Volkswagen Jetta TSI Sport Unveiled

Volkswagen’s latest track challenger, a supercharged and turbocharged Jetta saloon, was unveiled today (Thursday) in Britain. The Jetta TSI Sport made its debut at the Autosport International racing car show at Birmingham’s NEC, taking centre stage on the British Racing and Sports Car Club stand. The new machine will take to the track for the first time on Easter Monday (24 March) in the opening round of the Hankook-backed Volkswagen Racing Cup, at Oulton Park.

In road-going form the Jetta’s 1.4-litre, 16-valve engine produces 170 PS but the engineers at Volkswagen Racing UK, with the help of their technology partners at Superchips, Milltek Sport and Turbo Dynamics, have boosted this to 230 PS.

The TSI power unit was proven in competition last season under the bonnet of a Golf; Volkswagen Racing UK’s Melissa Wright believes that the Jetta TSI is a potential race winner: ‘We learned a lot about the engine during the course of 2007 and we have incorporated that knowledge into the new installation,’ she said. ‘In the right hands and with some development mileage under it, the new car will be a front-runner, I am sure.’

The TSI features an engine-driven supercharger and an exhaust gas powered turbocharger, arranged in series; the supercharger operates at lower engine speeds and the turbo cuts in as revs rise. The result is excellent driveability and performance throughout the rev range, with no turbo lag and high maximum torque.

It’s not only in Britain that the Jetta will be cutting a dash this season – the Sports Car Club of America is to stage a championship for turbodiesel-powered machines. The Jetta TDI Cup will launch in May.

In the UK, the Jetta TSI Sport will be raced by selected motoring and motor sport journalists. The Volkswagen Racing Cup expands to 14 rounds this year and will once again be the chief saloon-race support to the British Formula 3 and British GT Championships.

The Volkswagen Racing Cup in association with Hankook is further supported by Augustus Martin, Castrol, ECM Vehicle Delivery, Milltek Sport, Mondial Assistance, KW Automotive, Superchips, TNT Logistics, Turbo Dynamics, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Financial Services UK.

2008 Nissan GT-R - Seven Year Itch

Nothing shakes off transatlantic jet lag like jumping into an unfamiliar sports car, merging onto an unrestricted section of German autobahn, and accelerating across the flawless tarmac until reaching an indicated 300 kph (186 mph). This is especially true if the car is right-hand drive and has most of its gauges draped in cheap, black vinyl--and there's a Nissan engineer riding shotgun while monitoring test instruments and, most likely, wondering whether this will be the journalist who ruins his day by heading off into the trees.

Still settling into the car, we discover that the steering-column stalk we just engaged controls the windshield wipers, not the turn signals, as we merge into the passing lane at 100 mph. Quickly, very quickly, the mind focuses, senses go on high alert, and palms go damp as the German landscape, luxuriant in the textures of spring, goes by in a green blur.

Yes, we were in Germany to sample one of the year's most anticipated vehicles. The GT-R we drove there was a semidisguised preproduction car, but Nissan claims that, in dynamic terms, it was very close to production-spec. Our brief drive left us panting for more. (Go to automobilemag.com to read about our drive of the production version shown here).

We were in Nürburg, where GT-R development engineers have spent months--and more than 3000 miles--on the Nordschleife, or north loop, of the original Nürburgring racetrack. Nissan has a rich history at the 'Ring, since the last-generation GT-R, the R34-series, held the production-car lap record (eight minutes, twenty-eight seconds) in the late 1990s.

When we arrived, back in April, Nissan reported that its new GT-R had achieved a time of 7:44 around the 12.9-mile track, but by September, it had been reduced to 7:38, beating the Porsche 911 Turbo's 7:40 and coming dangerously close to even the Porsche Carrera GT supercar's record of 7:32.

As soon as we climbed into the GT-R prototype, it was clear that this is a serious sports car, not simply a gussied-up 350Z trying to cash in on GT-R heritage. The well-bolstered seats are covered in black Alcantara fabric with a special antislip finish to keep your body in place during hard cornering. The steering wheel is small, like a racing car's, feels good in your hands, and is decorated with the famous GT-R logo. Our right-hand-drive car had a sizable dead pedal. The paddles for the six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox are fixed to the steering column rather than to the steering wheel, just like they are in a Ferrari. Naturally, you start the GT-R with a red button that sits in the center console just behind the gearshift lever--no self-respecting performance car can be started with the simple twist of a key these days.

