The BBC TopGear Magazine names Two Volkswagen products as the best of models.

Volkswagen is celebrating an impressive brace of titles in TopGear Magazine’s latest issue which names the very best cars in the world.

TopGear declares the Volkswagen Golf ‘All The Car You’ll Ever Need’, while the Volkswagen up! is named ‘Best First Wheels’ by the influential motoring brand.  

Praising the Volkswagen hatchback that has dominated its class for more than four decades, the magazine said: “A Golf. Short of needing seven seats or some genuine off-road ability, those two words can answer just about any car requirement you care to throw our way.”

With comfortably more than 30 million produced over the car’s 42-year history, the Volkswagen Golf retains its classless appeal and enduring reputation for quality, reliability and effortless competence.  Upwards of two million Golfs have been sold in the UK to date, and roughly one in three new Volkswagens sold here last year bore the name Golf.

The most extreme iteration of the current Golf – the sold-out GTI Clubsport S – was recently described by TopGear thus: “There’s no denying how quick it is, but the GTI is also incredibly tactile and approachable for a hardcore front-wheel-drive hatch.”

Meanwhile the recently revised Volkswagen up! carries off the ‘Best First Wheels’ title with its potent mix of style, functionality and value.

Today’s up! remains one of the five key pillars of the Volkswagen portfolio in the UK alongside new Tiguan, Polo, Golf and Passat, and the car has been a consistent sales performer in the UK since its launch here in 2012.

In the UK, the new car is offered with a choice of two petrol engines offering three engine outputs: a naturally aspirated three-cylinder 12-valve petrol engine with outputs of either 60 PS or 75 PS, or a new three cylinder turbocharged 1.0 TSI petrol unit with 90 PS.

TopGear said of it: “The up! doesn’t really feel like a baby car: it’s refined and has supple suspension and runs true on motorways.”

Welcoming the brace of important titles for two of Volkswagen’s most popular models Alison Jones, Director of Volkswagen UK, said: “For both the Golf and the up! to be recognised in this way by the experts at TopGear is a really strong result. 

“With the prospect of the revised Golf, and much else besides, to look forward to next year I’m hopeful that we can continue to celebrate Volkswagen awards successes such as this throughout 2017.” 

The Audi A4 takes another award, this one from teh BBC TopGear Magazine.

Exceptionally refined compact executive saloon would be the choice of highly respected magazine test team if a long journey beckoned 

• Audi A4 receives ‘Best for Big Miles’ award in BBC Top Gear Magazine’s Best Cars in the World issue due on November 29 

They may push cars to extremes to deliver road tests that never pull any punches, but the journalists at Top Gear Magazine have acknowledged that polish matters just as much as performance by declaring the Audi A4 ‘Best for Big Miles’ in its forthcoming Best Cars in the World issue.

The lengths to which Audi engineers and designers have gone with the A4 to bring the unruffled feel and exceptional cabin ambiance of cars in the uppermost classes to the compact executive segment have not been lost on the Top Gear team. 

In the Best Cars in the World issue, available from November 29, the road testers write: “With the A4, Audi focused on the stuff most people care about: a quiet, comfy cabin, tech to make your jaw slacken and some genuine ride quality."

With an extremely low drag coefficient of just 0.23 the A4 Saloon slips cleanly through the air under power provided by a wide range of strong and economical engines. 

These range from the super frugal 2.0 TDI ultra with its 72mpg capability and 99g/km CO₂ output to the serenely smooth 218PS and 286PS V6 TDIs, the former powering the A4 variant ranked by What Car? Magazine as its Car of the Year for 2016.

The sophistication of the engines is matched by an advanced five-link front and rear suspension delivering the kind of absorbency and control that enables a multitude of miles to be covered seemingly effortlessly, without ruling out incisive handling, particularly where quattro all-wheel-drive is also fitted.

Depending on preference, customers can increase the comfort quotient by adding electronically modulated Adaptive Comfort Suspension with damping control, or choose Adaptive Sport Suspension with damping control for enhanced refinement with a greater emphasis on cornering composure.

Among the in-car technological highlights of the A4 that so impressed the Top Gear Magazine critics are the standard Audi Smartphone Interface bringing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the car, the Audi virtual cockpit with its fully digital, absolutely flicker-free display and the Audi phone box facilitating wireless mobile phone connection and charging.

