Drop Top Golf

2012 VW Golf Cabriolet

It's been a while since we've seen the Golf go topless. In fact, the last time it did was back in the early millenium with the Mk. IV. It wasn't really that good looking, but this new Mk. VI Golf looks really stunning. Obviously, VW had to do some styling changes to make everything fit perfectly including a sloped front windshield, a low-profile roof line, and a slightly altered chassis. But, it's still a Golf, with new features. There are LEDs in the front and rear lights now. The roll bar that the old Golf Cabrio had now comes standard and rises automatically. There are airbags for your head, torso, and knees. The soft-top can be opened or closed when you're on the move at 18.7 MPH. Basically, there's stuff in this car that make you more safe even when you want to enjoy the summer sun. When it comes to power, nothing much has changed. The Golf Cabrio will be offered with a 105 horsepower 1.6-liter TDI engine. That doesn't sound like a lot, but there's also a 207 horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-4 engine, so expect some GTI-ness with this cabrio to come soon. U.S. prices have not been announced yet, but in Germany, the Golf Cabrio starts at €23,625.

24 Hours of Golf

2012 VW Golf24 Race Car

The ever-famous Nürburgring 24 hour race is coming soon, and VW are coming back with an all new car. Last time, the put their Scirocco round Green Hell, but it didn't do as well as they hoped. So instead, they've tuned this Golf here to have over 400 horsepower from a 2.5-liter Turbocharged Inline-5 engine and put the FIA GT standards into it to make the Golf24 Race Car. They've definitely improved on this one. The Scirocco24 had 300 horsepower with front-wheel drive. Since this has over 400 horsepower, they put the drivetrain to all-wheel drive for better traction and much more balance. Let's see if VW gets lucky with this car this year.

Autobahn Ready!

2012 VW Jetta GLI

I've been waiting for this car to come out for a while. What VW loves to do is to put turbochargers and some sporty styling on two of their most adored cars in the market: the Golf and the Jetta. We've seen what they've done to the Golf, now it's time to look at the Jetta. The all new Jetta GLI features the same old 2.0-liter turbo-4 engine producing 200 horsepower with 207 lb.-ft. of torque. That engine sort of works for VW, so they stuck with it. What's new though is the choice of a 6-speed DSG gearbox which offers better mileage (32 MPG) than the standard 6-speed manual. It also has a more sophisticated independent rear suspension than the standard Jetta and features the XDS cross differential technology from the turbo-nutting GTI. Aside from all this science, the GLI looks more aggressive, has bigger (18") rims, and a mood that will scare the hairs off of a panther. You can have all of this for just $23,495, which is pretty good value for a car that will do 155 MPH on the Autobahn.

The Dark Side of VW

2012 VW Passat & Darth Max

Apparently, Darth Vader had another kid that we didn't know about. Anyway, a family adopted him, named him Max, and now he thinks he's just as good as his father. Ha ha, I'm kidding! If you were watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, you might have stumbled upon this ad, which has been hailed the best ad of the game. Basically, Darth Max thought he had the powers of the force when he stumbled upon dad's new VW Passat. Find out how he managed to turn his dad's car on in the video below. By the way, the kid's real name is Max Page and he was on the Today Show yesterday.

Gold is the new Green

2012 VW Touareg Gold Edition

VW is pressing all the right buttons out in Qatar. They've also released this special Gold Edition of the all-new Touareg at the Qatar Motor Show. As you can see, it's been decked out with 24K Gold pretty much everywhere: the 22-inch Rims, the trim, even in the interior, there are gold-plated trim linings and a gold-plated shift knob. That's epic!

Gold Interior

This is the most elegant that I've seen the Touareg so far. And because it's been turned to gold, expect it to have a very, very big price tag. Even with a big price tag, you still should average about 31 MPG on the big V8 Turbodiesel engine and not produce as much CO2 as a regular V8. So, if you live in Qatar, and decide to buy this SUV, you won't only be in the most expensive VW ever created, you'll be in the most expensive Green VW ever.