It's also immediately evident that technology is an important part of this car's package, as the center stack is a tech geek's dream. The large, multifunction display was designed in collaboration with Polyphony Digital, the company behind the Gran Turismo video games for Sony's PlayStation. The system, which has nine modes, can be accessed either by touching the screen or by twisting a knob. It will track speed; acceleration, cornering, and braking g-forces; steering angles; and lap times for two different drivers. It also shows the standard all-wheel-drive system's front-to-rear torque distribution, oil pressure, turbo boost, and the like, all in an intuitive and easy-to-use display. Three rocker switches in the center stack allow the driver to control the transmission's shift characteristics; adjust the suspension's dampers to Comfort, Sport, or Race mode; and turn off stability control.

2008 Porsche 911 GT2 - Lean Mean Machine

In the case of the latest Porsche 911, the GT suffix stands for anything but Gran Turismo. Guaranteed Trauma is more like it, at least when the beast is not treated with due competence and caution. The new 911 GT2 combines elements of the GT3 (lightweight components, rear-wheel drive) and the Turbo (turbocharged engine, stability control), resulting in the fastest roadgoing Porsche ever.

The GT2 looks about as subtle as a smiling Count Dracula. The front end combines 911 Turbo overtones such as the bright LED turn signals with new extralarge air intakes that are required to cool the brakes and the heat exchangers. The side view features beefed-up sills, ground-hugging aprons, and a set of prominent intake and brake-cooling inlets. But the most butch view is, without a doubt, the rear, which boasts more vertical slats, a pair of large-diameter exhausts, and a fixed biplane wing. The latter increases the downforce at high speeds and incorporates two circular ram-air induction scoops.

On the autobahn, the GT2 sports as much overtaking prestige as police, fire department, and paramedic vehicles combined--with lights flashing and sirens wailing. When lesser cars step aside, the GT2 can reach 204 mph. But you want the tarmac to be dry, reasonably smooth, and--ideally--arrow-straight. And you'd better get used to the car's high-speed potential in installments. In this Porsche, even 150 mph feels mind-bogglingly fast.

The noise level is intense, the chassis copies every detail of the road surface, the steering is a live wire covered with gray Alcantara, and directional stability is a challenge even when the wind speed is zero.

But like every 911, this car knows what it's doing, and it requires surprisingly little assistance to maintain the chosen flight path. Trouble is, it takes the driver days, if not weeks, to build up the confidence this car requires. There is so much information available to the eyes, ears, palms, fingers, legs, feet, and seat of the pants that the senses are soon overloaded. Velocity is a drug, and like every drug, it clouds and clarifies at the same time. In the GT2, one needs to learn a fresh set of responses, because, unlike the Turbo, this 200-mph 911 has only two driven wheels. The lighter GT2 turns in with more vigor, decelerates with enhanced determination, and corners with added sharpness. Most important, rear-wheel drive will never pull you out of trouble. And we all know that pushing out of trouble seldom works.

Further narrowing the increasingly slim line between drama and trauma are the semislick Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires. On dry blacktop, this footwear might make sense for rich amateur racers who don't mind buying a new set of rear tires every two months. Even in the rain, the 325/30YR-19 rear rubber is OK--until there are wall-to-wall puddles on the road. Then the GT2 suddenly starts water skiing, even at speeds as low as 60 mph. Would it not be a good idea to offer at least the option of less extreme tires?

So we didn't see 200 mph. But we out-accelerated just about every mechanical device that crossed our route. Over the first fifty yards or so, the 530-hp, 3175-pound GT2 is actually not quite as quick as the 480-hp, 3572-pound 911 Turbo Tiptronic. From 0 to 62 mph, it's a dead heat at 3.7 seconds each. From 0 to 124 mph, however, the rear-wheel-drive GT2 will beat the four-wheel-drive Turbo, clocking 11.2 seconds against 12.2 seconds. And by the time these autobahn guerrillas pass the 185-mph mark, the GT2 will have carved out an impressive advantage. On damp ground, the GT2 will spin its wheels in first and second gear, especially between 2200 and 4500 rpm, when maximum torque of 502 lb-ft comes in.

The closely related 3.6-liter 911 Turbo engine can deliver just as much torque, but it's available only for about ten seconds in over-boost mode.

Pimped MkV GTI vs. R32

In response to Volkswagen's amusing "Pre-Pimped" GTI MkV ad-campaign, one of our bright interns pointed out that half the fun of owning a VW is modifying it. He would know - he had a Mk3 GTI that he lowered. And he knew he'd earn brownie points from me, because I've had two VWs with so many modifications that a simple list of the upgrades would crash this Web server.

