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VW used to offer a 5.0-liter turbodiesel V-10 with 553 lb-ft of torque in the Touareg, but it was expensive (about $70K) and, not surprisingly, found few buyers. No one need mourn its loss, though, because the 2010 Touareg TDI still offers a boatload of torque from its 3.0-liter V-6 diesel. Put it in sport mode, hit the accelerator, and the tach swings immediately to the redline at 4500 rpm and then waves back and forth between 3200 and 4500 rpm as it advances quickly and smoothly through the gears. You get a nice, muted induction sound during hard acceleration, and very little diesel clatter at idle. The upshifts are very smooth. At 50 mph in sixth gear, you're at a lazy 1500 rpm.inline_mediumwraptextright26792540/green/reviews/1002_2010_volkswagen_touareg_tdi1003_02_z+2010_volkswagen_touareg_tDI+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Volkswagen's New Beetle never could have equaled the performance of its predecessor - the original Beetle sold 21.5 million units over fifty-eight years - but, in modern terms at least, its eleven-year run has been a long one. First introduced in 1998, the New Beetle initially met with great fanfare (in the United States, if not in Germany), but by 2009, sales dropped to an all-time low of fewer than 15,000 units in the U.S. So the marketing strategists have decided to pull the plug, effective this summer.inline_mediumwraptextright32154942/features/news/1003_2011_volkswagen_new_beetle1003_01_z+2011_volkswagen_new_beetle+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue