vw gti – Car-ED.com

Autocross: 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Autocross: 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV Chevy sets out to prove the Bolt can be a jolt of high-voltage fun...and puts a smile on our face. By Randy Lioz, Editor, Car-ED.com | October 2018 Sales of the Chevy Bolt EV have been building steadily, as more Americans discover the benefits of EV ownership. While there are still challenges to overcome in terms of charging infrastructure, Chevy is eager to make the case that electric vehicles are not only just as much driving fun as internal combustion rides, they can be even more of a hoot! The Event Chevy invited journalists to drive an autocross course in the Bolt, to show that it can handle itself during aggressive driving. There were four Bolts there, two each with both all-season tires and much grippier summer rubber. The team also brought one of the industry benchmarks for front-wheel drive hatch fun, the Volkswagen GTI, so we could see how GM's EV stacks up against a gas-powered rival. For those who haven't yet experienced the joy of autocrossing, it's generally a parking lot—find one without many light poles if you can swing it—with a bunch of cones set up in the form of a road course. The course configurators will throw in some slaloms to weave through, some tighter turns and some high-speed sweepers, so you can get a feel for all of a car's handling characteristics...and of [...]

First Impressions: 2018 Volkswagen GTI

2018 Volkswagen GTI Finally, a sports car the whole family can agree on (and fit into). By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor, Car-ED.com | July 2018 What is this vehicle? The 2018 Volkswagen GTI proves compromise is still possible, at least when it comes to finding a car that's functional and fun-to-drive on a daily basis. Beneath the GTI's stoic four-door body, and tucked somewhere behind its handy hatchback, is a feisty side that loves to play whenever you punch the gas pedal. Granted, this isn't a Hemi-powered, chest-thumping kind of sports machine. If a Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger are the heavyweight boxing bruisers of the affordable performance world, think of the VW GTI as more of a world-class fencer or slalom skier. For starters, the VW's 220-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine gets you going, quickly. But if smoky burnouts and look-at-me driving shenanigans are what you're after, the GTI could leave you feeling suddenly very...sensible. For the 2018 model year, the GTI is only available in four-door format, as the coupe model sadly got the heave-ho from the lineup. A six-speed manual is the standard transmission, though many buyers will probably spend extra for the available six-speed automatic (which is how our test car was equipped). While we're proponents of manuals, the automatic does an excellent job of smoothly delivering power to the front wheels. Inside the cabin, the materials feel a cut above the [...]