podcast playback. Bluetooth telephony and Smartphone logic make hands-free phone calls simple. And the four 20 watt front and rear speakers produce excellent sound quality.

Features & specifications:

8.0" touchscreen colour display
3D map navigation (Europe) with voice control
DVD Audio/Video
Film playback from AVI, MPEG, Divx, H.246, and DVD from SD, USB and DVD data carriers
Music playback from MP3, WMA, AAC files with title display from SD and AUX IN
Gracenote database, podcast playback and jukebox
Internal 64GB memory as SSD (30GB can be used for music, etc.)
USB, AUX-IN, SD (2x)
DAB, FM and AM radio reception
4x20 watt output (front and rear speakers)
Bluetooth connection for phone and media (HFP, A2DP *, AVRCP **)

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

Start leasing the Volkswagen you want, today.

If you've got a small business you can lease a car from us to use as your own. Or maybe it's five cars. Or even 50! This way your money isn't tied up in the full cost of a car, it's working for your business instead.

How it works

You make an initial payment to start driving. Then you make monthly payments while the cars are yours. At the end of your contract, simply give them back*.

We've even take care of servicing and maintenance, leaving you to get on with your business. Use the finance calculator to start crunching numbers. You could be driving a new Volkswagen hassle-free before you know it.

* Subject to our fair wear and tear terms & conditions.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

The world’s most fuel-efficient car, the Volkswagen XL1, which was first unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show in 2011, has now been confirmed for an initial production run of 250 examples.

Pioneering construction techniques, an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain and innovative packaging all play a part in allowing the XL1 to return 313 mpg on the combined cycle while emitting 24 g/km of CO2 to set a new benchmark for vehicle efficiency.

Powering the XL1 is a compact 800 cc TDI two-cylinder common rail diesel engine developing 48 PS. It’s linked to an electric motor producing 27 PS, resulting in a total of 75 PS – a modest output yet more than enough when the low kerb weight (795 kg) of the vehicle is taken into account.

The TDI engine is linked to an electric motor and a seven-speed DSG gearbox with an automatic clutch mounted between each unit. The electric motor can either work independently of the TDI engine or in tandem when accelerating. Accelerating from rest to 62 mph can be achieved in 11.9 seconds; the electronically limited top speed is 99 mph. Thanks to its plug-in hybrid system, the two-seater can cover a distance of up to 50 km in all-electric mode and therefore with zero local emissions.

In both its styling and packaging the XL1 draws on lessons learned from the 1-Litre car (2002) and the L1 concept (2009). The XL1 has evolved to feature staggered seating with the driver and passenger placed next to each other in a body structure made from advanced new materials providing immense strength yet weighing just 230 kg.

To make such weight savings possible, and yet viable for series production, Volkswagen developed and patented a new system for the manufacture of the Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) parts on the car called the Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) process.

In total the XL1 weighs 795 kg. In addition to the body structure, the weight is accounted for by the drivetrain (227 kg), the running gear (153 kg), the interior including a pair of bucket seats (80 kg) and the electrical system (105 kg). In total just 23.2 per cent of the car (184 kg) is made out of either steel or iron.

Further savings are made through the extensive use of lightweight materials including magnesium (wheels), ceramics (brake discs) and aluminium (dampers, steering system, brake calipers).

The styling of the XL1 is borne out of functional requirements – easy access to the interior is granted via a pair of elegant scissor doors that hinge on the A-pillar while the profile of the car has been honed in the wind tunnel, the result being a remarkable coefficient of drag figure of 0.186. The XL1’s overall length (3,970 mm) and width (1,682 mm) are similar to those of a Volkswagen Polo yet its height (1,184 mm) is more akin to that of a sports car.

The XL1 will be produced at Volkswagen’s Osnabrück factory in Germany.

Article source: www.volkswagwen.co.uk

Volkswagen’s Polo range now offers Motability customers even greater value for money, thanks to the addition of a new Match Edition which replaced the existing Match trim level last month. The new Match Edition is available in three- and five-door bodystyles and with Nil Advance Payment on the Motability Scheme.

Prices for the Match Edition start at £12,045 (RRP ‘on the road’) for the 1.2-litre 60 PS three-door manual version, and rise to £15,240 for the 1.4-litre 85 PS five-door with seven-speed DSG automatic transmission. With low fuel consumption the Match Edition delivers up to 72.4 mpg on the combined cycle while emitting just 102 g/km of CO₂.

The Polo Match Edition adds extra specification including rear parking sensors, cruise control and an alarm with interior protection. Exterior highlights include stylish 15-inch ‘Castille’ alloy wheels, front fog lights and heat-insulating tinted rear windows. Comfort and convenience are the main focus inside the cabin with manual air conditioning, an RCD 310 radio / CD player, multifunction computer and MDI (Multi Device Interface) with iPod connectivity all standard. The model is also fitted with electric windows and a comfort pack, incorporating remote central locking and electrically adjustable exterior mirrors.

Naturally all the Polo’s usual safety equipment remains on board with standard specification including four airbags, ABS and ESP.

A wide range of Volkswagen models is available through the Motability scheme, from the up! city car, to the multi-award winning Golf, Beetle, Golf Plus, Golf Estate and Cabriolet, Jetta, Passat, Volkswagen CC, Scirocco and Tiguan to the Touran and Sharan people carriers.

Motability Operations manages the worry-free Motability Scheme for over 600,000 disabled people and their families. Anyone who receives the Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance or the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement can exchange this monthly payment to lease a brand new car, scooter or powered wheelchair through the Motability Scheme. For more information on Motability call 0800 093 1000 or visit www.motability.co.uk.

For more information on the Polo and your nearest Retailer, please call 0800 333 666, or to download the brochure or Volkswagen Motability contract hire price guide, visit http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/buying-guide/motability-offers.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

Start leasing the Volkswagen you want, today.

More Articles...

Audi Blog