Volkswagen Fullsize Cars

Just two weeks after we saw the ID.5 GTX being tested in the wild, Volkswagen revealed the ID.5. Today, we’re looking at the production version of the ID. Buzz with nearly no camo yet still a bit different compared to the original 2017 ID. Buzz concept.

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is known far and wide as a great comedian, but he’s also established himself as a connoisseur of all things related to Volkswagen’s iconic Bus. The 44-year-old comedian owns a collection of classic VW Bus models amounting to $3 million. He keeps them in his personal museum, which was designed to carry a passing resemblance to Volkswagen’s production facility in Wolfsburg, Germany.

Back in 2016, Volkswagen launched the first ID concept, signaling the birth of an all-electric sub-brand. Four years later and the German firm introduced the first two ID-badged production models, the ID.3 hatchback and the ID.4 crossover. At least six more electric vehicles are scheduled to hit the roads by 2023 and it seems Volkswagen is also working on a station wagon based on the ID Space Vizzion concept. The latest info coming from Volkswagen says that it will have a range of 700 km (around 435 miles).

It has barely been a month since Volkswagen revealed the refreshed Arteon and Arteon shooting brake. As a model that just landed in the States two years ago, I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t paid it much attention, and that means you probably didn’t know that there’s also an Arteon R – a mid-level performance car with more than 300 horsepower. Sounds great, right? Well, if you live in the United States, that’s too bad, because it’s our latest forbidden fruit.

The modern-day America-Germany treaty of the automotive industry was announced a few years ago, but things slowed down for a while. Now, things are back on track and the alliance between Ford and Volkswagen is expected to be finalized by the end of June. A lot of products and technology will be shared amongst the two brands, and the latest news is about a Ford-built Volkswagen. According to a press release, Ford will be building a truck for Volkswagen, and it will go on sale in 2020 as the new Amarok. Is this a big win for the German automaker or what?

Introduced in 2017, the Volkswagen Atlas replaced the Touareg in the United States. Come 2020 and Volkswagen rolled out the first mid-cycle facelift for the midsize SUV, at the Chicago Auto Show. The seven seater boasts mild design changes on the outside, new technology on the inside, but it’s available with the same engines under the hood.

We’re back with more news from Volkswagenland and no, this time, they’re not related to the freshly-unveiled eight-generation Golf. In fact, they concern the Touareg. VW’s largest SUV in Europe is going to get a high-performance R version powered by a hybrid powertrain, as Volkswagen hopes to steal some thunder off the likes of Mercedes-AMG and BMW M.

BMW has the X6 and X4, Mercedes-Benz the GLE and GLC Coupe, Audi created the Q8, and Porsche’s Cayenne Coupe is fresh off the press. So here comes Volkswagen, trumpeting its intentions to join the SUV-coupe craze with a sloping-roof design that uses the Atlas as a starting point.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the U.S.-only Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. Yes, it’s an SUV-coupe of sorts, because guess what: that’s precisely what was missing from VW’s stable, a model that belongs to the niche of a niche created to appease the buyer’s appetite for sloped-roof yet still high-riding SUVs that don’t require too much investment from the carmaker, which makes them the ultimate cash cow for whoever builds them. Obviously, the Atlas Cross Sport takes a lot after the on-sale-now VW Atlas, but as usual, there’s more than meets the eye. Let’s check it out.

Drag races are fun and there’s no denying that. But when you think about drag races, you seldom see trucks take a fierce stance and go up against their counterparts. However, Carwow thought that pitting four popular mid-size trucks against one another would be a good idea.

The publication decided to invite two German and two American guests to prove their mettle in a straight-line dash. The guests of honor include the likes of Mercedes X-Class, Volkswagen Amarok, Ford Ranger Raptor, and Ford F-150 Raptor. We have given out the winner already, but did Amarok have to break a sweat to take down its rivals?

