Volkswagen Midsize Cars

The Volkswagen Passat isn’t as dead as the media would lead you to believe, and the Aero B – a Passat-sized EV – isn’t going to replace it right away. In fact, the ICE-powered Passat will see one more generational shift that should keep it on the market, at least in some places, until the end of the decade. At that point, it will probably be replaced by the second-generation Aero B, but that’s still 8 years from now and we’re getting ahead of ourselves, so let’s take a look at these new spy shots of the Volkswagen Aero B.

This Tennessee-built VW SUV is why you should look up to the mid-size segment, and for the 2022 model year, there have been some minor changes, including the discontinuation of the base S trim from the line-up, therefore, increasing the price. It will compete with the latest-gen Hyundai Palisade, Mazda CX-9, and the Honda Pilot. Will the $33,475 price tag justify its consideration over the competition? Keep reading to learn more about it.

It’s another drag race from our UK colleagues from Carwow and this time, the Kia Stinger GT goes up against the Volkswagen Arteon R Shooting Brake. Although both cars compete in the same segment, they are propelled by very different drivetrains. Will more power and torque prevail over less weight, all-wheel drive, and a DSG gearbox?

A drag race between two stock midsize pickup trucks is about as scientific as a drift competition with shopping carts. Pickup truck buyers are rarely interested in the performance aspect of these vehicles, but Carwow still gives us the answer to a question we never thought of asking – which is the quicker pickup truck. This time it’s the Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok that line up for a quarter-mile drag and despite the two vehicles being very similar on paper, the outcome is quite decisive.

It’s always interesting to see how different engine layouts compare to one another. It’s even more interesting when a high-performance SUV goes up against some of the best compact sports cars and a capable hot hatchback. This is exactly the case with this drag race from Carwow, where a Lamborghini Urus is being challenged by a Porsche Cayman GT4, Audi TT RS, and a Volkswagen Golf R.

The German brand’s iconic mid-size sedan receives design, equipment, and safety improvements for the 2022 model year to help the Jetta stay relevant and fresh.

The Volkswagen Passat is officially dead in the United States. Well, not quite yet, but it’s definitely taking its last breaths as Volkswagen prepares the Chattanooga plant in Tennessee for production of the Atlas, Atlas Cross, and all-electric ID.4. As the U.S. market bids farewell to the Passat, it’s going to honor it in the only way it knows how – a special edition. The car you see here is just one of four configurations, with a total of 1,973 examples being built. Why 1,973? Because 1973 was the first year the Passat was offered.

Volkswagen will produce 411 examples of the Passat special edition in a combination of Aurora Red Metallic with a Titan Black interior. This model represents the original production code of the Passat – 411. Next, there will be 423 examples of the passat finished in Racing Green Metallic with a Mauro Brown interior. 423 represents the Chattanooga, TN area code. Another version finished in Pure White with Mauro Brown interior will be produced in just 524 examples, representing the opening date of the Chattanooga plant: May 24, 2011. Finally, the fourth iteration of the Passat special edition will be offered in Grey Metallic with a Titan Black interior. 615 represents six generations of imported Passats (6), one generation assembled in Chattanooga (1), and 5 decades of U.S. sales (5).

Outside of the exclusive exterior paint and interior theme, there’s not a whole lot to set the Passat special edition apart from the pack. The seats inside will feature a “x of 1973” tag on one side and “Chattanooga 2011” on the other. Comfort sports seats will come standard with Vienna leather while the exterior will ride on distinctive 18-inch, fifteen-spoke wheels. Pricing for the Passat special edition comes in at $30,295 but the Aurora Red Metallic will add an extra $395 to the ticket.

Sometimes, a car needs a full redesign to address a fundamental flaw. Perhaps it’s too small, or too big. Maybe its styling is stale or unappealing. Or perhaps its platform can’t support modern needs.

The 2020 Passat has revised interior and exterior styling, more standard features, and an updated engine. That’s a cheaper set of changes than a full redesign, and Volkswagen is passing those savings on to the customer. Is that enough to excuse the Passat’s old bones? Or are you better off opting for a fresher competitor? Here’s what we learned from our time behind the wheel.

