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2015 Volkswagen Touareg [w/video]

The second-generation Volkswagen Touareg has been in production since 2010, and is therefore staring down the last part of its model cycle. To keep buyers interested, the company has undertaken a refresh of its upscale midsize SUV. As is typical of these things, the changes include some exterior and interior rejuvenation, as well as increased content levels and a slight uptick in price. The basics of the styling changes are pretty straightforward. The 2015 Touareg can be pretty easily spotted versus the outgoing model by way of its four-bar chrome grille, a cleaner headlight design, bigger VW badge and a completely new lower front clip. (I got one photo of the old and new models side-by-side for my Twitter followers before we rolled out on the drive.) There's also a thin strip of chrome that runs around the bodywork, standard LED taillights and a selection of three new wheel styles and five new paint colors. Inside, I found it harder to spot the changes, old to new. The Touareg's switchgear has been updated and there's a new frame for the infotainment display, but there's no piece that stands out and says "new model year!" Powertrains and mechanical bits all carryover from the 2014 Touareg, too. But there were a few functional changes to the vehicle, primarily in the new Driver's Assistance Package, for me to take note of as I took a lap of my favorite Ann Arbor, MI driving route. Drive Notes Let me start with the newest news then, the Driver Assistance pack. Volkswagen will sell you this suite of safety gear on either the mid-level Lux or the top-end Executive trims, for $2,500. The package included adaptive cruse cruise control, "Front Assist" for emergency braking situations, lane-keep assist and blind spot monitoring. If the contents of that package don't strike you as revolutionary, you're not alone. Some or all of the technologies that are new to the Touareg have been around other showrooms – and other VW family products – for quite a while. Still, they're nice to have as options. All of the driver assistance features that I was able to test worked as advertised, too. The adaptive cruise uses cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors, so it isn't likely to be impacted by inclement weather, which is nice. I also appreciate that the lane-keep assist (which offers the driver a haptic buzz to the steering wheel when straying out of the lane) can be turned off, or turned down in terms of intensity and reaction time.

Jalopnik and Consumer Reports see who can pull off the best snow drift

The weather throughout much of the United States is pretty awful at the moment with some combination of extremely low temperatures, inches of snow and maybe some ice underneath it all. The folks at Jalopnik and Consumer Reports are making the absolute best out of a difficult situation by heading to CR's snow-covered test track and attempting to make the longest drift in a quartet of very different performance vehicles. Jalopnik brought along a Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Wagon, a Subaru WRX STI, a BMW 228i and a 1973 Volkswagen Baja Bug (heck yeah!) for the challenge. Also, the track was perfect for this group, with a mix of packed snow in places and still a few inches of unsullied powder in spots too. Ostensibly the goal was to get the tail to step out through a particular corner, but in reality this was more about having hilarious fun in the snow with fast cars. The result just looks like the best time humanly possible in this weather.

VW delivers first XL1 in Germany

Volkswagen has delivered the first XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid to a customer from Berlin, Germany. Dr. Christian Malorny received his Oryx White XL1 with black and grey interior from Volkswagen Germany's director of sales and marketing for passenger cars, Thomas Zahn, at the company's Transparent Factory in Dresden. The super-efficient XL1, which first debuted at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, is powered by a 0.8-liter, two-cylinder TDI engine and electric motor, with electricity supplied by a 5.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a seven-speed DSG transmission. With a curb weight of 1,753 pounds and a drag coefficient of just 0.189, the XL1 is rated at 261 miles per gallon on the lenient European cycle. It is capable of traveling solely on electric power for up to 31 miles. "The XL1 has inspired me from the beginning and I am very pleased to now be driving my own," said Malorny, (translated). "With its visionary design and high-tech appearance, Volkswagen has dared something new and innovative." The futuristic XL1 seats two passengers, and can carry 4.2 cubic feet of cargo. It features a carbon fiber reinforced plastic body, and a low center of gravity. It is diminutive of stature, as you can see in the photo, measuring 153.1 inches long, 65.6 inches wide, and just 45.4 inches tall. It is being billed as the world's most efficient production car, but it's unlikely Dr. Malorny will be making his money back on fuel savings any time soon; despite the first sale and the vehicles appearing on the German VW site, Volkswagen has not officially announced the price tag for the XL1. In the past, we've heard it will cost approximately $145,000. Only 250 are being produced. Check out our drive review of the Volkswagen XL1 here or read on for more information in the Google-translated press release, below. Volkswagen XL1 delivers first from First vehicle goes to Berlin Dr. Christian Malorny (left) took over his Volkswagen XL1 by Thomas Zahn, Director of Sales and Marketing Germany Volkswagen Passenger Cars Dr. Christian Malorny (left) took over his Volkswagen XL1 by Thomas Zahn, Director of Sales and Marketing Germany Volkswagen Passenger Cars Volkswagen has delivered yesterday at the Transparent Factory in Dresden the first XL1 to a customer. Together with his family accepted Dr. Christian Malorny from Berlin's innovative diesel plug-in hybrid.