1999 Volkswagen Beetle 5 Speed Icecoldairconditioning 2liter 4cylinder Gassaver on 2040-cars

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Volkswagen Golf R Variant ready to haul ass, stuff

Volkswagen seems to be playing a cruel trick on the American automotive public at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It's displaying its sexy Golf R Variant with no clear intention of actually selling the model here. The hot wagon launches in Europe in the spring, but the automaker makes absolutely no mention of the model's prospects in the US. Hopefully, its appearance in LA at least indicates VW is considering bringing it stateside. The great thing about this wagon is that it has everything that the regular Golf R offers, but there's even more room to carry stuff. The same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine makes 296 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque with a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox and 4Motion all-wheel drive. Performance is very close, too, with the Variant R taking 5.1 seconds to get to 62 miles per hour versus the 4.9 seconds the standard R needs to read 60 mph. The two of them also have the same tech goodies like ESC Sport stability control and multiple damping modes. The real advantage to opting for the estate is its ability to carry up to 57.2 cubic feet of cargo in the back. This hot rod wagon would seem to be perfect for the family that needs to haul some extra junk in the trunk, but doesn't want to sacrifice performance. Whether the Variant R makes it to the US remains a mystery, though. Scroll down to read the specs and feel a twinge of jealousy.

An inside look at VW's new California R&D center

Less than two months ago, the Volkswagen Group opened a new facility in Oxnard, California (about an hour's drive west of Los Angeles). The $27 million investment, touted as Test Center California (TCC), serves as a research and development lab testing emissions for all brands under Volkswagen's umbrella, including its newest member, Porsche. While still not fully operational, we toured the new 64,000-square-foot building last week and had a first-hand opportunity to see just how much work is involved testing engines and meeting increasingly stringent government emissions standards.
Replacing a similar facility established in 1990 in Westlake Village (about 20-minutes east of the new location), our guide explained how Oxnard was chosen for its temperate climate, varied regional terrain for test drives and low altitude. (The area is only a few feet above sea level - a critical parameter when instrument testing emissions.) The new facility is capable of analyzing hundreds of vehicles, prototypes and customer-owned vehicles, annually.
Most interesting to us was the huge stainless steel climate chamber, with a massive four-wheel dynamometer that allows VW to test running vehicles in both scorching desert and freezing climates without ever leaving the building (an Audi Q7 was running in place during our visit). We were also mesmerized by the countless storage tanks and intricate plumbing of chemicals, stored in both liquid and gas states, needed to perform the variety of tests. Lastly, we took a look at Bugatti's service center on the west coast, located completely within the new center. While there were no supercars on site, the facility is equipped with plenty of spare forged wheels (mounted with expensive Michelin PAX tires) and a Veyron-specific repair jig that allows the vehicle to be completely disassembled, if needed. It is a shame that the facility, which set off all of our automotive geek alerts, is closed to the public.

To solve diesel problem, VW might need two fixes

Volkswagen says that a fix is on the way for its 11 million vehicles around the globe that are equipped with diesel engine software that can evade emissions tests. The problem might be far more complicated than simply creating a single solution for all of them, though. According to Automotive News citing Reuters, two remedies to cover different NOx-reducing systems could be necessary, and both potentially affect performance. Earlier examples of the EA 189 diesel engine used a lean NOx trap to reduce the harmful material coming from the tailpipe. According to experts in the Automotive News report, a software update might allow the engines to achieve compliance, but that could affect fuel economy. VW already tried this route once before the scandal came to light, but tests by the California Air Resources Board still showed the figures were too high. Later, some of the 2.0 TDI engines began using Selective Catalytic Reduction that reduced NOx by injecting a urea solution into the exhaust stream. According to Automotive News, a software update for this equipment might increase the amount of the substance used. Not only would that mean topping up the fluid more often, but there still could be some reduction in fuel economy. But, since the 2-liter, 4-cylinder TDI engine that sits inside the diesel vehicles first mentioned as being affected by the issue in the US don't have a urea treatment system, VW would need to install them into these cars. VW still hasn't officially outlined its solution (or solutions) to the emissions issue but is expected to soon. The automaker's long-term evasion of regulations with these diesel engines pumped vast quantities of additional NOx into the air. The substance is known to be linked with smog and acid rain. The US Department of Justice is already beginning an investigation into the company, and politicians are pushing for harsh punishments.