VW Routan to Return Via Oprah

One of the first big scoops I ever landed as an automotive blogger was the story that Oprah was giving away free cars to her audience. My wife just happened to walk by Harpo Studios, which is near her office in Chicago, and filled me in that there were hundreds of cars with bows on them. The giveaway was one of the biggest model-specific promotions ever, and the Pontiac G6 seemingly had Oprah’s stamp of approval.

The same is happening again, except the vehicle being given away is a VW Routan minivan, and there will only be two lucky winners, not 276.

The Routan has been a failure for VW since its launch last year, and many thought production wouldn’t resume at the Chrysler plant where it’s made alongside the Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans.

The company hopes Oprah’s stamp of approval will bring some of that Pontiac G6 frenzy to the Routan.

REPORT: VW banking on Oprah giveaway to raise awareness of slow-selling Routan minivans (Autoblog)

2009|Volkswagen|Routan

Affordable Convertibles Put to the Test

Some highly anticipated new luxury convertibles will hit the market this summer in the Lexus IS and Infiniti G37, but what about droptops for the masses? Isn’t everyone entitled to some wind in their hair?

With the sun shining and the breeze cool, we took three popular, affordable convertibles out for a spin to see how they’d fare as a chariot for a weekend getaway. The cars tested were the 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata, 2010 Ford Mustang and 2009 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. We considered cargo space, comfort and cool factor. Check out the video above to see how they fared in those categories, and read on to see how we felt about these topless wonders as driving machines.

In the end, our five staffers arrived at a split decision, but not before some heavily spirited debate. What follows is the conversation that ensued after a day of driving the three vehicles over a large chunk of northern Illinois:

Volkswagen Offers Three Months of Free Satellite Radio on Pre-Owned Vehicles

When customers buy a certified pre-owned Volkswagen car, they’ll get a free three-month trial of Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

The Sirius Everything Package will be available in any Sirius-equipped pre-owned Volkswagen (or as VW likes to call them “certified pre-loved”).

Sirius radio was standard on many VW vehicles starting with the 2007 model year, including the GTI, GLI, Eos, Beetle, Passat and Touareg. It’s also included in certain packages for the Tiguan, Jetta and Rabbit.

Audi Q5, Volkswagen CC Named IIHS Top Safety Picks

Audi’s Q5 small SUV and Volkswagen’s CC midsize sedan – both new for 2009 – have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s highest crash-test distinction, Top Safety Pick. To earn Top Safety Pick status, IIHS requires a vehicle to pass front, side and rear tests with its best rating, Good, and come standard with an electronic stability system.

The Q5’s closest competitors also earned Top Safety Pick status, including the Acura RDX, BMW X3 and Infiniti EX35. Some of the Volkswagen CC’s competition has also earned the distinction, including the Acura TL, Hyundai Genesis sedan and Infiniti G37. 

Volkswagen Will Stick With Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Development

After the Obama administration cut funding for hydrogen fuel-cell research from the Department of Energy’s budget, the fuel-cell vehicle had a major setback.

This hasn’t deterred Volkswagen from pursuing hydrogen cars, though, and it showed off its fuel-cell Ling Yu Passat in California to prove it. VW makes clear that it knows full well Americans won’t be filling up with hydrogen any time soon, but says it sees fuel cells as a solution in the making, even if they’re far from production-ready.

Its “Future Mobility Roadmap” first outlines a switch to hybrids and electric vehicles, long before hydrogen-powered cars. Like Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, VW doesn’t want to only pursue the electric route, but as most of the scientific community has stressed, fuel cells just don’t make sense right now.

Building the infrastructure to support a fleet of hydrogen vehicles has proved a prohibitive expense (not to mention issues of fuel transport and the cost to manufacture the vehicles). Still, Volkswagen will continue to develop the technology and look for ways around all the daunting challenges.

VW Still Devoted to Hydrogen (Autopia)

Recall Alert: Volkswagen Jetta

Volkswagen has issued a recall for 25,594 Jettas from the 2006-09 model years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall affects all models with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine; the fastening screw contact surfaces on the driveshaft cover plate may have been manufactured incorrectly.

The screws may not have been torqued properly during assembly and could loosen over time, resulting in a knocking sound during driving. If they loosen enough, the driveshaft could detach from the gearbox. A damaged gearbox housing can also leak oil.

