Volkswagen’s Transporter Sportline Van Has Us Eagerly Planning Bank Robberies

May 25, 2011 at 12:20pm by Alexander Stoklosa

Europe is filled with vans that we at Car and Driver constantly lament not being able to buy here in the U.S., and now Volkswagen has released its Britain-only Transporter Sportline to really zing our van love-o-meter. The sport van concept isn’t new—Ford offers a SportVan version of its ubiquitous (in Europe) Transit, and we recently finished our Mazdaspeed 5 project van—but it is ever cool, despite lacking the Ford’s go-faster stripes. The Sportline goes for a subtle, under-the-radar look enhanced by a subtle body kit, classy chrome-smattered headlights flanking a glossy black grille, smoked taillights, and 18-inch five-spoke wheels available in either silver or satin black. The van is available in three sporty colors: silver, the oh-so-cool black seen in the photo above, or white with a gloss-black roof. The interior receives two-tone leather appointments, a nav unit with a 7-inch touch screen, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity, power windows, and the intriguingly dangerous-sounding “semi-automatic air conditioning.”

The vans are powered by a 178 hp, 2.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engine paired with either a six-speed manual or an available seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automated manual. Performance is hardly impressive, but with quoted 0-to-62 mph times in the 10-second range, the vans are reasonably quick by cargo-carrier standards. The Sportline can be had in short- or long-wheelbase versions clad in either panel or passenger-van “kombi” bodywork. Prices start at $53,862 for a short-wheelbase Sportline panel van, after accounting for current exchange rates and the UK’s value-added tax. But it’s a sporty van, and just think of how cool you’d look fleeing a bank robbery in it.

Tags: Volkswagen, Volkswagen Transporter Sportline |

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Volkswagen’s Next Goals for the U.S.: a Three-Row SUV and a Subcompact

April 21, 2011 at 4:54pm by Justin Berkowitz

Several years go, Volkswagen’s execs decided it was no longer acceptable to be a bit player in the U.S. market. The new Jetta and Passat, and the Passat’s factory in Tennessee, show how the company is pursuing massive growth here: cheap, boring-as-ice-cubes cars. The new Jetta is coming off of a tremendous sales month, and the Passat is moments away from launch here.

To further expand in the U.S., the company needs SUVs. And its executives know this. We spoke with Jonathan Browning, the head of VW’s U.S. operations, and he was clear that he’d like to see VeeDub selling a crossover—almost definitely with three rows of seats—in the States as soon as the company can. Unlike the Touareg, which serves as a sort of halo product for VW here, the new three-row ute would be targeted at mainstream models like the Honda Pilot and Ford Explorer. It would have to be priced appropriately if it wants to compete with those offerings and others, and VW knows this.

Also a Polo, But Not a Polo

We also asked about VW offering a subcompact car in the U.S. The company’s Polo slots below the Golf around the world, and it’s a well-regarded (though slightly uninspiring), well-built, efficient vehicle. Volkswagen is definitely interested in selling a sub-Golf car on these shores, but made it clear that the current Polo is out of the question, since it wasn’t engineered for the U.S. market. If VW does offer such a car here, our guess is that the model would be more like the company’s American-optimized products like the Jetta and Passat than the Euro ones, like the Golf and CC.

Tags: Volkswagen, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Touareg |

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