114,990, all before on-roads. Here’s a reality check: for the price of the V6 TDI you could buy two seven-seater Holden Captiva LTZs. Volkswagen chose it because the tribe embodied “man’s ability to triumph over the obstacles of a harsh land”. Launched in 2002, the Touareg shares a platform with the more expensive Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne. Both Touareg and Cayenne seat five, while Q7 with a stretched platform accommodates a third row of seats. Development was shared by the three companies, with the goal of creating an SUV that handles like a sports car. All three sit flat through corners. You might have trouble fitting it in the garage. The 3.0-litre diesel delivers 180kW/550Nm, the latter from a low 1750rpm. Drive to all four wheels is through an eight-speed auto and all-wheel drive. Variable air suspension carries over, ground clearance is 233mm and wading depth is 580mm — it’s up for the rough stuff. Fuel consumption on test was surprisingly good at 8.5L/ 100km — not far off the official claim of 7.4L/100km. We managed nearly 800km from a single tank. Given the price, it’s not unexpectedly quite luxurious, with Nappa leather, heated front seats with adjustable side bolsters, mahogany inserts in dashboard, centre console and doors. There are also a power tailgate, bi-xenon lights and LED daytime runners, front and rear parking sensors, 20-inch alloy wheels, adaptive air suspension, eight-inch touchscreen, satnav and 60GB hard drive for storing music and navigation.
Car-Net. Car-Net is offered for the Golf GTI in conjunction with the Discover Pro radio-navigation system and the “Premium” mobile phone interface. It consists of a set of new mobile online services. For example, Car-Net lets drivers integrate highly up-to-date traffic information into dynamic route guidance and input online Points of Interest (POI) into the navigation system. It also integrates the 360-degree panoramic street perspective images of Google Street View. Realistic photographic satellite images can also be displayed, which are based on the Google-Earth map service (Google Maps). Dynaudio Excite sound system. New in the Golf - and therefore in the GTI as well ? Danish hi-fi specialist Dynaudio. This system makes the GTI a concert hall on wheels with its eight high-end loudspeakers plus subwoofer, a digital 10-channel DSP amplifier and 400 watts of system output power. The system can be customised by choosing from four sound characteristics (“Authentic”, “Dynamic”, “Soft” and “Speech”) which are tuned to the interior of the Golf and four seating configurations (“Driver”, “Front passenger”, “All occupants” and “Rear”) for the audio output.
The Two Door SUV has been on the decline in the automotive industry for years now. While the Ford Explorer, Chevy Blazer and Tahoe (among others) used to offer two door models, they are tough to come by these days. Why could this be? In this article, we will examine the decline of two door sport utility vehicles and why this decline may have happened to begin with. Most people know the Jeep Wrangler just by passing one on the highway. A quick glance at a Wrangler lets the onlooker know exactly what the driver is all about - off-road conditions. The Jeep Wrangler is more or less the only 2 door SUV that has survived the test of time. Some would argue that the rich tradition of the Wrangler, rooted in the Jeep CJ series which were used originally as military vehicles, is what gives the Wrangler a certain appeal.
It most certainly has it's own niche market. The person looking for great driving and handling through all weather conditions or any sort of mud will most definitely love the Wrangler for it's four wheel drive and frame that was meant to take abuse. So if the Wrangler is the only two door sport utility vehicle still left standing, what happened to all the others? Well, first we might examine the appeal of the average sport utility vehicle to begin with. One of the main reasons why a new car buyer would look to an SUV is it's family appeal. With the right SUV, Mom and Dad can drive around all of their children and the groceries to boot. Does a two door sport utility vehicle render itself impractical to this sort of purpose? It can be tough and inconvenient to get everyone in and out of the car easily and safely (especially children) when there are only two doors on the vehicle. Another reason for a lack of two door SUVs on the market is perhaps purely aesthetic.
That is to say, the SUV might just simply not look good with only two doors. Perhaps the consumer is so accustomed to seeing an SUV with four doors that a two door model just appears strange. Maybe the reason for no more two door SUVs is a lack of space. Most sport utility models such as the Tahoe can seat up to seven or eight people. Would a two door SUV be able to support this many people, or a large amount of groceries, supplies or things of that nature? While the Jeep Wrangler thrives with several different models, other two door sport utility vehicles have fallen up short in these times. However, with gas prices still on the rise, is it possible that the automotive industry sees a return of more compact, two door SUVs? Some believe it may be very possible. Keep an eye on the market, because who knows? Maybe 2011 or 2012 will be the year of the two door Cadillac Escalade.
