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GD97=5@=GGI9' :CF8F= J 9 FG THE FUNCTIONAL ISSUE THE BEST OF VEHICLES THAT BEG TO BE USED :95HIF98 758=@@577HGGDCFHK5;CB :CF8:!%)$GJHF5DHCF 7FCGGCJ9F7CAD5F=GCB D@IG :CF8:@9L97C6CCGH 8C8;9F5A%)$$ B=GG5B7I69 GIJ#7IJ 6 Jc`_gkU[YbH][iUb CONTENTS 13 AYfWYXYg!6Ybn;@?')$ Introduction: 17 :cfX:`Yl9Wc6ccgh Finding The Fun In Function 23 ?]UGcfYbhc 30 6AKL) 37 ?]``Yf7fcggcjYfg. 5iX]E)jg"7UX]``UWGFL + jg"Jc`jcL7*$ IF65B 47 B]ggUb7iVY 54 ?]UGci` K5;CB 61 AUnXU' 82 >YhhUH8=GdcfhKU[Yb 69 Jc`jc7'$ 88 Jc`jcL7+$ 74 <cbXU:]h 94 GiVUfi:cfYghYf 98 ;fUbXHcif]b[. 7UX]``UW7HGGdcfhKU[cb D=7?ID 106 :cfX:!%)$ 114 8cX[YFUa%)$$ 121 Gini_]9eiUhcf 126 :cfX:!%)$GJHFUdhcf Winding Road Special Issue 3 98=HCF=5@ B9LHG7F99B5IHCACH=J9;FCID 58J9FH=G=B; 98=HCF=5@8=F97HCFHcaAUfh]b 58=J=G=CBC:B9LHG7F99B @@7" D5FHB9FG<=DGC@IH=CBG 98=HCF!=B!7<=9:GYmh\A]YfgaU 79CHcaAUfh]b GigUbAccfY 5GGC7=5H998=HCFGhYjYb>"9k]b[ 7FC>UmKUhgcb ?]h<UkjYf 7F95H=J98=F97HCFHcfei]`8YkUf 8=F97HCFC:GC:HK5F9 @iW]UbUKmbbY 5FH8=F97HCFG\Y``Ym@U] 89J9@CDA9BHFcV;fUXm DFC8I7H=CB98=HCF>c\b6Y`hnGbmXYf 7CBHFC@@9FGWchhDYhh]h HY`)%&",-%")$$& 98=HCF=5@=BH9FBG>YfYam7Uf[]`` UXg4bYlhgWfYYb"Wca 6YbDihh 7CFDCF5H9C::=79G ()((G"@UaUf6`jX" 6i]`X]b[;!'$$ F9DF=BHG5B89!DF=BHG 7CBHF=6IHCFG 5igh]b HL+,+()!%)$$ >Ybb]ZYfAUfh]b#Kf][\hÈgFYdf]bhg 8Uj]X9"8Uj]g >f" AUhh8Uj]g HY`)%&",-%")$$& IG,++"*)&")&-)#=BH@%"&,%"(%-")+&) K]``]Ua>YUbYg 7\f]gAUfhYbg 7\f]gDUi_Yfh AUhh\YkD\Yb]l FYlFcm ^aUfh]b4kf][\hgfYdf]bhg"Wca 98=HCF=5@C::=79G GI6G7F=DH=CBG -9"7fcggGh" 7`]W_\YfYhcVimgiVgWf]dh]cbghc Mdg]`Ubh] A=(,%-,!&,(% K]bX]b[FcUXD8:Xckb`cUXg" HY`.+'("(,)"&''* YX]hcf4k]bX]b[fcUX"Wca cfDcgh@YhhYfghch\Y9X]hcf &$$(!&$%$ BYlhGWfYYb @@7 Finding The Fun In Function ou won’t find a convert- ible or a sports coupe be- tween the pages of this is- Ysue. No Ferraris, Jaguars, or Corvettes. While those may be wonderful cars to drive on a track, or to and from work, you probably wouldn’t use one to help a friend move during a snowstorm, or to take your family camping, or to tow a boat to the lake. For that, you need Finding The Fun In Function something more—you guessed or haul a trailer, or fit a load of it—functional. boxes in it. Cars aren’t toys. Ok, they are At the same time, we don’t toys, but they’re also tools. De- want fall into the drudgery of spite the way we at Winding Road viewing cars simply as tools. We often cover them, automobiles have to drive them, and we don’t are meant for more than provid- want to be miserable while we do ing us with entertainment (that it. Ideally we should have some is, though, priority number one). fun, or at least be comfortable. One fault of ours as humans is Life happens in cars, and our en- that we have all sorts of stuff— vironment has a great deal to do possessions that often require with quality of said life. As driv- relocation. And the thing about ers it is important to us that any stuff (including people) is that vehicle, whether it just carries move away from this paradigm al Issue, we take a close look at it takes up space, and is often us, or also carries several hun- in Issue 52 of Winding Road). SUVs, crossovers, wagons, pick- heavy. "at’s where functional dred pounds of our belongings, "is issue is dedicated to the ups, and urban vehicles as we put vehicles come into play. It’s not should have soul. "is is especial- automobiles that don’t just get them through the wringer and so much about what we want as ly true when that vehicle is our us from point A to point B. It’s find out what truly makes them it is about what we need, and only vehicle, as is often the case about the ones that earn their good, useful machines. And, of we often need a vehicle that can (although our own Tom Martin keep, but keep us happy while course, we manage to have some accommodate seven passengers, argues why we can and should they do it. In this, the Function- fun while we do it.—WR SUV/CUV Sport-utility vehicles and crossovers take up a huge segment of auto- motive sales for various reasons. Many people appreciate their size, whether it’s for storage, comfort, the commanding view of the road, or the image. A large number of SUVs and CUVs come with available four- wheel-drive, making them sturdy shuttles for treks down loose or slip- pery roads. Recent strides toward fuel-efficiency have helped to make these already useful vehicles more well-rounded. Take To The Hills VW’s new small SUV should be a hit in the mountain states, but can it deliver coast-to-coast success? By Chris Paukert TAKE TO THE HILLS VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN we rolled into Boulder, it didn’t take long to real- As ize why Volkswagen had chosen this booming northern Colorado burg for the U.S. roll- out of its new Tiguan compact crossover. Not only does Boulder pos- sess a latent hippy-artsy, granola- crunchy vibe that sits well with the brand’s ethos, to look at its streets is to think you’ve stum- bled upon Wolfsburg West. "e entire town is positively clut- tered with VWs of all descrip- tions: Jettas, Passats, even older Sciroccos and Buses, most with roof racks. In fact, it would ap- pear that aspiring Boulderites have two choices to make when they reach city limits for the first time: “Volkswagen or Subaru, TAKE TO THE HILLS VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN roads were an excellent environ- Aesthetically, VW’s freshest ment to properly gauge wheth- fruit clearly hasn’t fallen far from er the Tiguan could live up to the tree. "e Tiguan displays a Volkswagen’s billing of it as "e mature and classy look, albeit one GTI of Crossover Utility Vehi- that’s a bit too familiar for our cles. Admittedly, it looks quite tastes. "e front-end sheetmetal, a bit like a tippy-toe version of lights, and fascia, for example, the celebrated hot hatch. More all look like they could be direct exactly, the Tiguan has seem- swaps on the Passat, Touareg, or ingly been conjured with bits Eos. By comparison, VW’s 2006 borrowed from the entire VW Concept Tiguan show car dif- family. A Rabbit platform here, fered largely in the details, but a Passat four-link rear suspen- evinced about 150 percent more sion there, and it’s Poppin’ Fresh attitude. time. "is is not to say that the Inside, the paired round sir?” “"ule or Yakima, ma’am?” in Boulder. VW only registers Tiguan feels at all cobbled to- HVAC vents are new, but most It’s absolutely uncanny. When about 1.5 percent in the rest of gether. In fact, it’s a remarkably fixtures will be familiar to VW we mentioned this to Volkswa- the country. well-rounded proposition from drivers of recent years, mean- gen’s director of press and public In any case, Boulder also stem to stern. Of course, given its ing a mix of red and blue back- relations, Steve Keyes, he smiled, proved to be a fitting setting be- tardy arrival to one of the most lit gauges, high-quality plastics, noting that the company enjoys yond its commuter tableau, as hotly contested segments in the and logically organized controls. about a 12 percent market share the area’s twisting and climbing business, it had better be. Seat coverings differ for each of TAKE TO THE HILLS VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN the three trim levels (S, SE, and sion, front-drive S model returns SEL), with the latter going from 19 miles per gallon city and 26 cloth to cow. Optional interior mpg highway. frosting includes a new touch- Speaking of which, while screen sat-nav/backup camera there was little wrong with the system that boasts one of the most six-speed automatic SE we tested, vivid displays we’ve ever come we much preferred the six-speed across, an eight-speaker Dynau- manual, which is unfortunate- dio stereo (standard on SEL), ly only available in front-wheel and a mammoth 12.7-square- drive models. Although not the foot double sunroof. admittedly portly GTI). Stuffed nally believed that VW’s cute cleanest cogswapper we’ve ever Despite a smallish footprint with VW’s firecracker 2.0-liter ute would arrive with a segment- sampled, it was the most engag- of just 174.3 inches, the Tig of- TFSI engine, the Tiguan is more first diesel engine option. How- ing and enjoyable setup for mak- fers good head- and legroom entertaining to drive than most ever, that decision is on hold—a ing use of the TFSI’s 197 horse- front and back, thanks largely to of its four-cylinder competitors, move that strikes us as a missed power and 207 pound-feet of a more upright seating position. though its powertrain does call opportunity even with the fuel’s torque. For the record, the Tig’s Better still, it weighs just un- for premium fuel—something inflated prices at the pump. As automatic has a +/- manual ratio der 3400 pounds (a reasonable of a costly aberration in this seg- it is, the EPA indicates that our selector feature on the gearshift 300-pound premium over the ment. Incidentally, it was origi- gas-powered, manual-transmis- lever, but it is not VW’s DSG Aesthetically, VW’s freshest fruit hasn’t fallen far from the tree.