1968 Volkswagen Bus Van. Original Owner. Orig California Van. No Rust No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

European jury picks finalists for 2015 Car of the Year

There are countless Car of the Year awards handed out each year, and naturally, Europe has its own way of doing things. Every year, a panel of jurists representing seven publications in seven different languages and seven different countries get together to name their joint Car of the Year. The panel released a list of 32 candidates back in July, and it has now whittled that list down to seven nominees. The list consists of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, the Citroen C4 Cactus (shown), the Ford Mondeo, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Nissan Qashqai, the Renault Twingo and the Volkswagen Passat. Of those seven, only two are available in the US – those being the Mondeo (sold Stateside as the Fusion) and the C-Class. The Passat is an entirely different model in North America, the Qashqai isn't offered here, Citroen and Renault don't even participate in our market and the BMW 2 Series is represented here only by the completely different coupe and convertible. Expect the one and only recipient of the 2015 Car of the Year award to be announced at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March, and while you're waiting, you can place your guesses for the eventual winner in Comments. Featured Gallery 2015 European Car of the Year: Nominees News Source: CaroftheYear.org BMW Ford Mercedes-Benz Nissan Volkswagen Citroen Renault car of the year nissan qashqai citroen c4 cactus bmw 2 series active tourer

2015 Volkswagen GTI: Introduction [w/video]

If you've ever met me, listened to me on the podcast, or come to know me through my writing during the last five years at Autoblog, the following phrase should not surprise you: I freaking love the Volkswagen GTI. I've long said that the GTI is the perfect daily driver for the everyday enthusiast – a car that offers as much practicality as it does performance, served up in a semi-premium, attractive package. I've preached the GTI's story to anyone who would listen, and I've managed to convince several people to actually go out and buy one (those folks later telling me they're super happy with their cars, by the way). As for this new, seventh-generation GTI, I'll offer a little backstory. In 2013, Volkswagen flew me to Germany to attend the Frankfurt Motor Show, where I also got to drive a number of the company's products, including the CrossBlue crossover concept. While waiting for my turn to pilot the CrossBlue in an airport hangar, one of the German PR folks directed my attention to a white, four-door GTI sitting outside, and said I was free to have my way with it for, oh, 20 minutes... on an empty runway... in the rain. This was my first experience with the new GTI, in a fairly loaded spec, with all the performance goodies. Needless to say, I loved it. But my other big belief about the GTI is that this car is truly perfect in its base form. The sixth-generation car was a blast without any dynamic controls or performance whats-its, and while those things certainly help make this new hot Golf a more enthusiastic package than ever, in my eyes, they aren't completely necessary. That's why, when it came time to order a long-term car, I took control of the options. The end result is the carbon steel gray GTI you see here, in four-door S (base) spec, with a six-speed manual transmission. Yes, I did outfit our car with the only two options available to S shoppers (aside from the $1,495 performance pack) – the $995 lighting package and $695 driver assistance pack – but other than that, it's a no-nonsense hot hatch. No sunroof. No leather. No fully power-adjustable seats. No navigation. No dual-zone climate control. No automatic headlights. No upgraded audio. The bottom line is that our long-term GTI comes in with an as-tested price of $27,895, including the $820 destination charge. That's right: a $28,000 GTI. What our car does have is everything you'd want in a GTI.

VW reveals Outback-rivaling Golf Alltrack ahead of Paris

The Volkswagen Passat Alltrack is getting a baby brother at this year's 2014 Paris Motor Show in the form of a new Golf Alltrack. Like its larger sibling, the little wagon is supposed to offer light-duty off-road driving ability combined with a more rugged look to show it off.
To give the Golf Alltrack that soft-road ability, VW is outfitting the wagon with its latest 4Motion all-wheel drive system from Haldex. The setup can decouple power from the rear-axle when not needed to save fuel. To further improve traction, the Alltrack gets VW's electronic differential lock, and the car can individually brake its inside wheel during hard cornering for better handling.
Volkswagen also wants the Alltrack to be able to visually show that it can handle getting away from the pavement, even though it starts life as a standard Golf wagon. That means jacking up the suspension an extra 0.75 inches and adding black moldings all the way around the car. There are also redesigned bumpers for the front and rear and silver underbody protection, plus new accents like anodized roof rails and silver mirror caps. The interior is essentially unchanged from the wagon, except for altered trim and Alltrack badges.