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A Dakar Racer for the Road

2012 VW Race Touareg 3 Qatar

Somehow, all the good stuff end up overseas. I guess it's because we have too many laws and restrictions and we, ourselves, are choosy, picky, buyers when it comes to cars. In Qatar, Dubai, or Abu Dhabi though, there are rules and restrictions, but buyers there don't care what car they drive, and here's a perfect example. The Qatar Motor Show was on recently and VW showed up with this race-ready VW Race Touareg 3 Qatar. This Touareg was specially modded so that it can be used on the road, therefore making it a road-legal rally machine. It still has the 300 horsepower 2.5-liter TDI engine, but the rest of car is about the same. On the outside, it's not that much different than the regular Dakar racer except for the gold-colored BBS rims, and gold-vinyled "Race Touareg" words across each side.

Interior View

Inside, there are some changes. First, the seats aren't regular leathers, but Recaro racing buckets. The steering wheel is a racing one as well. But, other than that, the car is still somewhat luxurious. There's even a Navigation screen on the passenger side of the car. So, if you want a rally racing SUV with real rally racing pedigree, and road-ready regulations, then this is the SUV for you. It's too bad that it's only available in Qatar.

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Scirocco U.S. Bound?

2011 VW Scirocco R

A lot of German tuner fans have heard of the VW Scirocco. It's not even a Scirocco. It's a Golf that just looks pretty. Since its re-launch in 2008, the Scirocco has remained in Europe. But, there is some hope for the U.S. at hand as VW's U.S. Boss, Jonathan Browning, is right now working on getting the car over to our shores. That will seem nice because this car is quite good when it comes to handling and power. We don't know if it will be on our shores yet, but Browning told me he's working on it.

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Diesel = Powaahh!!!

2011 Audi Q7 V12 TDI

Do not underestimate diesel powered cars! They may not have a lot of horsepower or go as fast as regular petrol cars, put when it comes to torque and mileage, they defy all odds. For example, this crazy SUV you see in front of you is Audi's Twin-Turbodiesel V12 powered Q7. It's not the fastest V12-powered car ever with a 0 to 60 time of 5.5 seconds and a top speed of just 171 MPH. It's not the most powerful V12 ever with 500 horsepower produced from its engine. But, as for torque, it shatters most V12's out of the water. The number: 738 lb.-ft. of torque. That's more torque that you get from the Pagani Zonda R! As for mileage, it gets 21 MPG which might not sound all that impressive, but compared to most V12's, that's pretty good.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 CDI Estate

Here's another example: the Mercedes C350 CDI. Under the hood is a 3.5-liter Turbodiesel V6 producing 231 horsepower. Again, not the most powerful V6 in the world and it's not the fastest with a 0 to 60 time of 6.4 seconds. But, it gets 400 lb.-ft. of torque. That's more than you get in a V8 S-Class. Not to mention, it's cheaper and more fuel efficient than an S-Class to, valued at about $30,000 with over 30 MPG. That's incredible! Diesel cars are quite powerful when it comes to torque. In fact, if your diesel has, let's say about 700 lb.-ft. of torque, you could have the ability to tow a 160 ton Boeing 747. It's true! Volkswagen have done it with their V10 TDI Touareg. Check the video below to see the towing in action.



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Worldwide King of Speed

2011 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport

The Veyron has been with us since 2006 and it has been proven to us that it is truly the undisputed fastest car in the world with a world record top speed of 267 MPH. It's a shame to see the production of this car come to an end in 2013, or will it? Recent speculation has gotten out that Bugatti have a brand new Veyron in the works. It turns out that the Volkswagen Group, the company that owns Bugatti, have no intentions of having this hypercar go away. So, by the time our current super-speed hero dies in 2013, another hero will be here to take his place. Who knews? That car could just about reach 270 MPH. Let's find out in 2 years.

