Volkswagen Brief History
When people talk about Volkswagen, the first thing that usually pops up in their mind is the ever-popular Type 1 or Beetle model. The German-based car manufacturing company first entered the scene during the late 1930's when Adolf Hitler asked Ferdinand Porsche Sr. to design an automobile that would be more accessible to the common man. The result was the very first Beetle (known that time as the KdF-Wagen), which despite only having less than 200 parts, served as Volkswagen's foundation throughout its history. After the Second World War, the company fell into disarray but bounced back when British Army Major Ivan Hirst took over the felled factory. This came after American forces handed control over to the British. The Beetle was once again put to production despite the damage brought on by the war, with the Wolfsburg factory producing around 1000 cars per month. As Germany started recovering from the aftermath of WWII, Volkswagen would further grow and break into foreign markets, most notably that of the US automotive industry. Volkswagen also ventured on other projects, releasing the Type 2 or Transporter, a van based on the design of the Beetle. Despite the shaky start, the Type 2 and the Beetle became the front runners for Volkswagen throughout the 1960s to the 1970s with Volkswagen releasing updated versions periodically. The mid-60s was also the time that Volkswagen started acquiring different subsidiaries, effectively making it the Volkswagen Group. From the 1970s and onward Volkswagen has also released several other models like the Golf, Polo and the Passat with varying degrees of success and with the Golf as its mainstay model.
Rear seats seem surprisingly roomy with plenty of headroom for all but the tallest passengers. There isn't much stretch-out legroom, but sliding your feet under the front seats makes for a quite comfortable place for short trips. Three-point seat belts are used in all three positions in the rear, an excellent safety feature normally found on expensive luxury cars. The optional Monsoon Sound System is one of the best factory stereos I've heard, with crisp highs and snappy bass response. The Volkswagen Golf is a lot of fun to drive. The driving experience is colored by engine and transmission choice, so choose carefully. The new 180-hp 1.8T is a joy when paired with the manual gearbox. It's quick, at times abrupt, but oh so smooth. It delivers brisk off-the-line acceleration performance. There's a surprising amount of low-rpm torque here, more than enough to spin the front wheels. Traction control steps in when needed to minimize this, enhancing control.
Accelerating through the gears, there is some turbo lag down at the bottom of the rev range. Under normal conditions, launches can be a little slow unless you rev it up and drop the clutch. There is little torque available below 2000 rpm. It starts to build at 2500 rpm and comes on quickly after that, but it isn't the explosion of power that big turbochargers deliver. It's more like the progressive acceleration of a smaller turbo, more fluid and linear. This 1.8-liter turbocharged engine is so smooth and revs so freely that you're encouraged to put the throttle down. In spite of its power, it nets an EPA-rated 24/31 mpg city/highway. 1075). The automatic seems to get confused by the turbo in city traffic, often leaving the engine caught out, bogging when I pushed down on the throttle. When asked for moderate acceleration, the transmission would downshift, there would be a surge of power, I'd ease off the throttle, the transmission would upshift, the engine would eventually bog again, and the process would start all over. It's far more subtle than the description above suggests, but it annoyed me on downtown streets.
This car is too good to be saddled with this combination. Therefore, we strongly recommend the manual gearbox with the 1.8T. The automatic is better suited for the other two engines, which are naturally aspirated (non-turbocharged). GTI VR6 comes with Volkswagen's innovative, narrow-angle V6 engine that delivers 195 foot-pounds of torque. The recent power boost is the result of a switch from two-valve to four-valve heads. Strong torque makes this a great engine for the automatic. The base 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine offers adequate performance for commuting, but doesn't inspire drivers who enjoy spirited driving. It does, however, hold its own in traffic, and feels comfortable when cruising steadily at 80 mph. The 2.0-liter engine is EPA rated at 24/31 mpg city/highway, good, but no better than the GTI's 1.8T engine. Its relatively low price still makes the 2.0-liter a good value, however. This should be a good mate for an automatic, though we haven't tried it. If fuel economy is at the top of your shopping list, consider the 1.9-liter TDI, a turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder diesel engine. Diesels have a reputation for being noisy, smelly and slow, but Volkswagen has perfected the design.