It didn't take long for me to wonder: if our Four Seasons GTI is so quick, what would a chipped MkV be like?

As I pondered that question, Koni showed up at our editorial offices to tell us of a new kit that they developed with Eibach. The kit consists of Koni's acclaimed FSD shocks and a pair of Eibach Pro lowering springs.

I asked Koni for a kit, and headed straight for our favorite VW shop, Next Level Tuning, in Greensburg, PA. In just a few hours, they had installed the Koni/Eibach kit, re-flashed the ECU with custom APR programming, and installed a boost gauge.

I slowly drove out of the shop, and then laid 200 feet of tire up the hill.

2008 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell

A few years back, General Motors was talking a lot about hydrogen fuel cells. Now, they're back at it with the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell, the company's biggest effort to date. You can't roll down to your Chevy dealer and buy one, though. You have to self-identify, and then GM has to pick you to participate in what it's calling Project Driveway. Chevy has already selected more than 100 customers who visited Chevy's Web site and live near one of the country's handful of hydrogen filling stations. They're given a car, along with fuel, free of charge.

But only for three months, when the cars will be passed on. It's a market test, GM says, a way to learn from the public's experience and to demonstrate that hydrogen cars make sense.

We drove a fuel-cell Equinox, and it was smooth like an electric car (which it is) and eerily quiet on the interstate. And it was clean (like an electric car is, in theory, although ultimately this depends on where one gets one's hydrogen; not all sources are totally green).

Chevy claims the 0-to-60-mph run takes twelve seconds, a performance figure that doesn't sound so pitiful to anyone who drove in the 1980s and which in fact doesn't do the car justice. The most impressive thing about this Equinox is how sprightly it steps off. Its handling seems similar to that of a stock Equinox, despite its extra 500 pounds and a regenerative braking system that charges the batteries when you lift off the accelerator or apply the brakes.

The Equinox is the third GM hydrogen car we've driven, and it's the best yet. It felt like a decent SUV, only quieter. All things being equal - a big if - we can't see why someone wouldn't buy one in preference to a gasoline Equinox.

2008 Ford Taurus X

When Ford killed the Taurus nameplate in favor of the Five Hundred and Freestyle, they acknowledged that years of neglect had tarnished a once mighty brand. By the time the last ovoid rental-fleet Taurus rolled off the line, it was hard to remember that there was a time when the Taurus was so cool and futuristic that it was the police car of choice in RoboCop.

Upon the Taurus' demise, Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" declared, "Ford canceled the Taurus this week, which means that thirtysomethings everywhere are going to need to find a new way to tell the world that they've given up on life." When SNL bothers to make fun of your car, it's probably a sign that it's best buried for good. Just ask the Dodge Stratus.

But Ford apparently put the Taurus in the pet cemetery, because it's back from the dead and stalking the streets looking for vengeance. The main problem with the Five Hundred/Freestyle was that its powertrain consisted of boiled turnips and rubber bands. Now there's a powerful 3.5-liter V6 hooked to a proper six-speed automatic.

To my mind, this upgrade vaults the Taurus X into position as one of the most underrated cars on the road, and it's why I gave it an All-Stars vote-it's a fine car on merit alone, but it also offers crazy value. Think about it: A base Audi A6 Avant has 255 horsepower, all-wheel-drive and a six-speed automatic for $49,000. The top-of-the-line Taurus X AWD Limited has 263 horsepower, all-wheel-drive and a six-speed automatic for $32,185. Is it more amazing that a Taurus wagon compares favorably with an Audi, or that the Taurus is good enough to prompt that comparison in the first place?

The Taurus X also has useable third row seating. It's handsome, inside and out. It's quiet and refined. They call it a crossover, but the Taurus X is really the great American station wagon that nobody admits to making anymore. T

he Taurus' main problem is the jarring disconnect between its moniker and its virtues-it's a kindly philanthropist named Adolf, an angelic, brilliant valedictorian named Anna Nicole. If you really can't imagine driving a Taurus, then go buy some Freestyle badges. I'll bet they still fit.

2008 Ferrari F430

We've called the Ferrari F430 the best Ferrari ever, but it's not an All-Star? Seems like an oversight to me. Perhaps it's just a presumed All-Star, so we don't have to mention it. Everybody already knows it's great, so no point in piling on.