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Nobody loved the early "modern" sports cars from Zuffenhausen, Germany. The first 911, the 901-series, was a thoroughly reengineered 356, which itself was a Volkswagen Beetle on steroids. Then came the turtle-slow 912, the neither-fish-nor-fowl 911T, the E with its capricious fuel injection, the Targa with the zippered plastic rear window that went blind after two summers, and the awful semiautomatic Sportomatics. The serious part of the 911 saga began in 1967 with the lean and quick 160-hp 911S. From day one, base-model 911s were never that special, the exception being the 1981-1989 cars and the particularly desirable, last-of-the-air-cooled 993-series. What made the ultimate metamorphosis of Ferdinand Porsche's Volkswagen such an icon over time were the sharper-edged variants. Charismatic suffixes like Turbo, SC, Clubsport, GT, RS, Carrera, Touring, and Speedster invariably make the hearts of 911 aficionados beat faster. Extra adrenaline is freed by such specials as the wide-body Turbo-look versions, the slant-nose cars that were available between 1983 and 1994, and the often substantially more potent factory high-performance kits (generally not available in the States) dubbed WLS, for Werks-Leistungs-Steigerung (Factory-Power-Increase).inline_mediumwraptextright32187153/features/news/1003_ten_favorite_porsche_911s1003_12_z+porsche_911+emblem.jpgTrue

The rumors were correct -- Volkswagen has been wrenching on a GTI version of its Polo subcompact, although its output isn’t quite as extreme as once was suggested.inline_mediumwraptextright26895788/features/news/1002_2010_volkswagen_polo_gti1002_03_z+2010_volkswagen_polo_gTI+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Driving a TDI Volkswagen is always refreshing. Despite the fact that the suspension is more about comfort than sport and the powertrain is optimized for fuel economy instead of performance, an enthusiast will walk away relatively happy. Complaints about the soft brake pedal and less-than-perfect steering are minor when you consider the cargo capacity and fuel economy benefits of a wagon like this.inline_mediumwraptextright32298462/green/reviews/2010_Volkswagen_Jetta_Sportwagen_TDI1002_06_z+2010_volkswagen_jetta_sportwagen_tDI+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

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

Volkswagen unveiled its all-new 2011 Touareg, and true to the automaker’s word, the second-generation SUV is both leaner and greener than its predecessor.inline_mediumwraptextright28067173/features/news/1002_2011_volkswagen_touareg2011-volkswagen-touareg-front-three-quarter-view.jpgTrue