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NMS Unveiled

2012 Volkswagen Passat

New from Volkswagen, it's the NMS, or Passat if you live in North America. On the face of it, it does look a lot better than the previous model, plus it's much more luxurious. The engines for the new Passat include a 2.5-liter 170 horsepower 5-cylinder entry-engine, a 2.0-liter 140 horsepower 4-cylinder TDI engine for diesel purposes, and the powerful 3.6-liter 280 horsepower V6 engine. The engines will be connected a 5-speed manual or an optional 6-speed automatic transmission except for the V6 model, which will be connected to a 6-speed DSG transmission. The Passat will be built at the VW plant in Chattanoonga, Tennessee. Prices start at about $20,000 making it good value for a very yuppie-looking VW. Look for this car on the Showroom floor at the NAIAS.

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New Year = New Auto Show

The NAIAS (North American International Auto Show) begins tomorrow and there are a lot of exciting new cars that will hit the showroom floor. For instance, the VW Passat is finally getting a more sophisticated makeover and will debut tomorrow. Buick's new small car, the Verano, will be making waves on the Buick set. GMC will be bringing out the big guns with their Sierra HD Terrain Concept. Mopar will showcase two awesomely tuned cars from Chrysler and Fiat. Then there's the one most petrolheads, including me, have been waiting for: the Mystery Porsche. Will the 918 production model be hitting the showroom floor, or does Porsche have something extra special in store for us? We'll have to wait and see tomorrow. I'll give you all the highlights and lists of newcomers tomorrow as the NAIAS kicks off.

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Energy Drinks + Dakar Dirt = VW

2011 VW Race Touareg 3

It seems Red Bull had a quite an affect on the VW Dakar Rally Team, not that they drank many of them before the races, of course. According to a report from CNN, the Team has won two of the Dakar Rally Events so far with Carlos Sainz behind the wheel of this VW Race Touareg 3. Even though it's diesel powered, don't doubt for a second that it isn't fast. Its Twin-Turbodiesel V6 produces 296 horsepower with 442 lb.-ft. of torque. 0 to 60 is done in a surprising 6.1 seconds and it will hit a top speed on tarmac of 117 MPH. On road, that's not really fast. On Dakar dirt, however, that's pretty fast. Not to mention that it's driven by a very good rally driver. Carlos Sainz of Spain was a former WRC rally driver for Ford, Toyota, Subaru, Citroën, and Lancia. He joined T1 rally in 2006 with the VW Race Touareg 2 and won the Dakar Rally in 2010. Another fun fact for all you soccer fans out there; he once ran for president of the Real Madrid F.C. He lost the election though.


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Gran Turismo For Your iPhone

Real Racing 2

I recently bought Real Racing 2 for my iPhone to see if it was really as good as most reviewers have said. To my surprise, it wasn't. It's AMAZING!! The graphics are inch-perfect; they're almost as good as the stuff you get on a PSP. The physics have gotten better from their last installment. The races are immense and challenging. There's a lot to say about this game, but let me sum it up with one simple word: AWESOME. If you've got money and an iPhone or an iPod Touch, head over to the App Store and buy this App. It's literally like having Gran Turismo on your iPhone. What's also surprising about the realism in this game: it all started with a Golf. The game also features this awesome YouTube upload feature where you can upload replays onto YouTube so other racers can see. Here's my first upload.

New Year = New Cars

2011

Well, Christmas is here and the new year is upon us, which means it's time to make changes with our lives and the world. Out with the old, in with the new, and in this case, new cars. 2011 is coming and it's bringing an array of fancy new wheels with it. Here are some of them.

2011 McLaren MP4-12C

1. 2011 McLaren MP4-12C

McLaren is back after it's hiatus with the F1. Now, they're releasing this swoopy, Twin-Turbocharged 600 horsepower V8 supercar aiming for Ferrari and Lamborghini. McLaren are already certain that this car will go over 200 MPH. It's already received praise from Jay Leno and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. I like it, too because it looks as good as it handles. Let's see how well it will do next year.

2011 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible

2. 2011 Chevy Camaro Convertible

After months of anticipation, the Camaro finally takes its top off. New for 2011, the Camaro Convertible comes with all the perks of the regular hardtop coupe, but with no top. You still get the same engines, including the new 312 horsepower 3.6-liter V6 base engine. Prices start at $29,150, but if I were you, I'd pay extra to hear a growling 426 horsepower V8 under the hood.