The team will also have factored in features such as MMI Navigation plus with its pin sharp 8.3-inch monitor, Bang & Olufsen 3D sound with 755 watts of music power, Matrix LED headlamps capable of diverting their beam around multiple road users to maximise illumination without dazzle and an array of cutting edge driver assistance and safety systems. These include a traffic jam assist function capable of taking over braking, acceleration and steering inputs at speeds of up to 37mph to take the strain out of stop-start traffic, and the predictive efficiency assistant, which uses route data to calculate when free-wheeling or engine braking can be automatically applied to boost overall mpg.

All of these award-winning refinements can be enjoyed in conjunction with Saloon and even more accommodating Avant body styles, the latter adopting a more rugged stance in the transformation to the A4 allroad quattro with its raised ride height. The high performance S4 with its completely new 354PS TFSI engine and quattro all-wheel-drive is also available in both formats.

The Volkswagen Passat in both saloon and Estate styles remains the tird best selling VW in the United Kingdom.

• Passat and Passat Estate remain the third biggest-selling Volkswagen in the UK
• Majority of UK customers opt for the stylish and capacious Passat Estate
• Generously equipped and high-tech SE Business trim leads the way

The latest Volkswagen Passat has this year alone notched up sales of more than 16,500 cars in the UK (YTD, Oct 2016), and retains its position as the third-highest selling Volkswagen here; proving particularly popular, as it does, with business and fleet customers.

The Passat saloon is available in a choice of five trim levels: S, BlueMotion, SE Business, GT, and R-Line, while the hybrid engined Passat GTE is offered in standard and Advance trim.  In estate form the car is offered with the addition of the all-wheel drive Alltrack trim.

And it’s the estate version of Volkswagen’s familiar family transporter that accounts for the majority of sales, at just over 57%, with the comprehensively equipped SE Business leading the way. 

In estate or saloon silhouette this best-selling model is equipped with 17-inch ‘London’ alloy wheels and Volkswagen’s Discover Navigation system, which adds satellite navigation and includes a 6.5-inch colour touch-screen control system.  The SE Business trim also features Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which helps to avoid accidents by keeping the car at a safe distance from the traffic ahead.  ACC uses a radar sensor to automatically adjust the speed by braking and accelerating, taking the stress out of driving.  Front and rear parking sensors, automatic lights and a rain sensor increase the equipment count still further, while fog lights and tinted windows ensure the SE Business looks the part, too.

Also proving popular with UK buyers is the models’ sporty and luxurious GT trim.  With 3Zone climate control and the high-resolution dash-mounted Active Info Display headlining the list of standard equipment, it’s clear why Volkswagen customers see the inherent appeal of the Passat GT.  The GT also features LED rear lights, 18-inch ‘Oxford’ alloy wheels and a panoramic sunroof.

A crucial aspect that makes the Passat particularly attractive is the wide line-up of all-diesel engines, which span capacities of between 1.6 litres and 2.0 litres with outputs of between 120 PS and 240 PS.  The top of the range 2.0-litre 240 PS Bi-turbo diesel engine also brings 4MOTION all-wheel drive to the Passat GT and Passat R-Line.

Other engine options available for the Passat include the 1.6-litre TDI with 120 PS that powers the BlueMotion model. This engine emits just 95 g/km* of CO₂ and reaches 76.3 mpg* on the combined cycle.  A similar 1.6-litre TDI is available across the rest of the range, and this motor ranges from 104 g/km to 109 g/km.  Stepping up a level, the 2.0-litre 150 PS engine is also available across the Passat range, while the powerful 190 PS engine is available in GT and R-Line trims.  In total the Passat can be powered by a choice of five diesel engines and is also available in plug-in petrol/electric hybrid form via the Passat GTE.

The broad Passat range covers all areas of the executive saloon market.  The Passat GTE, which opened for order in August this year, blends a high performance petrol engine with cutting edge electric drive technology to give a combined range of up to 660 miles.  The immediate torque of the electric motor propels the Passat GTE to 62 mph in just 7.6 seconds, while its maximum speed where the law permits is 140 mph.

Meanwhile the rugged yet refined Passat Estate Alltrack, which went on sale in the UK in June 2015, has proved popular too.  With its 4MOTION all-wheel drive, increased ground clearance (up by 27.5 mm) and off-road suspension, it’s designed further broaden the already generous capabilities of the car.  A choice of a 150 PS or a 190 PS engine underline its versatility, while styling cues such as redesigned front and rear bumpers, plus hill descent assistance, combine to make the Alltrack a capable companion on city street or rural track.

One of the defining features of the Passat family is its multitude of advanced safety features.  This includes an optional extendable head-up display, which reduces the amount of time the driver may divert their eyes from the road.  Front Assist, standard from SE Business trim, prepares the brakes for application when an obstruction is detected in the road ahead.  And if the driver doesn’t apply the brake, or fails to apply enough braking pressure, the Passat will automatically do it on their behalf via the City Emergency Braking function. 

