Old Dash VS New Dash

Neat eh.

Found it on the VW.ca site while linking up the GSR the other day. There’s more, but I canNOT find that page again?!

 

 

The GSR – A Special Edition of a Special Edition

In the 1970s, VW produced a Special Edition Beetle, a GSR – Gelb Schwarzer Renner – Yellow Black Racer.

40 years later, it’s the 2014 GSR.

Only 3,500 made.

Went for a quick run while in Napa, California last fall. It was at VW’s 1.8L Diesel Turbo & Jetta launch, so once around the drive loop at the day’s end.  That drive loop.

It’s a 2.0 TSI 4-cylinder engine, outputting 201 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque.

Handles and launches, all of it, exactly as you’d expect; VW’s heart went into this car.

The 2014 GSR Beetle
Starting at $33,635

 

 

WiFi Hotspots are Coming to Cars

This year, our cars will be constantly connected to the internet.  It’s going to be HUGE.

By 2021, the auto industry will have have the highest revenue that’s connectivity-related.

It arrived last year via Audi, and Chevy is a front-runner, with 10 of their models to be offered with 4G and LTE connections by this 2014 summer.

Read it online at Autonet.ca

Favourite line:

It will be interesting to see how the data will be priced, because using the rule of thumb that at YouTube video is 1MB per minute, we’d all be driving down the road just hemorrhaging money. 

Remember my column about War Driving? I wonder how this will affect things like that. I also wonder about the security aspect of an always-connected car.  Remember, you are responsible for hotspot users. 

***

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

VW’s All-new 1.8L Turbo in the 2014 Jetta

Driving in Napa Valley CA looks like this.

[another video: Driving Elation]

I was with Volkswagen, to test their all-new 1.8L engine, and the 2014 Jetta.

Plenty of kick, handles precise and direct, nice note.

2014 Volkswagen Jetta

1.8L TSI Turbo – 170 hp & 184 lb.ft

Note: to get the new 1.8L engine, you have to bump up to the 3rd trim level, Comfortline. The base 2.0L Jetta is starting at $14,990, the 1.8L Comfortline is +$7,000-ish, totalling about $22,000.

Do it, never mind the old 2.0L engine, spend the money with an art-of-long-view.  Here’s my full review on Autonet.ca.

NO SCREEN

Yes I’m yelling, it’s that rare. And that tipped me over: I’d buy this car, this model year. I’ll guess this will be one of the last times that a Jetta can be ordered without a screen.

Plus, the new 1.8L engine; VW’s ergonomic elegance; and an exterior styling that will wear well over time, because it too, is minimal. No GPS; barely any aids, with cruise control being the fanciest; and available in manual.

Then tada – this would be my car for the next 15 years. An great commuter between test vehicles, and a fun week-off car.  And I’d seriously consider the diesel.

It was maybe my best-test-day to date.

They had 50! cars lined up, more than half were manual, rare; and also rare was, there were more cars than journalists, so I was alone all day… no passenger time, no passenger.

Called this video, “Driving Elation”.