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LUPO

Lupo GTi - fetch me a lead!
(Jul 01)

I must admit to a liking for the terrier breed, writes Tony Toner. I like their feisty attitude, their unruly behaviour (sometimes), and the fact that they don’t back down. They make great companions, are invariably loyal, dependable and great to come home to. With some you never know when they’ll nip you or get you into trouble. The analogy between my four-legged pals and the new Lupo GTI could end this article right here, but then I do like to talk, so it won’t. Full Story

POLO

A car for getting out of the rat race (Apr 01) - Tony Conlon

For those who wish to get out of the rat race, I think I have the answer. The VW Polo TDi is for people who would like to have a long relationship with a product. I say this in order that you would get the value out of the high retail price. The Polo TDi is for those who wish to run a car yet take a holiday or two a year. The VW Polo TDi can be such a miser on fuel that its very possible you could save a fortune running one. full story

Polo 1.4tdi a little delight (Apr 01) - Gerry Boud

Polo will upgrade the cult of VW (Mar 02)
There’s a cult of VW, writes Brian Byrne. It has been carefully built up by the company that started out as a one-model carmaker and stayed that way right up to the 60s, when it diversified into hippie-wagons, successfully, and later a few other cars spectacularly unsuccessfully. Like the 411. (If you have to ask, don’t. You’re too young, and history will bore you.) Full Story.


Polo is a supermini in a vintage year (Jul 02)
Volkswagen’s latest Polo is arguably the best Volkswagen ever built, writes Bill Trapman. And there are a small legion of Polo owners out there who have been waiting anxiously for the current version to arrive. They won’t be disappointed.

GOLF

New Golf might turn me on (Oct 03)
In all honesty, the VW Golf was never a car that turned me on particularly, writes Brian Byrne. Which actually puts me in the minority end of a driver bank of more than 22 million people for the most of whom the nameplate is almost their religion.

Where no Golf has come before (Jun 04)
I was always very clear that I wasn't a part of the glorification of the VW Golf, writes Brian Byrne. Which, to my mind, was to a large extent a compensatory syndrome for those who hankered back to the demising Beetle.

BORA

TOURAN

Dull design does Touran injustice (Aug03)
As imageless and uninteresting as a bread van, Volkswagen's new Touran MPV doesn't seem to have much going for it on first sighting, writes John Reilly. And for a tardy arriver, it hasn't brought with it much in the way of innovation or specification.

Touran is what you expect (Aug 04)
The VW Touran doesn't make its claim for favour on style, which is quite pedestrian really, writes Brian Byrne. Rather it depends on its pedigree and how it actually does its job.

VW's Bora has the wind in its tail (Nov 99) - Brian Byrne

PASSAT

Passat TDi best I've driven for ages (Jun 01)

I feel I don’t need to extol the virtues of VW cars, writes Hugh Maguire. When the current generation VW Passat was launched just 4 years ago it became an instant sales success. It was roomy, well equipped and had the usual bullet-proof VW build quality. Indeed, it proved so good that car giant Ford tempted two of the Passat’s original designers to join the Ford team on the new Mondeo project. A quick glance inside and out reveals that the new Mondeo bears more than a passing resemblance to a Passat. The ultimate compliment? Full Story.

BEETLE

New Beetle gets the conversions (May 00) - Brian Byrne.

VW Beetle wins attention (Apr 01) - Eddie Cunningham

The Beetle: An Appreciation (Jul 03)
The original VW Beetle ends its production next week at its only remaining production line in Mexico, writes Jan Hermann. For a generation, that will mean the end of a motoring era that simply can't be maintained by the ersatz 'New Beetle', which is only a Golf in party dress.

SHARAN

TOUAREG

VW ready for Dakar Rally (Dec 03)
When the start flag drops on 1 January in Clermont-Ferrand for the Dakar Rally, 18 exhilarating days in the world's toughest rally begin not only for the rally drivers but also for the support teams, writes Remi Blondet.

A car with a big presence (Apr 04)
Some cars have presence, at any price point, writes Brian Byrne. Touareg is one of them. Classically imposing might be the correct term. Unmistakeable once you have seen your first.

CARAVELLE