Dealers will inspect the driveshaft screws and replace them, if necessary, for free. Owners can call Volkswagen at 800-822-8987 or NHTSA at 888-327-4236.

2010 Volkswagen Golf and GTI Video

Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder uses his time at the 2009 New York auto show to take a look at the 2010 Volkswagen Golf and GTI. Learn about all the styling changes to both the Golf and GTI, from its complex new headlights to its subtle interior styling cues. Also, learn the only three phrases Wiesenfelder knows in German.

2010 Volkswagen GTI at 2009 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Mini Cooper S, Mazdaspeed3, Subaru Impreza WRX
• Looks like: VW showed a lot of restraint when styling its performance hatch
• Drivetrain: 200-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with six-speed manual or automatic; front-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Fall 2009

Volkswagen's performance-oriented GTI hatchback receives styling updates inside and out for 2010, but its turbocharged drivetrain lives on from the previous model. When it hits dealerships in the fall, it will be available in two- and four-door hatchback form.

Typical of VW performance models, there aren't any overly done exterior modifications to separate the GTI from the less powerful Golf. There are, however, a number of small tweaks that help give the car its own look. The front-end styling is more imposing thanks to a large mesh lower grille and a thin mesh upper grille that's highlighted by red striping and a GTI badge. Seventeen-inch alloy wheels are standard, and 18-inch rims are optional. In another change from the previous GTI, the car's dual tailpipes are set apart from each other near the edges of the bumper, whereas before they exited the bumper together.

Front bucket seats with large side bolsters go into the GTI's cabin, which also features a meaty steering wheel with red stitching. There's more red thread on the gear selector and parking brake handle, and the cabin also features new door interiors, new gauges and a new center control panel that houses the optional navigation system.

The changes keep the GTI contemporary in terms of its looks, but I'm surprised VW didn't take the opportunity to give it a little more power to keep pace with some of its competitors.More photos below.

2010 Volkswagen Golf at 2009 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Mazda3 hatchback, Honda Fit, Mini Cooper
• Looks like: VW is obsessed with smooth styling
• Drivetrain: 170-hp, 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder or 140-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel with five-speed manual (gas), six-speed manual (diesel) or six-speed automatic (gas or diesel); front-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Fall 2009

Volkswagen has updated its compact hatchback for 2010, giving it smoother exterior styling, updates to the cabin and a newly available diesel engine. It also marks the return of the name “Golf,” which had been ditched for the past few years in favor of “Rabbit.”

Smooth exterior styling was already one of the defining elements of the outgoing Rabbit, but the new Golf looks even slicker. The most significant exterior change is to its face, which has new headlights that are much more integrated into the grille than before. The grille itself is wider, and the lower portion of the front bumper has been restyled. In back, new taillights closely resemble those from VW's Touareg SUV.

The Golf will be offered in 2.5 and TDI trim levels. The base 2.5 hatchback is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder engine that makes 170 hp. The optional diesel engine in the TDI makes less power —40 hp — but produces a boatload of torque (236 pounds-feet at 1,750 rpm). Fuel economy figures haven't been released, but the gas engine's should be similar to the Rabbit's — which got between 29 and 30 mpg on the highway, depending on the transmission — while the diesel engine will likely be somewhere around the Jetta TDI's estimates of 40-41 mpg on the highway, and maybe even higher.

The cabin has a lot of updated surfaces, including new door interiors, a new center control panel, a new steering wheel and new gauges, but somehow it still looks a lot like the Rabbit's; the changes are rather subtle. That's not as much of an issue as you might think, though, as the Rabbit had one of the nicer interiors in its class.

More photos below.

Recall Alert: 2009 Volkswagen CC

Volkswagen has issued a recall of 5,750 CC vehicles from the 2009 model year due to a possible malfunction in the seat belt buckle assembly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

An incorrectly routed wire harness in the right front passenger seat has the potential to become damaged when the seat is moved up and down or forward and backward. This damage could cause the airbag control module to deactivate the front passenger’s airbag. The airbag warning light and the airbag “Off” light may illuminate.

During a crash, the passenger’s front airbag would not deploy, which greatly increases the chance of injury. Dealers will inspect and adjust the routing of the wiring harness, or replace it free of charge.

The CC is off to a good start in the sales department. A recall of any kind isn’t something the company will want to see make Google News.

Owners can contact Volkswagen at 800-822-8987 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236.