We knew it was a station wagon. We knew it had big “Emirates Gas” stickers on the sides. We knew it was going to get no respect on Dubai roads. But we specifically asked to drive this car — the 2012 Volkswagen Passat Ecofuel Variant. Because this is the only Euro-spec 2012 Passat in the country. But more specifically, it runs on CNG as well.
The all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat sedan has finally debuted in the GCC, at the 2012 Qatar Motor Show. Unveiled alongside the facelifted VW “Passat” CC from Germany, the actual Passat for this region will now be the U.S. version, which is built in the state of Tennessee and is a bit larger than the European version.
The fact that the Volkswagen CC is just a chopped-top version of the regular Passat would mean that space would be compromised. But that’s hardly the case.
Our 2012 Volkswagen Passat CC long-termer came back last week, having spent a few weeks at the dealership getting its front fender repaired after a hit-and-run incident. It looks new again, and with a broken-in engine, it drives even better.
The V6-powered 2011 Volkswagen Touareg we drove some time ago was an impressive SUV. With upscale gadgets, a quiet ride and a luxurious interior, it was quite possibly the best road-going 4×4 in its class. But then we drove the recently-revealed V8-powered version, a model that VW took their time to release, and that too in only a few markets, as they pondered whether there was still a market for V8 models in a world where the latest fad is to go green. Considering we kept this rather-excellent SUV for the better part of a month, we decided to see if a V8 trucklet hurts or helps Volkswagen’s “green”
Volkswagen has unveiled the Cross Coupe concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, supposedly showcasing VW’s future design direction. It might also be gauging interest in a “four-door coupe-crossover” for all we know.
The Volkswagen Passat is all set to receive a new sibling dubbed the Alltrack. The VW Passat Alltrack, based on the Passat Estate wagon which is popular in European nations, will debut at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, of all places.
While our VW Passat CC long-termer has gone in for some bodywork after a hit-and-run incident, we picked up a 2012 Volkswagen Touareg to test-drive in the meantime. And it’s not just any Touareg, but the new 4.2-litre V8 version that debuted a few months ago, and that too in pricey “Exclusive” trim.
Volkswagen Middle East showed off three new models at the 2011 Dubai Motor Show, destined for showrooms in the UAE and other GCC countries. The first one is the facelifted 2012 VW Tiguan, which has already been on sale for the past month. The second is the VW Scirocco R joining the VW Golf R, finally making its local debut after two years since its European intro. And the third is the VW Amarok, the Argentinian-built pickup that seemingly targets both the poseur-class and the working-class crowds.
If you keep track of automotive news, you’ll know that the facelifted new “2013” Volkswagen CC has just been unveiled. It gets a straight new corporate face and some LED-specific enhancements. And from what we can see, our “older” CC arguably looks better. Of course, it will take a while before the redone model reaches UAE shores, so we’ll reserve judgement for now. Right now, we had to deal with our car becoming the victim of a hit-and-run accident.