2012 Nissan GT-R

3. 2012 Nissan GT-R

Next summer, Godzilla returns with more power and more insanity. It's all new 523 horsepower Twin-Turbocharged 3.7-liter V6 engine gets the monster from 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds. With that much power and acceleration, who knows? The GT-R could just about pass the 200 MPH mark. This is one crazy Japanese import!

2012 BMW 6 Series Convertible

4. 2012 BMW 6 Series Convertible

This luxurious and sporty convertible returns with sexier looks and bigger engine. It now uses the same Twin-Turbocharged 400 horsepower V8 that you get in the 750i sedan. You will feel this power as you accelerate from 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds. Another fast thing about this car is its folding roof which opens in 19 seconds and closes in just 24 seconds. Look for this car next summer with a big price tag and its top down.

2012 VW Golf R

5. 2012 VW Golf R

Finally! This turbo-nutting Golf is making its way to our shores WITH its 270 horsepower 2.0-liter Turbocharged Inline-4. Accompanied with all-wheel drive and a 6-speed manual or DSG transmission, this Golf will accelerate from 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds on its way to a limited top speed of 155 MPH. It will be available in 3-door or 5-door variants. Any way or another, this is one cool Golf.

2012 Ford Mustang BOSS 302 Laguna Seca

6. 2012 Ford Mustang

Since 2010, the Mustang has gotten better, adding more power, better styling, and better performance. New 2012, the mighty Mustang GT gets a new lower price tag of just under $30,000 to make room for this massive muscle: the BOSS 302. Coming next Spring, it will be available in regular or Laguna Seca variants starting at $44,000. This is definitely ideal money because this car was able to beat a top Laguna Seca lap time held by the BMW M3 E92.

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster (Courtesy of Road & Track)

7. 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster

We've seen the SLS reveal itself earlier this year. Now it's time for it to take the top down for next summer. The car will still feature its 6.2-liter 563 horsepower V8 engine from the regular coupe, but since most convertibles are heavier than the regular coupe models, it might reach 60 MPH from 0 in a slower time. No matter. Convertibles are always more sexier than coupes.

2012 Ferrari 458 Spider (Courtesy of teamspeed.com)

8. 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider

This might just be a rendering, but rest assured Ferrari does plan to release a top-down version of their sexiest Ferrari, the 458, next summer. It might be slightly heavier than the original, but it will still feature its 562 horsepower Ferrari V8 engine so you can hear the harmonious engine more clearly.

2012 Ford Focus ST

9. 2012 Ford Focus ST

Since its birth, the Focus ST has always been in Europe. Now, Ford has come to its senses and have planned to bring the Turbo-hatch over to our shores. The new Focus ST will feature a 2.0-liter Turbocharged Inline-4 engine connected to a 6-speed manual transmission. 247 horsepower will power the front wheels of this car. This is just a first move of the many changes Ford has planned for the company. What's next? A Focus RS?

2011 Dodge Durango

10. 2011 Dodge Durango

The Durango is back and better than ever. Based off the platform of the all new Jeep Grand Cherokee, the all new Durango features better styling and more sportier looks. It looks more like sporty wagon than an SUV if you ask me. Under the hood is the traditional 5.7-liter HEMI V8 producing 370 horsepower making it very powerful for a very heavy SUV. Look for this SUV in the showrooms in a couple months.

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

11. 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

In 2005, Mercedes-Benz invented the 4-door coupe by bringing in the CLS. Now, for 2011, it's back with more power, sexier looks, and more technology. Its all new 5.5-liter Twin-Turbocharged V8 engine producing 402 horsepower projects the car from 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds making it very fast. When it comes out, it will be the first car ever made to offer full LED lighting for all of its dynamic lighting functions. In fact, there's 71 LED lights all around the car making it very energy saving. Not mention, it looks much sexier now than it did before. Look for this coupe next summer.

So, there's your list of cars coming out next year. Let's start the waiting...NOW!