http://www.thecarconnection.com/tips Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:45:01 -0500 Tips and Advice -- find out how to maintain, service, insure, wash and wax, and change the oil in your car with tips from TheCarConnection.com. Lifestyle/Fashion http://static.thecarconnection.com/website/tcc-feed.jpg http://www.thecarconnection.com/tips http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1039478_volkswagen-up-light-concept-hints-at-future-hybrid-models http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1039478_volkswagen-up-light-concept-hints-at-future-hybrid-models Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:23:00 -0500 At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Volkswagen revealed an all-new concept car, called the Up! Lite, that demonstrates a new focus on fuel-efficiency and hybrids by getting straight to numbers; its carbon-dioxide emissions are just 65 grams per mile and at 70 mpg, it's the most fuel-efficient four-passenger vehicle in the world. With a little ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038954_video-changing-a-vw-fan-belt-with-the-engine-running http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038954_video-changing-a-vw-fan-belt-with-the-engine-running Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:30:00 -0500 Although combustion engines will remain a part of the car mix for several decades to come, it seems pretty clear that electrics are the way of the future. And while many will be sad to see gas engines go the way of their fuel source (i.e. the dinosaur), there are many things we won't miss about 'em -- like all those moving parts that tend to ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038872_ford-gaining-on-honda-and-toyota-in-perceived-quality http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038872_ford-gaining-on-honda-and-toyota-in-perceived-quality Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:48:00 -0500 Among mainstream brands, consumers still rate Honda and Toyota highest in quality--whether that is or isn't the case on actual quality surveys. But Ford is quickly gaining ground. That's according to the latest Perceived Quality Study (PQS), from residual values expert Automotive Leasing Guide (ALG). Perceived quality sometimes fails to mirror ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038253_wtf-adwatch-chinese-print-ad-for-the-volkswagen-gti http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038253_wtf-adwatch-chinese-print-ad-for-the-volkswagen-gti Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:12:00 -0500 We're not entirely sure that this Chinese print ad for the Volkswagen GTI is for real -- and if it is, we're even less sure what it might be saying. The copy along the bottom translates as "It will go fast". That could mean "It will go so fast that you'll spill all that hot, delicious coffee from McDonald's right in your lap". Or it could ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038307_2011-volkswagen-touareg-to-launch-in-january-at-detroit-auto-show http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038307_2011-volkswagen-touareg-to-launch-in-january-at-detroit-auto-show Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:13:00 -0500 Introduced as a 2004 model, the Touareg sport utility vehicle was Volkswagen's first foray into SUVs, and its most expensive vehicle at the time. Now VW will unveil a redesigned, second-generation 2011 Volkswagen Touareg at January's Detroit Auto Show. The Touareg shares a basic platform with the high performance Porsche Cayenne SUV, itself ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037749_unofficial-preview-rendering-of-volksagens-new-midsize-sedan http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037749_unofficial-preview-rendering-of-volksagens-new-midsize-sedan Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:30:00 -0500 It's no secret that Volkswagen plans to kill off the Passat and replace it with a larger, purpose-built-for-Americans midsize sedan codenamed, in a fit of startling creativity, the New Midsize Sedan, or NMS. But what the NMS will look like has been left to little more than monochrome watercolors and line-art sketches so far. That is, until ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037501_ugliest-cars-of-the-past-50-years-you-might-be-surprised http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037501_ugliest-cars-of-the-past-50-years-you-might-be-surprised Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:59:00 -0400 Think that the design of the Volkswagen New Beetle is more hideous than iconic? Apparently you're not alone. Business Week has posted its "Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years," including a number of models present and past, and the New Beetle is just one of the newer and still-produced models on the list. Others include the Cadillac ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036546_first-drive-2010-volkswagen-polo http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036546_first-drive-2010-volkswagen-polo Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0400 Is it 1973 all over again? Volkswagen is amping up for a fuel-economy battle with Honda and Ford, right here in America, with a new hatchback. Only this time, some of the names have changed, and so have the rules. Come 2011 or so, it's the VW Polo readying for a fight with the Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta. The fuel economy sea-changes and ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037170_2010-volkswagen-golf-tdi-first-drive http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037170_2010-volkswagen-golf-tdi-first-drive Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Follow us on Twitter: @highgearmedia @carconnection @therealma @greencarreports and join our Facebook fan page Now that you've read all about the 2010 Volkswagen GTI, we've turned our attention to the next steps down the performance ladder at VW. Don't judge just yet: with the 2010 VW Golf and Golf TDI, Volkswagen's not dropping completely off ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037167_2010-volkswagen-gti-first-drive http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037167_2010-volkswagen-gti-first-drive Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:52:00 -0400 Follow us on Twitter: @highgearmedia @carconnection @therealma @greencarreports and join our Facebook fan page There's a Volkswagen trio headed your way today from TheCarConnection.com--with the latest 2010 VW GTI, 2010 Golf, and a special drive of the subcompact that's coming to America soon, the VW Polo. First, we're kicking off this ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036827_the-ten-most-fuel-efficient-cars-for-10 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036827_the-ten-most-fuel-efficient-cars-for-10 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:14:00 -0400 Most ordinary gasoline models look like guzzlers next to the hybrids--and a few compact diesel models--that dominate the upper echelon of this year's EPA fuel economy ratings. For instance, according to the EPA's Fuel Economy Guide information released last week, a 2010 Toyota Prius will cost less than half as much to keep fueled for a year's ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036807_vws-new-mid-size-sedan-to-replace-passat-in-u-s http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036807_vws-new-mid-size-sedan-to-replace-passat-in-u-s Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:04:00 -0400 TheCarConnection reported it first, earlier this month. Now, other outlets are confirming our report that Volkswagen will likely replace the Passat in the U.S. with its upcoming "NMS" mid-size sedan due in 2011. The latest information comes again from VW's U.S. chief Stefan Jacoby, who told Automotive News that the company is still "looking ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036471_volkswagen8217s-new-beetle-replacement-coming-in-2012 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036471_volkswagen8217s-new-beetle-replacement-coming-in-2012 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:28:00 -0400 Volkswagen's New Beetle has been on the market for a little over ten years and has enjoyed relatively strong sales despite the lack of significant changes during its life. More than one million New Beetles have been built at Volkswagen's Puebla plant in Mexico and it looks like developers have even more ambitious plans for the ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036261_exclusive-volkswagen-nms-replaces-passat-phaeton-to-return http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036261_exclusive-volkswagen-nms-replaces-passat-phaeton-to-return Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:29:00 -0400 Volkswagen of America president Stefan Jacoby has confirmed to High Gear Media that the new sedan to be built in Tennessee will effectively replace the VW Passat in North America--and that the former Phaeton sedan will return to the U.S. market. Speaking to journalists gathered to drive the new VW Golf, Jacoby admitted that today's Passat is ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036225_preview-2010-volkswagen-gti http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036225_preview-2010-volkswagen-gti Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:31:00 -0400   What is it?: Volkswagen's affordable hot-hatch version of the Golf. The basics: Turbo four-cylinder, front-wheel drive, three or five doors, 200 horsepower Price: $23,990-$25,690 (incl. destination charge) On sale: Now The 2010 Volkswagen GTI, previewed at last year's Paris Motor Show, is coming to the U.S. as part of the Mark VI ..]]>