If you’re from China and you’re in the market for a new four-door sedan, you might want to steer clear of the Volkswagen Passat. The German sedan of Chinese roots was recently subjected to a safety test by China’s C-IASI (that’s the country’s equivalent of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), and to the surprise of many, the Passat recorded one of the worst performances of any car in the crash test.

A video of the C-IASI’s crashworthiness assessment shows the Passat undergoing several crash tests that end in a similar fashion: the sedan gets beaten up pretty badly. The Chinese Passat’s poor performance in the crash tests has bought into question the quality of the model relative to Passat models that aren’t built in China, including Passat models that have received good safety ratings in American crash tests. Is this a case of one Passat being much safer than the other?

The U.S. market is bereft of wagons. In the last few years, most automakers pulled their wagons due to the falling demand. There aren’t a lot of options right now and even though there seems to be a positive response to wagons lately, automakers are still hesitant about getting them back. The latest example of this is the Volkswagen Arteon. The company recently refreshed the model and introduced a Shooting Brake version, but it won’t be reaching the U.S. shores.

To give you an idea of how of what we’re missing, here is a couple of renderings from X-Tomi Design that show how hot a two-door Arteon Shooting Brake would look.

At a time when the whole world is moving from sedans to crossovers and SUVs – much to the dismay of the car lovers – the Volkswagen Arteon comes as a knight in shining armor. The Arteon was launched as a successor of the Volkswagen Passat CC just three years back, and now VW has given it a mid-cycle refresh with a few tweaks on the outside and many changes on the inside. The German automaker is unearthing the R-Line variant, adding a plug-in trim, and also introducing a shooting brake body style.

Thanks to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, we now know what the production-version Volkswagen ID.4 will look like. The crystal-clear images of the ID.4 were leaked by the department and show the exterior of the EV from all the angles.

The images were picked up by VWIDTalk.com and also show the different wheel designs on offer. The all-electric SUV is due for launch later this year, but this is a nice surprise. Will this lead to Volkswagen launching the ID.4 any sooner?

Volkswagen is looking to freshen up the Arteon - which it calls a Gran Turismo now - and with it, we’ll be getting the so-called Arteon Shooting Brake.

What’s more, in the carmaker’s own words, the incoming Arteon update is "major", so let’s see what that could mean, because there’s not much given away in the press blurb.

The Volkswagen Arteon came to our attention back in 2017, during its unveil at the Geneva Motor Show. Three years into the fastback-shaped sedan’s career, Volkswagen is planning to give the Arteon a well-deserved nip and tuck which would keep customer interest fresh and address the areas that needed further improvements.

With the refreshed Arteon, however, we’re expecting Volkswagen to introduce a spicier, more performance oriented version under its notorious R badge. Our suspicions are backed up by a recent set of spy shots that show a virtually undisguised test mule that wears a lot of R-specific features. Allow us to detail, then.

Update 4/29/2020: The Volkswagen Arteon R was spotted once again, this time sporting a look that represents the upcoming facelift and what we can expect from the new Arteon R. Check it out in our special Spy Shots section below!

The 2020 Volkswagen Touareg R is a high-performance version of the familiar midsize SUV. Unveiled in February 2020, ahead of the Geneva Motor Show, the 2020 Touareg R is the first of its kind to boast an "R" badge. It’s also the first R model with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain and the first range-topping variant of any Volkswagen nameplate to feature electrification.

The 2020 Touareg R also makes the Touareg the third VW nameplate to offer a hybrid model after the Golf and the Passat. Because Volkswagen no longer offers the Touareg in the United States, where it has been replaced by the Atlas, the Touareg R won’t cross the pond to North America. Let’s find out more about this SUV in the review below.

Volkswagen showed up to the 2019 New York Auto Show with the Tanoak Pickup concept. Based on the Volkswagen Atlas, the Tanoak concept was fairly well received. So well, in fact, that Volkswagen was even considering bringing it to market. Things were looking so well for the Tanoak, that we even made a rendering of it based on the Atlas at the time. Despite the well reception, though, there was a major question that had to be addressed: Does the market really need another midsized, unibody pickup truck? Can a company that’s hardly touched the pickup segment globally really step in the ring and throw down with brands like Ford, Chevy, or Toyota? As it turns out, the answer is no. Volkswagen knows it, and that’s why the Tanoak will never move beyond the concept stage. Well, at least not in its current form….