Designed To Be The "people's Car"
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer founded in 1936. It is owned by Volkswagen AG and was founded by Ferdinand Porsche. Volkswagen in German literally means "people's car". The popularity of the brand grew with the appearance of the Beetle, with its rear engine air cooled. It was soon found that it was not an ordinary car. Designed to be the "people's car", it had to be reliable and foolproof. The rounded design of the Beetle, meanwhile, quickly became a symbol of conformism. And the simplicity of its geometric line served as a precursor to future Volkswagen models - especially the New Beetle. For years, Volkswagen sought a companion to its North American Beetle so popular. And in 1975, the launch of the Rabbit responded to this need. Further away from the tradition of rear-engine vehicles, the Volkswagen Rabbit endowed front-wheel drive and a tail independent. Although it has been copied many times, nobody has really been able to reproduce the charm of the original Rabbit. Called Golf in Europe, it has become one of the biggest sellers of all time Volkswagen.
Launched jointly with the Cabrio in 1982, the Jetta was more or less a larger version of the popular Rabbit. Starting frame of the Rabbit hatchback sedan converted, we obtained a considerably larger Jetta aerodynamic and its popular cousin. Lines sedan has allowed Volkswagen to offer another intermediate model, which would become the biggest selling Volkswagen in North America over the next twenty years. In the 1970s, Volkswagen has modified a model already very popular, Rabbit / Golf, to create a whole new breed of high performance car - the "small bomb". In 1983, during its launch in North America, the GTI pulled 90 horsepower from its 1.8 litre engine and had special exterior trim and sport seats. This car symbolizes fun and proved to all that the German mechanical engineering was still very much alive. It was a classic car design and simple, but with a surprising power. This is why the GTI is still one of the purest examples of the Volkswagen brand.
Following a decline in sales in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Volkswagen returns once again surprise the North America. In 1998, the New Beetle is launched. Inspired by the famous domed roof of the original Beetle, she immediately sensation. It is a renaissance. The new version features clean inside typical Beetle, assorted colours, front-wheel drive most modern, dual front airbags and antilock brakes. The New Beetle is an automotive legend reinvented. It builds a bridge between the past and the future of Volkswagen. The Touareg is Volkswagen's first foray into the SUV category. The Touareg is a pioneer in the SUV designed without compromise. Not a single 4 x 4 areas. Its advanced technology, including the incomparable air suspension, it delivers exceptional off-road capabilities. Off the beaten track, water, snow, mud, practically nothing stops. And the best is that his spirit of adventure is equalled its proven competence on the road. For Volkswagen Touareg 2004 and finally embody the possibility of moving downtown chic "spot" of native trout fishing without having to change vehicle.
For the record, this is the Seat that'll do battle with the Ford Focus, Citroen C4 and Vauxhall Astra. And, ironically, Volkswagen's Golf. The Leon is based on the same platform as the Volkswagen Golf so the engine line-up is generally well proven, as are the manual five and six-speed gearboxes. Non-geometric forms, though, make it notoriously hard to get manufacturing consistency in terms of panel fit, shutlines and just about anywhere else that surfaces join. And the fact is, the Leon is a conglomeration of curves and organic sweeps inside and out. As a result, the perception of rock-solid quality isn't as good as with other VW Group marques, an impression not helped by considerable squeaks and rattles from ill-fitting trim in some of the cars we've tested. To be fair, though, the Leon does compare well with competitors from Citroen and Ford. The Leon has MacPherson struts at the front and an independent, four-arm multilink set-up at the rear.
This is designed to give a better ride and handling compromise, and when riding on smaller wheel-and-tyre combinations, the Leon does indeed deliver a composed, relaxed ride quality. Predictably, opting for bigger wheels does have an impact on the ride, producing more nervousness and bounce over rougher surfaces. Otherwise, the Leon reveals VW Group handling characteristics, with fluent balance through the corners and good feedback through the electric power steering. The five and six-speed manual gearboxes are also a real joy to use, with mechanical precision and a lovely metal-through-oil feel to the action. The latest-generation DSG automatic is also one of the smoothest and fastest-reacting boxes we've ever sampled, and its sequential shift mode makes press-on driving great fun. That said, the DSG 'box can be worryingly sluggish when you want a swift standing-start getaway when used with the diesel engines. One of the most amusing features we've ever encountered, though, is the Driver Steering Recommendation system.
