The Volkswagen up! has taken the top place in the latest What Car? / J D Power customer satisfaction survey – one of four Volkswagen models to feature in the top 10.

In second place was the Golf Plus, making it the top-ranked Small Family Car; while the Scirocco came fifth (and top of the ‘Fun Car’ class).  The Tiguan compact SUV came sixth, adding to a tally of top 10 results that put Volkswagen fifth overall in the ranking of manufacturers.  The Touran MPV came 12th, and top of the MPV class.

The What Car? / J D Power survey is rated on the detailed feedback of more than 15,000 motorists, based on their experiences with their cars.  This year’s survey took place between January and March, and is based on cars registered between January 2011 and December 2012, of which at least 4,000 were sold.  The results are based not on the vehicles alone, but on the whole ownership experience.

The up! won plaudits from its owners for its fuel economy, excellent visibility, the layout of the dashboard display and its styling, especially the exterior/interior colour co-ordination.

Commenting on the survey, Robert Hazelwood, Director of Volkswagen UK, said, “These results prove what our customers already know: Volkswagen offers practical, value for money vehicles that are as good to own as they are to drive, backed up by an efficient Retailer network that always puts the customer first.”

What Car? Consumer Editor Alex Newby added “The up! has performed brilliantly.  It has won the top award in the city car category and is also the overall winner. What Car?'s Car of the Year 2012 has proven itself to be reliable, easy to drive and fuel efficient.  These features make it a worthy victor.”

The full results of all 109 models tested in the What Car? / J D Power customer satisfaction survey can be read in the July issue of What Car? magazine, which is on sale now.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

Isofix is an international standard designed to ensure your child's car seat is fitted easily and securely. Isofix is being adopted worldwide as a safer way to travel with your children. The Isofix child seat fixes directly into compatible fittings in your car, creating a secure link with no need to use the adult seatbelts. Studies have shown many child car seats are not fitted properly. With Isofix, securing your child's car seat properly is much easier, reducing the risk of injury in an accident.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

Volkswagen has revealed the first technical details of the all-new Passat Saloon and Estate, ahead of the cars’ unveiling in July and their public premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October.

The eighth-generation Passat will bring with it a range of new technologies and features, to ensure that even after 41 years and over 23 million sales worldwide, it remains as competitive as ever.

Thanks to the use of advanced materials – including high-strength, hot-formed steel and aluminium in certain areas – the new Passat is up to 85 kg lighter than its predecessor, helping it to claim expected fuel-efficiency improvements of up to 20 per cent. 

Despite exterior dimensions that are actually marginally smaller than those of the previous Passat, interior space is improved, with more leg- and head-room, as well as increased luggage space.

A highlight of the Passat’s new range of engines is a high-performance, four-cylinder, 2.0-litre, bi-turbo diesel delivering 240 PS and an extraordinary 500 Nm from 1,750 rpm.  This engine will be available only with a new seven-speed DSG gearbox and 4MOTION all-wheel drive. A plug-in hybrid model will also be offered, with potential to travel 31 miles on battery power alone, and with a potential maximum range of around 600 miles.

Other new technology to be offered on the new Passat includes the Active Info Display, which replaces the instrument cluster with a fully configurable interactive 12.3-inch TFT display; a heads-up display; the latest Modular Infotainment System, including the Car-Net remote app; a further-developed 360-degree Area View function; and the latest generation of Park Assist. This newly developed Park Assist includes the option for the car to park itself forwards into perpendicular spaces – useful, for example at supermarket car parks, where access to the boot is important. It also includes a world-first Trailer Assist, which provides assistance when reversing a vehicle with a trailer attached – without the need for any modification or adaptation of the trailer.

Other safety technology includes Side Assist with Rear Traffic Alert; Traffic Jam Assist which makes stop-and-go driving more comfortable; Emergency Assist, which can potentially halt a vehicle when the driver is incapacitated; and the latest Front Assist system with City Emergency Braking, which optionally combines both radar and camera sensors to add pedestrian detection.

All new Passats will feature LED tail lights, while headlights will be halogen or LED.  In conjunction with Dynamic Light Assist, one of the two LED headlight options automatically adjusts the beam for maximum illumination of the road without dazzling other traffic.

Further details and first pictures of the Passat will be available in early July, ahead of the car’s public unveiling at the Paris Motor Show in October. UK sales will start before the end of the year, with first deliveries expected in early 2015.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

The Volkswagen XL1, the world’s most fuel-efficient hybrid car, has been named the winner of the Transport category in the annual Designs of the Year Awards. The car is one of 76 designs in seven categories which are on display at the Design Museum in London until 25 August.

The innovative XL1 will now go on to compete for the Design of the Year 2014 award against the winners of the other categories – Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphic, Product – with the overall winner announced at an event on 30 June.

Now in its seventh year, the Designs of the Year exhibition gathers together cutting-edge innovation and original talent, showcasing the very best in global design. 

Commenting on the category winners, Curator of Designs of the Year Gemma Curtin said: ‘From the daringly innovative to the reassuringly good, Designs of the Year 2014 is a condensed and vivid selection of the last twelve months in design. This spectrum of expert-chosen design is an insight into what design can do for us both as individuals and as a society.’

Penned by a team led by Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design for the Volkswagen brand, the XL1 is a limited series production two-seater car that explores the limits of energy efficiency for a road-legal production vehicle.  It was nominated for the exhibition by author and automotive design and technology expert, Andrew Nahum. 

The design brief for the XL1 was to produce a ‘one litre’ car – that is to say, a car that uses one litre of fuel per 100 km, equivalent to 282 miles per gallon. The resulting vehicle uses just 0.9 litres per 100 km, or 313 mpg, and this high mpg figure correlates to a very low carbon dioxide emissions value of just 21 g/km. 

Nick Perry from supporters of Designs of the Year, international law firm, Bird & Bird, said: ‘We are thrilled to have been involved in supporting Designs of the Year, each of these category winners has demonstrated exceptional insight and skill and we look forward to seeing further designs from them in the future. Working with clients whose focus is on technology, or whose businesses are being transformed by the use of technology means we know that there is a huge amount to be gained from innovation and design. Designs of the Year is invaluable in supporting the next generation of innovation, as we have seen demonstrated, and continues the rich heritage of design for which the UK is known.’

Members of the public can also have their say on Designs of the Year in the Visitor Vote, which allows visitors to the Design Museum to pick their favourite design from the exhibition. New for 2014 is the Social Vote which sees two nominations fight it out each day through the exhibition’s online Social Vote platform. Broadcast to over one million of the Design Museum’s Twitter and Facebook followers, the Social Vote allows people from all over the world to participate in Designs of the Year.  

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk