2014 Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line

Vital Stats

Engine:

Turbo 2.0L I4

Power:

200 HP / 207 LB-FT

Transmission:

6-Speed Automatic

Drivetrain:

All-Wheel Drive

Curb Weight:

3,591 LBS

Towing:

2,200 LBS

Seating:

2+3

Cargo:

23.8 / 56.1 CU-FT

MPG:

20 City / 26 HWY

Base Price:

$37,400

As-Tested Price:

$39,625

The Tiguan pledged Volkswagen's R-Line fraternity way back in 2008, survived the hazing and humiliation to become a certified member of the ancient German trim-package society (by "ancient," we mean 10 years old). The 2014 Tiguan R-Line is the scion of that first-generation compact crossover and joins the Touareg, Beetle and CC in the brotherhood.

What it provides is better looks for the same heart: every Tiguan carries a 2.0-liter four-cylinder TSI engine up front, turbocharged and intercooled, sending the same 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet either to the front wheels or to all four via a Haldex-clutch-equipped 4Motion system. Volkswagen touts the option of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, but such buyer discretion only applies to the front-wheel-drive model. If you want 4Motion, you have to get the automatic, and the R-Line cannot be had with a manual. Both FWD and AWD models are rated at 26 highway miles per gallon, but in the city, the manual FWD returns 18 mpg, the automatic FWD gets 21 mpg and the AWD gets 20 mpg – none of which is terribly pleasing for a compact crossover, particularly when premium fuel is recommended.

Driving Notes

• On the outside, beyond the badging, R-Line spotters will take note of body-color side skirts, black wheel arch extensions, a roof spoiler, HID headlamps and power folding side mirrors.
• R-Line interior extras include leather seating surfaces and power front seats along with a flat-bottomed, leather-wrapped steering wheel, stainless steel pedals and aluminum sill plates. The interior is a premium VW affair with leather that exudes all the right vibes and everything else feeling soft to the touch. The choice materials and two-tone instrument panel overcome the minimalism of the center console and the huge sunroof keeping the cabin bright. A very nice Fender audio system is standard, and so is a trial of Volkswagen's new Car-Net connected services suite (the People's Car version of OnStar).
• VW charges the Tiguan with "putting the 'Sport' in SUV," crediting it with having the soul of the GTI (but not the same heart), and we didn't scoff at the bombast after a couple of hours behind the wheel. As we mentioned in our recent First Drive of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee – even though we drove the Tiguan before it – there are crossovers that are finally and truly delivering on the promise of a car-like ride, the Tiguan R-Line being a prime example. We threw it at the same scrunched-up Sonoma Valley curves we had just tackled in a base-trim 2014 Jetta with the new 1.8-liter base engine. The 115-hp Jetta got a gold star for being capable and fun, but the compact crossover that looks like a big shoe is a perfect hoot to drive.
• It's almost always mentioned that the R-line doesn't add more horsepower, but few mention that in applications like the Tiguan, the R-Line can do more with its power - it has larger 19-inch wheels wearing 255/40 R19 Pirelli Scorpions (versus 17- or 18- inch wheels on less aggressive rubber) and a firmer, sport suspension tune means it isn't only about appearance. Plus, the Tiguan R-Line is the only trim to get shift paddles on its steering wheel.
• Yet we almost never touched the paddles. That 207 lb-ft of warthog grunt comes on from 1,700 rpm, same as the 200 hp, and the six-speed transmission didn't need help knowing where to be in the rev range when called to attention. With 4Motion all-wheel drive there for the assist – the Haldex center diff can move almost 100-percent of the torque to the rear wheels, during acceleration, for instance – they easily get the 3,591-pound crossover connecting one uphill ess to the next, that firmer suspension and those Scorpions taking over to get one through those corners as wished. On milder runs at highway speeds, the cabin is quiet and composed, and the staccato flow of urban drive is like being in a VW sedan with a booster seat.
• For 2014, there are five Tiguan trims, with a healthy price climb from bottom to top. The base S starts at $22,995 and the range-topping R-Line begins at $36,535, or $37,400 after you add $865 for destination. Check the 4Motion box and you're at $39,355. The Tiguan we drove had been optioned up to $39,625 with the addition of four Monster Mats, a trunk liner and a first aid kit. That's more money than a base Audi Q5 with the same engine.
• A quick run through a few configurators put the Tiguan at about $1,400 more than a similarly equipped Chevrolet Equinox, about $3,700 more than a Ford Escape and roughly $7,000 more than a Mazda CX-5 – the first two of those being among the eight vehicles VW lists in the Tiguan's competitive set. All of them have more headroom, legroom and cargo space than the Volkswagen. They are also all down on power compared to the Tiguan, in some cases quite a bit down, and only the Mazda can come close to the driving experience. But the competitors (in four-cylinder guise) do get better gas mileage on less-costly regular fuel. If you don't need the R-Line features, the SEL trim omits the look-faster and turn harder kit and provides an instant $4,000 discount with an MSRP of $32,670. It will take more than that to explain the huge disparity in sales between the Tiguan and its competitors, of course.
• The Tiguan – any Tiguan, but especially the R-line – strikes us as a lifestyle choice in a segment guarded by the twin sentinels of Practicality and Value, those watchmen ready to disembowel the sales of non-conforming competition. Remember when the Internet's circuit boards glowed red because of enthusiasts raging at the 'dumbing down' of the 2011 Jetta, livid that VW acceded to market dictates and unveiled a vehicle that was a far better competitor for a segment also guarded – even more intensely – by practicality and value? The Jetta has sold in five-digit quantities every month since that happened, something that could not be said of it before. In fact, its sales are still climbing two years after it hit the market. The Tiguan, meanwhile, remains representative of the VW that demands premium money for a premium product no matter the trim and no matter the segment, and it has sold more than 3,000 units in a single month only once since January 2010. As a lifestyle proposition, though, the Tiguan R-Line is a good one; it's slightly smaller and less frugal, but it's good looking, more powerful, nicer inside and a lot more fun to drive than most of its rivals.