When 2018 rolled in, it was pretty clear that Volkswagen’s truck, the Amarok, was in dire need of an update. Volkswagen was happy to finally oblige, and that’s what we’re looking at here – the updated, 2018 Volkswagen Amarok. As a Volkswagen truck, the Amarok doesn’t get a lot of love here in the states thanks to models like the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Ford F-150, Chevy Colorado, and – soon – the new Ford Ranger. As such, we thought we’d display the Volkswagen Amarok as our wallpaper of the day here in our office. Even better, we thought we’d share our entire gallery of Amarok wallpapers with you. Check out our favorite below, then run your fingers through the gallery at the bottom of the page for other great wallpaper choices.

The Volkswagen Type 2 is one of the German automaker’s most enduring designs and was even kept in production in Brazil until 2013. Volkswagen sold countless numbers around the world and, while the T2 generation isn’t as cute as the original T1, it has its place in history. At the F.re.e Leisure and Travel Fair in Munich, Germany, the T2 made an unexpected appearance in Lego form, proving that making full-scale recreations of cars out of thousands of Lego bricks is now a thing.

The second generation of Volkswagen’s world-renown compact multi-purpose van debuted in the Summer of 1967 and was kept in production until 1979 for the American and European markets. The Argentinian market enjoyed the T2 as late as 1986 while over in Mexico you could buy a new T2 up until 1994. However, the T2 was most popular in Brazil where Volkswagen built it at the São Bernardo do Campo plant until 2013 when the production officially ended with a run of 600 Last Edition vehicles.

Remember the name ‘Arctic Trucks’? They are the same folks whose claim-to-fame was when Jeremy Clarkson and James May drove a customized Toyota Hilux at the North Pole. This company is back in news and this time for working on the Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck. Arctic Trucks calls is the ‘Icelandic-spec’ version of the VW Amarok.

After eight years on the market, the second-generation Touareg is being prepared for retirement. The third-gen SUV, spotted testing on public roads multiple times in the past, will make its public debut in Beijing, China, on March 23. Yes, I’m also asking myself why VW isn’t unveiling it at the Geneva Motor Show next month, but the German automaker could have more important plans in Switzerland. What’s more, the Touareg is very popular in China, the world’s biggest vehicle market. Volkswagen also released a teaser sketch of the upcoming Toureg, which looks a lot like the current Porsche Cayenne, but with a slightly boxier design. Or somewhere between the Cayenne and the Audi Q7. Big surprise, huh?

For those who have lived long enough to remember the original Volkswagen Microbus, the sight of seeing all these new T2-inspired concepts must be disheartening, especially with Volkswagen resisting the tug of bringing back the beloved the nameplate. Well, it turns out that decision-makers within the company have had a recent change of heart because finally, a modern iteration of the Microbus is now headed to production. Don’t jump for joy just yet, though, because this model isn’t so much an actual successor to the iconic T2 as it is a model that will be heavily inspired by it.

Details are scarce on how VW plans to approach the model, but it is expected to be included in the “ID” range of electric car models that the German automaker is seriously pushing in the wake of the diesel-gate scandal it was embroiled in. Fortunately, the automaker already has a few concepts lined up to use as pegs in the event it decides to go in that direction. The most prominent of these concepts is the I.D. Buzz, which Volkswagen introduced at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show back in January. Despite its concept status, the I.D. Buzz provides the closest credentials to what an electric Microbus could turn into. It certainly has the inspired look of the classic transporter, and just as important, it carries a pair of electric motors that combine to produce 369 horsepower to go with a range of up to 270 miles. The power numbers also help the concept accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in five seconds before reaching a capped top speed of 99 mph.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Volkswagen has had it rough over the last two years. The Dieselgate debacle has purged the automaker’s coffers of expendable capital, pulled engineering teams from regular tasks, and put corporate executives under arrest. Despite the gloom, the horizon is clearing as the German automaker begins selling refurbished TDI models and its first-ever seven-passenger, three-row SUV rolling off the assembly line in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The 2018 VW Atlas fills a huge gap in the automaker’s lineup and competes with segment stalwarts like the Ford Explorer and Chevrolet Traverse.

I got behind the Atlas’ wheel at the 2017 Texas Auto Writers Association’s Springtime Auto Roundup at the Circuit of the Americas outside Austin, Texas. Skipping the high-speed Formula One racetrack, I pummeled the Atlas over the broken service roads surrounding the complex. Large potholes and undulating dips combined with twisty corners and hilly terrain to give a decent impression of the Atlas’ driving characteristics.

