2019 VW Golf Interior Spied For The First Time
When you're an automaker with a vehicle as popular as the Volkswagen Golf, there鈥檚 reason for concern any time a significant change is in the mix. We鈥檙e not suggesting these latest spy photos of the next-gen Golf are cause for concern - if anything the designers in Wolfsburg are treading very conservatively with the hatchback's exterior redux. It鈥檚 a completely different story inside, as these fresh spy shots show us in living color for the first time. The timeliness of these spy shots is quite interesting, as we covered a couple of teaser photos from VW less than 24 hours from this posting that glimpsed the hatchback鈥檚 new digital interior. A digital cluster is currently offered on the Golf R, but for the next-generation, it will be offered in other trims as well. The fresh photos mirror the teaser sketch in almost every way, with the instrument screen and center infotainment screen sharing the same horizontal space in the redesigned dash. There are far fewer buttons - presumably most of those functions will migrate to the touchscreen - but we can see a separate touch slider beneath the center screen that appears to control the temperature. The exact spec of this Golf isn鈥檛 known, but the relatively small tires and manual transmission suggest it鈥檚 on the lower side of the spectrum. If that鈥檚 the case, VW is certainly taking its compact to a new level, something the automaker said recently in its Annual General Meeting. Meanwhile, the new Golf will hold a familiar shape outside with the most prominent changes coming to the front fascia. This particular prototype is thick with camo wrap, but previous sightings have shown considerably more skin. It would seem the goal here is to have an evolutionary update outside, with a revolutionary change inside.
We are talking a lot about Volkswagen today. The German brand officially announced the next generation Golf will have a mild hybrid version and took a retrospective look at the first generation Jetta from nearly four decades ago. Now, it is time to talk about its hot hatches. Just like Ford, Renault, and Peugeot, Volkswagen has two hot hatches on sale today. However, unlike some of the rivals in the segment, the Polo GTI and Golf GTI actually share the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine with different power outputs depending on the application. Simply put, in the Polo GTI the motor is slightly detuned. But is power the most important factor in drag races? Of course not. Traction, reaction time, gear changes, and weight play equally important roles. In this case, the folks over at Car Mania are comparing a 200-horsepower (149-kilowatt) Polo GTI with a 245-hp (183-kW) Golf GTI Performance, both with a dual-clutch DSG automatic gearbox and launch control. Apparently, the Polo鈥檚 launch control is tuned much better. Out of a total of four runs, the smaller GTI hatch wins three drag races, mostly because of the Golf鈥檚 bad start. Even a driver鈥檚 change is not enough for the bigger brother to win the duel, but finally, when its launch control system works properly, it scores a win. Even then, the gap with the Polo GTI is minimal. If there鈥檚 one thing we learned from this video it鈥檚 that the new Polo GTI is actually a great car. Thankfully, Volkswagen decided not go the downsizing way and installed a large (for the standards of the segment) 2.0-liter turbo, which is already a well-proven engine. We are not here to judge, but if you ask us, we鈥檒l definitely go for the Polo GTI rather than the aging Golf GTI - it鈥檚 generally cheaper, quicker, and newer.
Volkswagen will unveil the "iBeetle" this week at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. Phone fans and gear heads shouldn't get too excited, however. This isn't the mythical iCar. It's a Volkswagen Beetle with an integrated docking station and specialized app. The app offers a number of features users already have on their iPhone, like Spotify. It also offers social features, like the ability to take a picture of yourself while the car is driving and post it to Facebook, or send "postcards" to your fiends from the road with maps of where you are. I know what you're thinking. How is this different that any other third-party car docking system? That means that if Apple makes a yellow iPhone, we should see a yellow iBeetle. Wolfsburg/Shanghai - Two iconic products will form an alliance later this year: the iPhone from Apple, and the Beetle from Volkswagen. The iPhone will interface with the Beetle and Beetle Convertible via a specially developed app and a docking station.
The iBeetle is the first model line from the Volkswagen Group in which the iPhone will become an integrated component. Volkswagen offers two different ways to acquire the innovative interface between iPhone and Beetle: as an app or as a standard feature of the new iBeetle and iBeetle Convertible. Both special models will be launched at the beginning of 2014. The app, docking station and iBeetle will make their world debut at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show (20th to 29th of April). The newly designed docking station is located centrally on the dashboard of the Beetle: the iPhone simply snaps in to integrate it with the car. Essentially, all iPhone functions can be used in the Beetle; the iPhone can be used to navigate, make calls hands-free, listen to music, and much more. When this special app is launched on an iPhone, it can either connect the phone to the Beetle via the docking station or wirelessly. Spotify: lets users stream media such as new songs, customized playlists or online radio stations into the Beetle. Those who wish can post their favorite music directly to friends.
In addition, users in the Beetle can switch between "Spotify" and "iTunes" at any time. Expert: offers five functions which make the iPhone an extended on-board instrument of the Beetle, such as a G-Meter (for measuring lateral acceleration), oil and coolant temperature gauges for the engine, a chronometer, and a compass. Trainer: can be used to compare driving times, distances, and fuel economy values for different routes between any two destinations. Here, too, tips can be posted via social networks like Twitter and Facebook-such as which route is faster to the office. Reader: lists the latest messages from social networks like Facebook, and reads iPhone messages aloud. Postcard: Sends the current location of the Beetle to friends as a digital postcard with a map motif. Photo: Sends photos taken inside the car to numerous social networks. Simply activate it, and the app does the rest. Milestones: Available when the smartphone is undocked.