Source: autoblog.com

2014 Volkswagen Beetle GSR

Vital Stats

Engine:

Turbo 2.0L I4

Power:

210 HP / 207 LB-FT

Transmission:

6-Speed Manual

0-60 Time:

6.6 Seconds

Top Speed:

130 MPH (limited)

Drivetrain:

Front-Wheel Drive

Curb Weight:

3,056 LBS

Seating:

2+2

Cargo:

29.9 CU-FT (max)

MPG:

21 City / 30 HWY

Base Price:

$29,995

As-Tested Price:

$30,850

Despite all of the positive reviews it has garnered since its introduction in 2011, the Volkswagen Beetle still hasn't hooked me. It's nice to drive, and with a variety of engine choices (including diesel) and two different bodystyles, it's an incredibly versatile little car, ready to meet the needs of a whole host of customers. But personally, I just don't think I could wake up to that happy-friendly (yet sort of drowsy?) face every morning.

For 2014, Volkswagen is offering this limited edition GSR model – only 3,500 examples will be made – based on the sportier R-Line trim, and painted in a unique yellow/black scheme that pays homage to the "Yellow Black Racer" of the 1970s. It's a fun, flashy little thing, and I recently spent a week with GSR No. 216 to see if it would change my mind about the Beetle formula as a whole.

Driving Notes

• As I said, the GSR – or more specifically, the Beetle Turbo – is pretty great to drive. It uses VW's lovely 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, rated at 210 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. Equipped with the six-speed manual transmission of my test car, the Beetle GSR will hit 60 miles per hour in a very respectable 6.6 seconds.
• Not surprisingly, considering its dimensions, powertrain and weight, the Beetle GSR drives a lot like Volkswagen's own GTI – one of my favorite hot hatches. The Bug's wheelbase is an inch and a half shorter, and though it sits 0.7 inches higher off the ground, the Beetle is actually shorter in overall height by 0.2 inches. A bit of weight is saved here, too, with the GSR weighing in at 3,056 pounds compared to the GTI's 3,113. The 2.0T engine in the GSR is actually good for an additional 10 hp over the GTI, as well.
• Unique to the GSR are 19-inch Tornado alloy wheels, wrapped in P235/40R19 Continental ContiProContact tires. But even with the ever-so-slightly sportier R-Line setup and this relatively large set of rolling stock, the car never felt crashy or too stiff on the road, even when traversing the rough surfaces in and around Detroit. Instead, the Beetle offers a comfortable, solid ride feel, great for highway cruising and pretty nicely set up for moments of aggression on twisty backroads. It's no track attacker, to be sure, but it's a really solid balance that's great for an everyday driver – something I've said before about the GTI.
• The standard Beetle models already stand out in a crowd, thanks to its distinctive shape and too-cute looks (though the new-generation car uses a decidedly more masculine design approach). But man, this GSR sure does garner a whole mess of attention. A girl in a Mini nearly rear-ended someone on a side street while sticking her neck out the window to check out the GSR, and the guys at the car wash laughed at me. Literally every day, I was pointed at, smiled at, and, of course, honked at by other Beetle owners. Of course, the unique, limited-edition black-and-yellow color scheme is to blame for a lot of this attention, but even so, it doesn't strike me as an unusual color combo for the Beetle.
• Inside, the GSR was loaded to the gills with every amenity offered on the Beetle models – sunroof, navigation, Bluetooth audio, heated seats, and so on. The black leather seats have yellow contrast stitching with special GSR logos, and that same color treatment is carried over to the flat-bottomed steering wheel (that could stand to be a bit thicker-rimmed, methinks), with a serialized number plate below the R-Line logo, specifically for the GSR.
• Outside, in addition to the 19-inch wheels, GSR models come standard with bi-xenon headlamps with LED running lights, foglamps, and the rear spoiler of the Turbo model (which, for the record, I hate).
• But that's all for a price: just over $30,000, including $820 for destination. And while folks who like the unique Beetle package might not be put off by this number (a loaded Turbo starts at the same $29,995), to me, it seems like a far worse bargain than the already-sort-of-pricey, more functional, less-flashy, just-as-good-to-drive four-door GTI with the same options.
• So no, I'm not sold on the Beetle package, only because I love the GTI so much. But for those who like the added style of the iconic VW design, those GTI bones make for a really rewarding driving experience that'd be easy to live with day in and day out.

Source:  autoblog.com