With the optional Predictive Pedestrian Protection the Volkswagen Passat will perform an emergency stop if a person steps in front of the car, while Emergency Assist will steer the Passat to a safe halt, with the hazard lights flashing, if it detects that the driver has become incapacitated behind the wheel.

The current Passat has been honoured time and time again in its short life, collecting some of the industry’s most coveted titles.  Perhaps the most prestigious award to date is the overall title of European Car of the Year 2015, awarded by a panel of expert independent journalists from across the continent.

In the UK it has been named Best Upper Medium Car by Fleet World and Estate Car of the Year in the UK Car of the Year Awards.  The Passat GTE won the What Car? Best Electric Car award in January this year, and also took top honours in the Plug-in Hybrid Family category in the AutoVolt Electric and Hybrid Awards.

The latest generation of the Passat has continued Volkswagen’s strong run of success in the Caravan Club’s Towcar of the Year Awards too.  The Passat Estate won the prestigious title in 2016, and the Passat Alltrack defended it for the brand when it picked up the Towcar of the Year 2017 Award just a few weeks ago.

Additionally, the safety systems mentioned above contributed to the Passat gaining a full five stars from Euro NCAP in 2014. 

Priced from £22,905 RRP OTR in saloon form, and £24,480 RRP OTR as Passat Estate, the Volkswagen remains, then, a leader in the upper medium car class.  

Volkswagen Passat saloon
Model	Engine	Transmission	No. of doors	Power (PS)	CO2 (g/km)	OTR Price
S	1.6 TDI	6spd manual	4	120	105	£22,905
S	1.6 TDI	7spd DSG	4	120	104	£24,505
S	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	4	150	109	£24,030
S	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	4	150	118	£25,630
BlueMotion	1.6 TDI	6spd manual	4	120	95	£23,785
SE Business	1.6 TDI	6spd manual	4	120	105	£24,145
SE Business	1.6 TDI	7spd DSG	4	120	104	£25,745
SE Business	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	4	150	109	£25,270
SE Business	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	4	150	118	£26,870
GT	1.6 TDI	6spd manual	4	120	109	£26,250
GT	1.6 TDI	7spd DSG	4	120	107	£27,850
GT	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	4	150	112	£27,375
GT	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	4	150	121	£28,975
GT	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	4	190	109	£28,725
GT	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	4	190	119	£30,325
GT	2.0 BiTDI	7spd DSG	4	240	144	£35,470
R-Line	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	4	150	112	£28,370
R-Line	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	4	150	121	£29,970
R-Line	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	4	190	109	£29,720
R-Line	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	4	190	119	£31,320
R-Line	2.0 BiTDI	7spd DSG	4	240	144	£36,465
GTE	Hybrid	6spd DSG	4	218	39	£36,750
GTE Advance	Hybrid	6spd DSG	4	218	39	£40,405

Volkswagen Passat Estate
Model	Engine	Transmission	No. of doors	Power (PS)	CO2 (g/km)	OTR Price
S	1.6 TDI	6spd manual	5	120	107	£24,480
S	1.6 TDI	7spd DSG	5	120	104	£26,080
S	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	5	150	110	£25,605
S	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	5	150	121	£27,205
BlueMotion	1.6 TDI	6spd manual	5	120	96	£25,360
SE Business	1.6 TDI	6spd manual	5	120	107	£25,720
SE Business	1.6 TDI	7spd DSG	5	120	104	£27,320
SE Business	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	5	150	110	£26,845
SE Business	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	5	150	121	£28,445
GT	1.6 TDI	6spd manual	5	120	110	£27,825
GT	1.6 TDI	7spd DSG	5	120	107	£29,425
GT	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	5	150	113	£28,950
GT	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	5	150	124	£30,550
GT	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	5	190	111	£30,300
GT	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	5	190	120	£31,900
GT	2.0 BiTDI	7spd DSG	5	240	146	£37,045
Alltrack	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	5	150	130	£31,465
Alltrack	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	5	190	137	£34,545
R-Line	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	5	150	113	£29,945
R-Line	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	5	150	124	£31,545
R-Line	2.0 TDI	6spd manual	5	190	111	£31,295
R-Line	2.0 TDI	6spd DSG	5	190	120	£32,895
R-Line	2.0 BiTDI	7spd DSG	5	240	146	£38,040
GTE	Hybrid	6spd DSG	5	218	39	£38,325
GTE Advance	Hybrid	6spd DSG	5	218	39	£41,980