VW Offers Chattanooga Police Jetta SportWagen TDIs to Keep Residents / Speedsters Safe

Now we've officially seen it all; a body-kitted German station-wagon running on a [relatively] small displacement four-cylinder diesel engine as a Sheriff's Department patrol car. And all thanks to VW's decision to donate two custom-made Jetta SportWagen TDI vehicles to the law enforcement departments of the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.

The donation was made as part of Volkswagen's ongoing efforts to reach out to the community of Chattanooga, where the German automaker is building a $1 billion plant that will produce among other cars, the New Midsize Sedan (NMS) starting from next year.

Volkswagen said its engineers and designers overhauled the white Jetta SportWagen to incorporate special features including custom-built enclosures and mounts that hold all the communications and emergency lighting gear in place.

The car gets a body kit with front and rear aprons, and side skirts as well as 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 225/40 18" Goodyear Eagle GT All Season tires.

Under the hood, the Jetta SportWagen features VW's 2.0-liter TDI clean diesel four-cylinder engine with 236 ft.-lbs. of torque, that returns up to 42 miles per gallon on the highway.

Official Statements:

"Volkswagen is thrilled to be able to provide technologically advanced Jetta SportWagen vehicles to both the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County police departments to help keep the area safe while driving in a reliable, versatile and stylish vehicle," said Frank Fischer, Chairman and CEO of Volkwagen's Chattanooga

"This generous gift is much appreciated and will be a welcomed addition to our expanding Chattanooga Police Department," said Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. "We applaud Volkswagen for their continued investment in our community."

"Since Volkswagen announced their billion dollar investment in Hamilton County they have demonstrated numerous times their willingness to be a good corporate neighbor," said Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey. "Today's gift of two law enforcement vehicles is further proof of Volkswagen's commitment to Hamilton County and we thank them for their generosity."

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2011 Volkswagen Eos Facelift Unveiled ahead of LA Show Debut

Four years after it hit the market, Volkswagen is giving the Eos coupe-cabriolet its first cosmetic makeover. The facelifted model, which will have its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late November before going on sale in January 2011, receives an updated design and a host of new features.

The exterior restyling brings the Eos in line with VW's latest models such as the new Touareg, Passat B7 and Jetta. At the front, there's a new, and less prominent, upper grille which is now completely separated from the lower. Also new are the headlamps that incorporate horse-shoe shaped LED running lights, the bumper design and the more chiseled side mirrors.

Out back, the changes include a revised bumper housing a diffuser and new, rectangular-shaped tail lamps with LED technology.

Inside the cabin, the changes are really rather difficult to spot, being limited to some fresh colors, new controls for the air conditioning system and additional features such as the keyless locking and starting system, a new multi-function color display and the remote control for the retractable hardtop.

Aside from the use of BlueMotion technology with a start-stop system and regenerative braking on the 140HP 2.0-liter TDI diesel engine that reduces fuel consumption by 0.7 lt/100 km, bringing it down to 4.8 lt/100 km [49 mpg US], there aren't any other changes under the hood.

More details on the 2011 VW Eos will be released at the car's LA Sow premiere in November.

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Revamped 2011 VW Phaeton Prices Announced in the UK

Volkswagen UK has dropped pricing details and specification for its facelifted 2011 Phaeton, which is available to order this week. British buyers have two engine options, a 3.0-liter V6 TDI diesel unit with 240-horsepower and a range-topping 6.0-liter W12 petrol unit churning out 450-horsepower.

The diesel model is available with both a standard wheelbase and a long wheelbase (LWB) which gives an additional 120 mm of legroom to rear passengers, while the W12 variant is offered exclusively with the LWB body style. On-the-road prices range from £46,195 to £78,685.

Revealed to the public for the first time at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show in China this past April, the 2011 Phaeton features a refreshed exterior with a new front end design and interior updates that include new trim finishes, a different multifunction steering wheel design and changes to the instrument cluster.

For a more in depth view of VW's flagship model, check out our previous post (click here).

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VW Passat BlueMotion Drives Over 1,500 miles (2,400 km) on a Single Tank

A Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion driven by Sunday Times journo Gavin Conway has been awarded a Guinness World Record for the longest distance travelled by an unmodified production car on a single tank of fuel.

The three-day trip began in Maidstone, England, where the Passat's tank was drained and filled with 77.25 liters (20.41 US gallons) of diesel. The journey finally ended close to Calais after 1,526.63 miles (2,456.87 km), the equivalent of driving halfway from New York to Los Angeles.

Conway was accompanied by a navigator and video crew. The attempt was witnessed by two Automobile Association (AA) patrolman, who followed the Passat in a van. The Passat averaged 45 mph [72 km/h] and 89.93 UK mpg (74.88 US mpg or 3.14 lt / 100 km), beating its official combined average of 64.2 UK mpg (53.46 US mpg or 4.40 lt / 100 km).

The Passat BlueMotion model is powered by a 1.6-liter common-rail turbodiesel good for 105-horsepwoer. Like all of Volkswagen's BlueMotion models, the Passat BlueMotion features a raft of efficiency improving modifications including an aerodynamic package, lowered ride height, stop/start system, longer gearing and low rolling resistance tires.

The Passat used was one of the outgoing B6 models, not the newer B7 shown at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

By Tristan Hankins

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