Volkswagen CC

As Volkswagen takes dramatic steps to make its lineup more attractive to Americans, it is making its lineup simply less attractive. The new Jetta and Passat are both bigger and cheaper than the cars they replace, but they're also rather boring looking. Boring is a word nobody would use to describe the Volkswagen CC, until maybe now. VW will be showing off an updated CC at the L.A. auto show later this month, and the good news is that the sultry sedan gets a bit more standard content. The bad news is it now wears VW's new corporate grille.

We Saw This Coming

The old CC's plunging, double-height grille is gone, replaced by a piece that looks as if it were plucked right off of the 2012 Passat. Likewise, the head- and taillights have been reshaped from the sculpted fare on last year's model into larger, simpler units. That this would happen was obvious when we spied a camouflaged CC out testing this past summer. It's not ugly, and the net effect is not as bad as we'd feared, but the new, simpler shapes up front rob the car of some of its glamour. If the lights are toned down, at least their illumination power has been cranked up: adaptive bi-xenon headlights and LED taillights are now standard.

Fortunately, little else changes for the CC. Its 200-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four and available 280-hp, 3.6-liter narrow-angle V-6 engines will carry over. Unlike the Passat, which moved to a larger platform in its 2012 redesign, the CC remains on the old architecture. Volkswagen isn't talking pricing yet, holding that information until closer to the March 2012 on-sale date, but don't expect any major changes. The current CC starts just below $30,000 when equipped with the 2.0-liter turbo and a manual transmission, and reaches all the way up to $41,210 for an Executive model equipped with 4Motion all-wheel drive and the V-6. Even with a little less glam, it'll be an enticing package, but c'mon, VW. You didn't have to do this.

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-volkswagen-cc-auto-shows

2012 Volkswagen Beetle "E-Bugster"

With the introduction of its new 2012 Beetle, Volkswagen is hoping to drop the cutesy hatch’s “chick car” descriptor and lure more male buyers.

In fact, Volkswagen has set itself a target to increase the percentage of male Beetle buyers from a low 36 percent for the previous generation New Beetle to 59 percent for the new 2012 model.

Accordingly, this third generation of the People’s Car has been given a serious dose of testosterone and has actually spawned a high-performance turbo model.

With a turbocharged 2.0-liter TFSI engine sending 197 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque through to the front wheels via Volkswagen’s XDS electronic differential and either a six-speed manual or six-speed DSG, the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo could best be described as a Golf GTI in cuter wrapping.

However, the suspension and steering has been tuned more for comfort in the Beetle rather than outright performance and this shows in the driving performance.

Nevertheless, you can still drop the hammer with the steering wheel locked and the car will continue on its directed path with only a small squeak from its tires.

The XDS system, which can adjust the level of torque being sent to either of the wheels, does its job well. Additionally, the Beetle Turbo also benefits from the Jetta GLI’s advanced multi-link independent rear suspension, with coil springs, telescopic dampers and another anti-roll bar, while the regular models make do with a basic torsion beam rear setup.

The Beetle Turbo’s brakes are better too, with 12.3-inch vented discs and red calipers on the front axle and 10-7-inch discs at the rear.

The 0-60 mph dash will take you less than 7.5 seconds and top speed is limited to 130 mph.

When it comes to transmissions, the DSG is the pick of the bunch. It is unmatched when it comes to shift times and can become very addictive when you start running up and down the gears. Note, it can bog down a little when you’re moving off the line but it’s unlikely that you’ll be doing right foot to the floor starts all the time.

Another gripe is the electric steering system, which helps to save fuel but can feel a bit too artificial when the cornering gets fast.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with the Beetle Turbo, which at $24,165 (including destination), we think is a decent buy if you want something a little sporty but not too serious.