Continue reading for our first impressions of the 2018 VW Atlas.

I’ve been driving the 2016 Volkswagen Passat for the last week as a press loaner. I didn’t think much about the car when I heard it was arriving. After all, I had attended the press launch back last year and basically knew what to expect. But my appreciation for the Passat definitely grew the longer I spent with it.

The four-door sedan has a surprisingly long wheelbase that affords tons of interior room. Rear seat passengers have more than ample legroom, so long as anyone shorter than an NBA player is sitting up front. Headroom for all positions is equally large. Even the trunk is massive, seemingly rivaling that of the old-school Lincoln Town Car.

But it’s not just the roomy space that makes the interior attractive. The Passat has plenty of high-end touches that bring a certain level of luxury to the car. Though the materials might not be up to Audi’s quality, the appearance and overall feel of the cabin is rather upscale, giving the Passat a much richer vibe than its price tag should allow.

Behind the wheel, the same German-ness holds true. The leather-wrapped steering wheel with its thin rim and plethora of controls feels very Audi-ish. The floor-mounted accelerator pedal controls the silky smooth 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and the shifts from the six-speed automatic are just as amicable. Highway speeds feel leisurely thanks to the quiet cabin and compliant suspension. The Passat just has this air of German flair and an ode to the Volkswagen Group’s pricier divisions.

The Passat might not be a true substitute for an Audi, but with an as-tested price of just $29,230, it’s easy to forgive the few nit-picky cost-saving parts when you’re saving 10 grand.

We have a full driven review of the refreshed 2016 Volkswagen Passat coming soon.

The Volkswagen Phaeton came to be back in the early 2000s when the chairman at the time – Ferdinand Piech – decided to challenge VW engineers to come up with a vehicle that could compete with the Mercedes-Benz S-class, and cruise at 300 kph (186 mph) comfortably. The result was the 2002 Volkswagen Phaeton that was built with handpicked materials and white gloves – coming with a sticker price of 89,650 Euro ($101,000.) The Phaeton didn’t perform well in the U.S., which eventually led Wolfgang Bernard to pull the Phaeton from the market in 2006, which turned out to be one of the things that ended his career with Volkswagen. The Phaeton continued in other markets, but sales were still unacceptably low.

This year Volkswagen was supposed to reveal the new Phaeton, which – back in 2012 – was said to be the car that would influence all Volkswagen models going forward. More recent news has come to light, however, and plans have changed drastically. Unnamed sources close to the Phaeton project now claim that Volkswagen has decided to hold off on the Phaetons design, despite the fact that the new design is ready for production. The move to completely revamp the Phaeton, and delay the release of the current design, came from the desire to increase profits from the slow-selling luxury sedan. As of the time of this writing, there is no word of when the next design of the Phaeton will debut or be ready for production.

Continue reading for the full story.

Almost all of the major car manufacturers are figuring out ways to go to smaller displacement engines with fewer cylinder, yet the same horsepower. This is leading to turbocharged V-6 engines replacing V-8 engines and turbo V-8s replacing V-10s and V-12s. From the looks of things, Bentley is taking a different approach.

According to reports, Bentley is moving toward larger 12-cylinder engines and away from their turbocharged V-8 engines. We’re not sure exactly why Bentley is going this route, as it is opposite of the trend, but that very well may be the only reason. This would give Bentley the exclusivity that it needs to get a leg up on its rival, Rolls Royce.

Then again, maybe Volkswagen has a slew of 6.0-liter W-12 engines left over from its W-12-powered Phaeton, which was cut from the lineup in 2012, and is deciding to fit V-8 Bentleys with this massive hunk of 444-horsepower-producing metal.

Then again, with the Azure T’s 6.8, err, we mean six-and-three-quarter-liter engine pumping out just 450 horsepower and getting 9 mpg, the 12 mpg and 444 ponies that the W-12 pumps out looks tempting. Add a little boost to it to increase the torque from its 406 pound-feet mark and you have an engine that is not only more powerful, but gets better fuel economy than the turbocharged Bentley V-8 engine.

We’ll keep an eye on this and let you know what Bentley’s plans are just as soon as we know what exactly is going on.