By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Here’s the front 3/4 view of the new Smyth Performance G3F TDI, the high mpg mid-engined performance kit car based on the MK4 Golf. Dig those Celica headlights? Oh, and want to see what gets cut out of the Jetta to make this thing? Click here. The first wave of beta build kits are all spoken for, but don’t worry, production build kits will be available in September (price is currently set at $10,000). If you haven’t already, become a fan of Smyth Performance on CarDomain!

By Chris Trout

Troutster52

Favorably intrigued by Volkswagen’s recent product lineup, I was delighted to test drive the new 2010 VW Golf.  Just last year, the hatchback small car in the VW portfolio was called the Rabbit.  Along with light redesign in 2010, VW ditched the fluffy moniker in favor of the Golf nameplate.

The turbo diesel technology especially captured my interest.  I was pleased to discover that the TDI badge is now available on the redesigned 2010 Golf.  New TDIs boast an updated turbo diesel displacing 2.0 liters to replace the previous 1.9 liter version.  Valvetrain is in SOHC configuration with four valves per cylinder.  Updates include superior fuel mileage and rumors of a more performance-oriented drive.  As a fan of both white-knuckled performance and miserly spending, I targeted a four door 2010 Golf TDI for my enjoyment.  My goal was to locate a TDI and a stick shift but sadly ended up with an automatic.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Test Driving the 2010 VW Golf TDI" »

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

Look carefully at the pic below. What is wrong? Could it be that hose that disconnected itself from the thermostat housing? I got a frantic call from my SO on the 23rd with a blinking “sailboat” light and lots of beeping. He was able to get some water in the car and limp it home (two or three fills on the four mile trip), and I dashed home with visions of a completely warped head. One of the reasons I put him in a TDI was their reputation for being extremely robust – according to the dealer techs, TDIs can run up to five minutes with no coolant and suffer no ill effects. Hopefully we never test that theory. Even more surprising to me was that our dealer didn’t find this hose clamp failure to be particularly unusual. Erm, that can’t be good. Guess I’ll be keeping my eye on this one.

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

Mark Smith of Factory 5 (yes, that Mark Smith) popped up on the Car Lounge asking about fitments for turbo kits on the Volkswagen VR6. Turns out, he’s plotting a mid-engined kit based on the VW MkIV (Golf, Jetta, GTI, and presumably New Beetle) platform. He didn’t start with the VR6 - he started with the TDi, VW’s turbodiesel lump. There’s a more serious build thread going on over at tdiclub.com. This has the fixin’s to be the new cool VW kit, reminiscent of days when you could slap a kit over a Type 1 (Beetle) chassis and have yourself a new car. I might just have to hold on to my Diesel MkIV for a bit longer, as I’d love to have all that torque behind me, rather than in front, especially for the sub-$20K pricetag Mark is talking about.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Anyone else been noticing the current crop of VW commercials? While it’s always good to see consumers being trained to use less fuel, it’s also a little hilarious that making fun of the Prius never goes out of style. Maybe someone should pick on the new Insight for a change.

By Austin Knight

Gotadime

The new Audi A4 TDI is equipped with a nice little 2.0-liter four cylinder diesel that has the ability to achieve 51 mpg! The only problem is, it’s not going to be showing up in the US. The diesel is expected to push about 136 hp and still hit the 51 mpg mark. Not only can it do that, but if you sacrifice 2 mpg, you will have the option of getting one with a 6-speed manual transmission. It will also be available in the Avant format. So, my only question is, why can’t this German miracle make its way to our soil?

By Katherine Helmetag

AKA atomicalex

Volkswagen’s Jetta will get the TDI Cup treatment in a new package called, you guessed it, the TDI Cup Edition. The package will include upgraded brakes, wheels, suspension, and the interior of the GLI with the TDI drivetrain. Maybe Jen will give up on her Escort now?

Continue reading "Jetta TDI Cup Edition" »

By Jen

AKA SuzyBruisy

I guess it’s more of a barn than a garage—Volkswagen TDI Cup competitors have to work on their rides door-to-door in a big white pole-tent lit by nothing but oversized Ikea-style Japanese lanterns. In keeping with its low-rent image, the TDI cup promises some of the most exciting racing out of the many different series that are running at Road Atlanta this week. With lots of bumpin’ and bangin’, it’s not all that far from my other favorite motorsports series, but with all the stuff that NASCAR opponents are always whining for: namely, road-course tracks (Sprint Cup series has two), and "stock" cars that truly are basically stock—nearly all the mods these 2.0L turbo-diesel Jettas are running, I’m told, can be ordered by the average joe from the dealership. This Saturday’s TDI Cup race, to be run immediately before the Petit Le Mans, will be particularly cut-throat. Why? Because it’s the final race of the season, the one that will decide the champion and award the $100,000 purse.

You’ll probably remember CarDomain member and TDI Cup competitor Chris Castagna (crc930), who showed up in the blog last week as the series points leader following the race in Iowa. He showed me around the garage area today and we talked a bit about the series. It turns out our boy has been knocked down to fourth in the points, following a couple of nasty wrecks over the last two races, one of which he says was purposefully caused by a rival. He can still win the championship on Saturday—all he has to do is win the final race. He says that no matter what the outcome, it’s going to be a fireworks show, with a lot at stake and many drivers willing to do anything to win. Plus, Atlanta is a fast track with long straights where drafting is possible, which will skew the starting grid by pushing many slower cars to the front during qualifying. It’s going to be a wild ride—let’s wish Chris luck! Check out more TDI Cup garage pics.

Check out the Amoco Ultimate Your Car Is Worth It Photo Contest. They’re giving away gas money on a weekly basis, and one Grand Prize Winner will get to go to France for 24 Hours Of Le Mans!

Continue reading "CarDomain Member Shows Off The TDI Cup Garage!" »

CarDomain member Chris Castagna (AKA crc930) was chosen to be one of thirty drivers to compete in this year’s 2008 VW TDI Cup sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. As of this Saturday’s race at Iowa Speedway, he is the championship points leader. The season is just three races away from wrapping up at Road Atlanta, where the season points champ will be awarded $100,000. The points champ will also get an additional $150,000 if they sign a contract with another pro team within six months of winning. Be sure to visit Chris’s Jetta TDI ride page to wish him luck and to check out some awesome racing pics.

Given the awesome performance Audi’s mighty R10 TDI has demonstrated lately, it’s wasn’t completely unexpected that the German team would deliver another one-two victory. But anything can happen during a race—especially one that’s fours hours long—and the fact that the Andretti Green Acura ARX-01B was able to slide between the TDIs during yesterday’s qualifying had to be making the team sweat a little bit. As it turns out, there was nothing to worry about. Driver Marco Werner—who crossed first in the number 2 car—said in a post-race press conference that there were no surprises from the car during the race, and he never doubted he’d take the checked. The last time Audi won back to back victories during an AMLS series race was in 2006, when it won at Road America and again in Portland. How do you think the team will do in Ontario at the end of the month? Check out a pic of Marco Werner and co-driver Lucas Luhr after the jump.

Continue reading "Audi Does it Again, Takes First and Second In LP1" »