Having a ball in the snow with the T-Roc R – during the R Experience Ice in Sweden, drivers drift across snow and ice on frozen Lake Arvidsjaursjön. Their challenge: to pilot the powerful Volkswagen T-Roc R on glaze in the bitter cold of a region located just south of the Arctic Circle.

The program literally puts these drivers on black ice in Arvidsjaur, Sweden. It was all by design: the task of perfecting drifting and vehicle control on difficult terrain. Each year, Volkswagen R joins with Volkswagen Driving Experience and extends an invitation to visit the far north. Once there, you quickly realize in the vast expanses of snow stretching out before you that this is something much more than your normal type of safety training for drivers. The “stars on ice”: the T-Roc R together with its 300 HP (221 kW) and the Passat R-Line Edition, the two models that take on the course in the heart of Lapland.

In addition to the introductory and helpful words of the instructors, the spikes on the tires will be the drivers’ biggest helpers on the frozen lake. You would never be able to handle the icy surface without these types of tires.Speaking of vehicle control: The drivers slowly gain a feel for the vehicles during their first ventures onto the courses. As they complete curve after curve, their initial hesitation gradually fades, giving way to growing trust and confidence in their own driving skills. With the help of the Haldex clutch, the 4Motion drive system of the T-Roc R distributes the power of the performance crossover evenly to all four wheels. The vehicle’s power and the drivers’ increasing ability to handle the slick elements beneath them result in better and better drifts and lots and lots of fun behind the wheel.

With the help of GPS, plows carve a number of courses into the snow on Lake Arvidsjaursjön each year. Every section has its own special features, and the degree of difficulty increases from course to course. Slalom, braking practices, mastering of oversteering and understeering and handling courses await the drivers. Everything is designed to enable the participating drivers to pull off a perfect drift on ice. Safety, though, is always the top priority. Anyone who happens to slide past the wide run-off area usually ends up making a relatively “soft” landing in the snow. Afterward, a Driving Experience instructor will drive up in a Touareg and use a tow rope to pull the driver’s vehicle out of the snowbank.

“Our R Experience Ice is a real adventure in the far north,” says Peter Jost, Head of Sales and Marketing for Volkswagen R. “It is a challenge for all drivers that is both really instructive and a whole lot of fun. It takes some skill and control to drift on ice. But our instructors provide the drivers with excellent preparation before they take on the challenge.”

For experienced drivers on icy grounds, the R Experience Ice provides an even bigger challenge: the pro level. The Pro Experience is designed for racecar drivers who want to fine-tune their handling abilities. A range of courses and special stages bring the rally feeling to life on the ice. A race against the clock is added to the battle against the elements. One special highlight for the pros: a rally-style drive at night in which a course with pace notes that the drivers have written themselves is taken on at a range of speeds.

You will find more information about booking and prices on the website of the Volkswagen Driving Experience: https://www.volkswagen-driving-experience.de/de/trainings/winter-trainings.html

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen is getting into European Football Championship 2020 fever by offering new special edition models: up!, e-up!, Polo, T-Cross, Golf Variant, Golf Sportsvan, T-Roc, Tiguan Allspace, Touran and Sharan are now all available as a special edition UNITED model. Optional equipment includes the UNITED Plus package and the R-Line Exterior package. Depending on the particular models, customers will also enjoy maximum savings of up to €3,400.

The vehicle specification package is offered exclusively for the UNITED series: serious eye-catchers are the colour Atlantic Blue Metallic and Dublin alloy wheels (in burnished Black). Other exciting features include tinted side and rear windows and a UNITED badge on the B-pillar.

The interior also impresses with its unique equipment: seat fabric in the new model-specific design, sill panel trim bearing the UNITED lettering and a leather multifunction steering wheel round out the vehicle interior. Additional equipment details include (depending on the model) high-quality Infotainment and navigation systems (starting with the Polo), Climatronic air conditioning system (except in the up!), Light and Sight package (with automatic headlight control and rain sensor), as well as an extended guarantee for an additional three years or 50,000 km.

Volkswagen offers two optional supplementary packages: With the UNITED Plus package, additional options include (depending on the model) larger alloy wheels, a black headliner, Digital Cockpit or Premium multi-function display (starting with T-Roc) or also the Comfort mobile phone interface with inductive charging (not with all models). Depending on the model, savings for the Plus package total as much as €645. For Polo, T-Cross, T-Roc, Golf Variant and Touran, an R-Line Exterior package is also available, which includes the sporty R-Line exterior features and larger alloy wheels. For the Golf Variant, it also includes a sports package, and for the Touran, sports running gear.

All UNITED special edition models can be combined with various appealing gearbox options and are available now for order. 

