Prices and specifications have been announced for the revised Volkswagen Touareg luxury SUV, which opens for orders on 27 August, ahead of first deliveries in November. Prices for the new Touareg start at £43,000 (RRP OTR), rising to £47,500. Two engine choices are available – a 3.0-litre V6 TDI with 204 PS and a 3.0-litre V6 TDI with 262 PS (previously 245 PS). Thanks to the introduction of a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system using AdBlue, low-rolling resistance tyres and a coasting function on the standard eight-speed automatic gearbox, both engines are complaint with Euro 6 emissions legislation. The 204 PS engine now emits just 173 g/km of CO2, 11 g/km less than before, putting it in a lower VED band than before, and also making for a two per cent benefit in kind taxation reduction for company car drivers. On the outside, the new Touareg features revised bumpers and grilles, new alloy wheel designs, new colours and bi-xenon headlights as standard. Inside, the front seats now come with standard lumbar support, and there are two new optional wood trims – ‘Sapelli Mahogany’ and ‘Engineered Ebony’, while the optional Nappa leather upholstery in the R-Line model is now available in two-tone Flint Grey and Titan Black. An automatic post-collision braking system also becomes standard across the range. Three trim levels are available. The range starts with the SE, which features a comprehensive specification including 19-inch ‘Salvador’ alloy wheels; RNS 850 satellite navigation with eight-inch touchscreen, DAB digital radio and Bluetooth; 2Zone climate control; ‘Cricket’ leather upholstery’; bi-xenon headlights; front fog lights; parking sensors and chrome roof rails. The Escape model features an advanced 4XMOTION off-road four-wheel drive system, with 50:50 torque split and centre and rear axle mechanical differential locks; higher off-road suspension; 18-inch ‘Karakum’ alloy wheels; 100-litre fuel tank (85 litres is standard on SE); underbody protection; black roof rails and a headlight cleaning system. The top-of-the-range Touareg R-Line features an R-Line body kit with bespoke bumpers front and rear, sill extensions and wheel arch extensions; 20-inch ‘Tarragona’ alloy wheels; lowered sports suspension; LED daytime running lights and a panoramic glass sunroof. Inside is a black roof lining; bespoke R-Line seats and aluminium-look pedals, while enhanced equipment includes a heated steering wheel; electrically operated tailgate and keyless entry and start.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

To help our environment, some Volkswagen diesel models are now fitted with AdBlue advanced emissions control equipment that cleans exhaust gases to beyond current legislation levels.

It works by injecting a minute amount of a liquid called AdBlue into the exhaust system. The chemicals in AdBlue break down polluting nitrogen oxides into harmless water vapour and nitrogen gas.

The AdBlue liquid is stored in a tank and the more economically you drive, the less you will use.

Typically the AdBlue tank does not need to be replenished until the next scheduled service but this will be dependent upon your driving style, vehicle loading and environmental conditions.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

The air needed for combustion in the engine flows through the variable intake manifold to the intake valve. In naturally aspirated engines, the length of the intake manifold is subject to variable demands at different engine speeds. This ensures the highest possible continual air inflow rate into the combustion chamber. At low revs you need a high level of torque delivered as fast as possible - by means of a long intake manifold - while maximum power output at high revs demands short intake manifolds. The variable intake manifold features a flap system governed by the engine control unit that meets both those demands. It channels the air via the long intake manifold at low revs and through the short section at high revs. Turbo engines do not need a variable intake manifold because the boost pressure of the turbocharger determines the volume of air entering the combustion chamber. Intake manifolds in turbo engines are therefore very short for reasons of space and cost.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

Volkswagen has unveiled the all-new Passat at a ceremony at the Volkswagen Design Centre in Potsdam, Germany.  The latest car, which will receive its public premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October, is the eighth-generation of the Passat, which over the past 41 years has racked up over 23 million sales worldwide.

Everything in this car is new: its design, technologies and engines.  The Passat sets new standards with an unladen weight that has been reduced by up to 85 kg and fuel economy figures that have been improved by up to 20 per cent.  For the first time, there will also be a Passat with a plug-in hybrid drive system.  In its design and in the advanced features it offers, the new Passat bridges the gap between the upper medium and premium class. 

At 4,767 mm long, the saloon is two millimetres shorter than the previous model, while the wheelbase is 79 mm longer at 2,791 mm and therefore the body overhangs significantly shorter. At the same time, the Passat is 14 mm lower at 1,456 mm, and 12 mm wider at 1,832 mm.

Because of the optimised engine orientation, it was possible to lower significantly the bonnet and shift the windscreen towards the rear. This ‘cab backward design’ helps to create the impression of a premium-class car.  Extremely precisely drawn edges and creases which develop individual light-reflecting surfaces help to continue this impression.  At the front, the new Passat’s radiator grille features four chrome bars which bend inward towards the headlights in a trapezoidal shape.  The lowermost chrome bar of the grille is continued into the headlights.  

Immediately noticeable at the rear is that the cab has a strong inward sweep, and at the bottom it transitions into the wide, flared shoulder section.  The rear lights have been made considerably wider and leaner.  In this area, the Saloon looks like a young sibling of the Phaeton with its large bootlid surface, and a distinctive crease beneath the rear lights that extends across the rear.

All models of Passat have LED rear lights, while the higher-specification versions feature a distinctive horizontal tail light signature that switches over to a vertically oriented brake light signature under braking.  Headlights are halogen or LED.  In conjunction with Dynamic Light Assist, one of the two LED headlight options automatically adjusts the beam for maximum illumination of the road without dazzling other traffic.

Despite exterior dimensions that are actually marginally smaller than those of the previous Passat, interior space is improved, with more leg- and head-room, as well as increased luggage space.

The interior has been developed to match the sophisticated exterior of the eighth-generation Passat.  New technologies to be offered on the new Passat include the optional Active Info Display, which replaces the instrument cluster with a fully configurable interactive 12.3-inch TFT display; a heads-up display; the latest Modular Infotainment System, including the Car-Net remote app; a further-developed 360-degree Area View function; and the latest generation of Park Assist.  This newly developed Park Assist includes the option for the car to park itself forwards into perpendicular spaces – useful, for example at supermarket car parks, where access to the boot is important.  It also includes a world-first Trailer Assist system, which provides assistance when reversing a vehicle with a trailer attached – without the need for any modification or adaptation of the trailer.

Safety technology includes Side Assist with Rear Traffic Alert; Traffic Jam Assist which makes stop-and-go driving more comfortable; Emergency Assist, which can potentially halt a vehicle when the driver is incapacitated; and the latest Front Assist system with City Emergency Braking, which optionally combines both radar and camera sensors to add pedestrian detection.

A highlight of the Passat’s new range of engines is a high-performance, four-cylinder,
2.0-litre, bi-turbo diesel delivering 240 PS and an extraordinary 500 Nm from 1,750 rpm.  This engine will be available only with a new seven-speed DSG gearbox and 4MOTION all-wheel drive.  A plug-in hybrid model will also be offered, with potential to travel 31 miles on battery power alone, and with a maximum range of around 600 miles.

Further details and UK pricing are expected to be announced at the time of the Paris Motor Show in October.  UK sales will start before the end of the year, with first deliveries expected in early 2015.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk