CLASSIC VW NEW MODEL MODIFIED CAR ORIGINAL 1976 CARAVELLE GEN6 MTM TUNED BEETLE 1200 Special EDITION POLO WRC Volkswagen WWW.VOLKSWAGENDRIVERMAG.CO.UK D ri V er Volkswagen PLUS: THE LATEST ON THE VW emissions CONTROVERSY ROAD TESTS // HERITAGE // SPORT // TUNING // TECHNOLOGY // DIY ISSUE DriVer 1 87 DECEMBER 2 DECEMBER 015 TEST: PASSAT ESTATE GT 4MOTION 147 MPH + 45 MPG BI-TURBO TDI MODIFIED CAR: www.volkswagendrivermag.co.uk 3.2 V6 GTI £4.50 2015 MOTORSPORT MODIFIED CAR PEOPLE’S CARS WRC, BTCC, RALLYcross STAGE 2 MK 7 GTI 6N2 POLO GTI 1.6 16V DECEMBER cover DEC 2.indd 1 06/11/2015 18:22 MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Official classic VW parts supplier to Santa Claus. Choose the parts you really want this Christmas, add them to your online wishlist and you could win them for free! Spend over £100 on parts this December and save 10% - stock up now for your winter project. 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See website for T&C’s. 01273 444 042 VWHERITAGE.COM VWH_PVW_Dec15.indd 1 23/10/2015 12:28:35 CONTenTS VOLUME 16 – NUMBER 7 DECEMBER 2015 08 NEWS 30FI MODI ed CAR 44FI MODI ed CAR Emissions update, Walter 287 bhp 3.2 V6-engined 330 bhp MTM-tuned Polo WRC de Silva retires, Developments Mk 2 GTI in USA, New T6 Gen 6 47 MOTORSPORT 37 CLASSIC VW BTCC finale at Brands Hatch 17 MOTORSPORT 1976 1200 Beetle at Breeze VW WRC Rally Spain 53FI MODI ed CARS 40R MOTO SPORT Dave Garnsworthy’s Mk 7 GTI 22 ROAD T EST VW drivers win in European Passat Estate GT 2.0 Bi-TDI Rallycross Championship 58E PeoPL ’S CARS (240 PS) 7-speed DSG 4Motion and Global Rallycross Richard Gooding’s 6N2 Polo GTI 08 17 22 37 40 42 47 53 58 WWW.volKSWAGendrIvermAG.CO.UK Published in the UK by Auto Metrix Publications, Campion House, 1 Greenfield Road, Westoning, Beds, MK45 5JD T: 01525 750 500 E: [email protected] 04 VOLKSWAGEN DRIVER DECEMBER 2015 WWW.VOLKSWAGENDRIVERMAG.CO.UK Contents DEC.indd 2 09/11/2015 09:15 F IRST Word THE CONTROVERSY over the VW diesel emissions deceit rumbles DIGITAL EDITION on, as it’s almost certain to do for some time to come, but with some additional fuel thrown on to the fire recently with the latest ALSO AVAILABLE revelation that there are also some discrepancies, as yet to be fully SBee WE SITE FOR DETAILS: explained, in CO2 figures for some of Volkswagen Group’s models. volKSWAGendrIvermAG.CO.UK I’m not going to even begin to defend or excuse any of the obvious irregularities that have been going on at Volkswagen AG, but I also can’t help thinking that the whole issue has been blown up out of all proportion and that there are all sorts of alternative agendas involved. Just about everyone from rival manufacturers to ambulance-chasing claims companies seem to be jumping on the bandwagon to make capital out of it. To listen to some commentators, you’d almost think that the Volkswagen Group is single-handedly 62 LETTerS responsible for every kind of atmospheric pollution up to and including global warming and the hole in the ozone layer. 66 ProducTS & SERVICES Compared with all the other issues going on the world; widespread poverty, famine and 72 LATEST PRICES LISTED war, the migrant crisis and airliners being blown out of the skies, not to mention impending natural disasters, supervolcanoes, tsunamis and asteroid strikes, Volkswagen’s indiscretions 74 ROAD TEST Index with emissions testing are but the least of our global worries. 75 ON THE MARKET It’s almost a shame that Volkswagen management is just so apologetic about it, instead of saying something like ‘Sorry about that – some of our guys fiddled a few figures, but no-one 77 RIVAL MARQUES died..!’ And that’s a very good point, because although there are undoubtedly long-term health 78 SPECIALIST Index issues associated with NOx emissions, the immediate effects don’t compare with the indisputable dangers of airbags not going off, ignition switches cutting out, brakes failing and cars catching 79 CLASSIFIed ADS fire or not meeting European crash test regulations, all of which have been swept under the 82 NEXT MONTH carpet by other manufacturers in recent times. There’s also a lot of hypocrisy along the lines of ‘If I knew that they were so eco-unfriendly I’d never have bought a Volkswagen!’ I do not believe for one moment that anyone but the most ardent of eco-warriors would have seriously considered the CO2 figures as a factor when choosing to buy a Volkswagen in the first place, let alone NOx. Maybe someone should conduct a roadside survey and stop thousands of motorists to 30 ask them what the official mpg figures are for their car, what the actual mpg figures are for their car and what CO2 emissions are quoted for their car, without looking it up, and see what proportion have even a clue about any of them, let alone what NOx means. I’ve even had to correct a couple of motoring journalists who’ve written about nitrous oxide; it would be almost laughable, if that wasn’t such a pun. Indeed, I’ll also be interested to see, when the technical solutions are finally revealed and ready for implementation, just what proportion of those owners affected actually take up the offer to have the remedial action carried out. I can almost see the tumbleweed rolling across the workshop floor… JUST AS WE were busy preparing this issue for press, time was taken out for a trip over to the Shakespeare County Raceway for a management meeting to plan for next year’s GTI International and the dates have been fixed for July 9-10, slightly later than normal. It would seem, though, that ‘great minds think alike’ and someone else has also targeted 44 a track-based event for that same weekend, which isn’t exactly ideal for either parties. Never mind, though, as we’ve clashed with the British F1 Grand Prix before and it doesn’t seem to have done too much harm. Next year will also see the 40th anniversary of the Golf GTI, so we’ll certainly have something to celebrate! NEIL BIRKITT Editor Neil Birkitt Contributors [email protected] Peter Carrick, Nick Carter, Robert Couldwell, Design & Production Ian Fermor Drive By Shooters, Chris Eyre, Pete Frost, [email protected] Richard Gooding Advertising Gemma Munn Telephone: 01525 750 504 For enquiries about trade advertising [email protected] i or marketing, either in the magazine 62 Subscriptions/Website Sally Appleby or at our events, please contact our new Telephone: 01525 750 500 Sales and Marketing Manager, Gemma Munn, [email protected] on 01525 750 504, or send an e-mail to: Accounts Evette McKee [email protected] Telephone: 01525 750 503 Published by AutoMetrix Publications, Campion House, 1 Greenfield Road,W estoning, Bedfordshire. MK45 5JD. Tel: 01525 750 500 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.autometrix.co.uk Printed in the UK by Magazine Printing Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC suppliers. www.magprint.co.uk Worldwide distribution by Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT www.seymour.co.uk Standard subscription rates (exclusive of any offers). UK annual: £50.00, Europe: £60, Rest of world: £70 VOLKSWAGEN DRIVER is a monthly publication about Volks wagen vehicles. It is completely independent of the manufacturers and importers of these cars and the views which are expressed may not necessarily be the views of the manufacturers or importers. N EXT ISSUE Although every effor t is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the material published in VOLKS WAGEN DRIVER, AutoMetrix Publications and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors, manufacturers or ON SALE: advertisers. Copyright for all materials published in this magazine remains with AutoMetrix Publica tions and its agents. All rights of WEDNESDAY DEC 16 translation and reproduction reserved. ©2015 AutoMetrix Publications. ISSN No. 1470 3785 WWW.VOLKSWAGENDRIVERMAG.CO.UK DECEMBER 2015 VOLKSWAGEN DRIVER 05 Contents DEC.indd 3 09/11/2015 09:16 Project1_Layout 1 12/03/2013 15:03 Page 1 Untitled-3 1 09/10/2015 14:47 NEWS – VOLKSWAGEN DIESEL EMISSIONS On a mission... Following on from our initial overview article, published in the November issue, the fallout and response to the VW emissions scandal rumbles on, as indeed it almost certainly will for some months and even years to come… WE LEFT the story at the end of September ‘ The Department for when Volkswagen here in the UK announced its action plan to correct the emissions Transport confirmed characteristics of certain diesel vehicles, that it won’t be issuing a with the option for concerned owners to check the status of their vehicles using mandatory recall for cars a self-serve process on the Volkswagen affected by Volkswagen’s website, by keying in their VIN numbers, ON OCTOBER 12, Paul Willis, Managing Director with similar arrangements for the other emissions scandal of Volkswagen Group UK Ltd., appeared in front brands in the group.