Yes, Volkswagen finally has brought in a small car. The new babe is named as the Volkswagen Up and is just 11ft 7in long. Yes, Volkswagen finally has brought in a small car. The new babe is named as the Volkswagen Up and is just 11ft 7in long. Right from the rear engine, rear drive, huge cabin space, the fuel economy, and the looks department, the scores well like most of its predecessors. Ulrich Hackenberg director of VW said they had to ditch the “father of the Up”. For the company it was back to the basics and out came the front-engine and front-drive hatchback. The car will be available on the roads early next year in three-door form and with a five-door variant which will arrive sometime later. The good thing about the car is it is quite smart and well designed under the skin. The car is a good buy for the usually neglected youth as well as the retired.
All the car needs is a bit of kick to make sure that it is not considered like the rest of the boring and sensible small cars. The Germans always have attention for details and this shows in the making of the car as well. The Up has a neat short bonnet with equally short over hang. This results in massive interior space. The engine is quite toned and refined and has the support of some good parts and technology making for a smooth ride experience. The gearbox design is also a never seen before and weighs just 25 kgs even with a quantity of 1 litre. On the inside, the car easily makes way for up to four adults plus their luggage with an equally large boot space of 251 litres. The Up almost matches the Polo in terms of the space. The insides are also very different with a wide range of innovations like the three-dial central binnacle in front of the driver, central dashboard carrying heating, ventilation and ancillary controls. The car is not very arrogant and has a very simple and clean cut with body-coloured hard plastics. In fact the plastics look good in terms of the quality and fit well. The seats are comfy, well cushioned with contrasting trim panels on the squab and back rest. The car still seems to have something left in it even at a decent 59 bhp which is the norm in most city travels. On the long escapades the car seems quiet refined and even after being at 4,000rpm and 70mph it has a decent performance. It easily touches the top speed of 100mph for the 59bhp version and 0-62mph acceleration in 14.4 sec.
A production-ready version of the next-generation Volkswagen Touareg SUV was spotted at a photoshoot and these photos give us a clearer look at what it looks like. The big Volkswagen Touareg is a luxury SUV which has impressed us over the years, but it hasn't been able to quite deliver the sales. We suspect the allure of sister brand Audi's Q7 and the calibre of other German luxury SUVs have stifled the Touareg. This means that the next generation of Volkswagen Touareg needs to be better than good. These photos were taken at a film shoot where two models were being photographed and you can see that the vehicle has been given a thorough visual rework and it looks the part. Note the massive front grille with LED headlights. The third generation Touareg is underpinned by the long-wheelbase version of the MLB platform that spawns models such as the Audi Q7, Bentley Bentayga and Porsche Cayenne. The new Touareg will likely feature a 2.0-litre TFSI turbo petrol and a supercharged 3.0-litre TFSI V6 engine with a 3.0-litre V6 and V8 turbodiesel also expected. A plug-in hybrid version is also on the cards pairing a 4-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine with an electric motor.
The four-door Kia Stinger coupe has already proven its worth, having beaten the Audi S5 Sportback in a twin test back at the start of the year. However, that was in sporty GT S guise. Here we’re testing the Korean car in more affordable and arguably more relevant diesel form, which means it’ll have to face off against some German giants. For years BMW was king of this class, offering a sportier brand image and cars that backed this up with their driving experience. But at nearly £40,000, is this a bridge too far for the Korean brand, or does Kia’s traditional value for money still shine through even at this end of the market? Read on to find out. We’re testing Kia’s 2.2-litre diesel Stinger in top-spec GT-Line S spec, which costs a not insignificant £37,425, but comes loaded with equipment. Given how competitive this class is, the Kia will have to deliver all-round appeal.
We find out if it succeeds against some talented opposition. The Kia acquits itself fairly well once you’re under way, too. That heavier kerbweight did hamper the on-paper performance advantage at our test track, but the Stinger still sprinted from 0-60mph in 7.6 seconds, which was a tenth faster than the Arteon, but one tenth behind the 4 Series. The 440Nm of torque and eight ratios in its box meant it was flexible enough in gear, too. It lagged a little behind the eight-speed BMW, but only by a few tenths in each of the taller gears from 50 to 70mph, and not so much that you’d notice on the road. What’s more important is the quality of the shift. While the box is smooth in auto, it’s not as quick to swap ratios as the BMW’s, or quite as snappy as the VW’s DSG set-up. At a canter the Kia is refined, but push it harder and acceleration is hampered more noticeably by the jerkier gearchanges, while the engine gets a little coarse, too, although both of its rivals suffer this as well. Combined with the sweet chassis set-up, the weight and long wheelbase mean the Kia rides smoothly.