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen models represent modern functionality and the brand’s typically easy orientation inside the vehicle. With the new Golf, operation is now even more intuitive. A visible and tangible example is the control for the 3-zone automatic air conditioner “Air Care Climatronic”. This newly designed air conditioning system has a Smart Climate menu that can be used to activate specific individual functions such as “Warm feet” or “Clear view” – not only at the press of a button, but also using voice control. The new model is therefore the first Golf to respond interactively to the wishes of the driver and passenger.

The temperature of the air conditioning system can be adjusted in the new Golf using a touchslider or voice input. The driver and passenger can access the menu control of the “Air Care Climatronic” with allergen filter and 3-zone control via the screen of the Infotainment system or the touch field below with direct access buttons. As an alternative to the classic controls, such as for the fan function or air recirculation mode (Classic Climate), the screen features the new Smart Climate menu. To access specific air conditioning settings in this menu, it is no longer necessary to spend time adjusting different parameters of the air conditioning system. You can now intuitively activate preconfigured scenarios with one touch or alternatively by using voice control.

Volkswagen has identified five frequently used scenarios and transferred them to the Smart Climate menu. The functions are “Clear view” (demist windows), “Warm feet” (warmer air to the footwell), “Warm hands” (warmer air via the vents of the dash panel), “Cool feet” (colder air into the footwell) and “Fresh air” (cool breeze flows through the vehicle interior). The clever thing here is that the Smart Climate functions are always only activated temporarily – they briefly enhance current well-being before reverting to the previously active settings of the automatic air conditioner.

It is also easier to change individual permanent settings of the “Air Care Climatronic” than ever before: As an alternative to classic operation in the air conditioning menu, this works using a touchslider or voice control. The new digital microphones in the Golf also recognise whether it is the driver or the passenger speaking. All you have to do is say “I am cold” or “I am warm” and the “Air Care Climatronic” will change the temperature on the driver side or passenger side for each command. It is also possible, for example, to say “Make it four degrees warmer” to change the temperature accordingly. Equally simply and effectively, statements such as “There’s a draught” or “It’s stuffy” can be used to adjust the settings of the automatic air conditioner.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen launches Arteon boasting a unique character: with the Arteon R-Line Edition, limited to 250 units, Volkswagen focuses even more on the dynamics and travel qualities of the Gran Turismo. Exclusive design features, extensive standard equipment and a selection of four powerful turbocharged engines with 140 kW/190 PS to 200 kW/272 PS characterise the special edition, which is available from EUR 55,970 (in Germany).

The Arteon R-Line Edition has a wide range of standard equipment that is not available in this combination in any other version of the series. And the expressive two-tone Moonstone Grey finish with black roof is reserved exclusively for the Arteon R-Line Edition. The exterior finish is rounded off with 20-inch Rosario alloy wheels and darkened rear windows.

The interior is perfectly matched with the exterior. It is fitted out with the Nappa leather package and can be customised in terms of colour by means of ambient lighting. As part of the standard winter package, the outer rear seats are also available with heating, in addition to the front seats. As well as its navigation function, the Discover Pro infotainment system also features Wireless App-Connect, voice control and DAB+ digital radio reception. Discover Pro and the Digital Cockpit (fully digital instruments) form a single entity similar to the Innovision Cockpit familiar from the Touareg. Thanks to the keyless locking and starting system Keyless Access, the car key can remain in the driver’s pocket.

Standard high-tech systems for perfect comfort and safety: the Area View feature complete with rear view camera provides a view of the vehicle surroundings and facilitates manoeuvring, as does Park Assist. Dynamic Road Sign Display, the lane change system Side Assist, the Autonomous Emergency Braking Front Assist and the predictive Adaptive Distance Control (ACC) increase safety in flowing traffic as well as increasing comfort and safety on lengthy journeys. With the standard Dynamic Light Assist for the LED headlamps, the driver also enjoys the comfort of a dynamic cornering light and automatic main beam control.

The engine range of the Arteon R-Line Edition clearly focuses on the sporty flair of the Gran Turismo, with the four most powerful units of the series being available for the limited special edition. They are all efficient 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines combined with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DSG). The range starts with a TSI petrol engine and a TDI turbocharged diesel, each with an output of 140 kW/90 PS. The all-wheel-drive top-of-the-range diesel engine offers an output of 176 kW/240 PS, while the most powerful version is the Arteon R-Line Edition with the 2.0 TSI, providing a peak output of 200 kW/272 PS as well as all-wheel drive (4MOTION). The ESC system has also been adapted. As in the sporty R models, it can now be completely deactivated.

The two most powerful versions of the Arteon R-Line Edition are fitted with what is currently the highest development stage of the adaptive chassis control DCC; the latter is optionally available for the 140 kW models. The system allows the regulated dampers to be configured on a continuously variable basis from Comfort+ to Sport+ over and above the settings in the driving mode selection (Comfort, Normal, Sport, Individual). This is another reason why the limited special model stands out as a particularly dynamic business class travel vehicle. The Arteon R-Line Edition is available for order right away at a price of EUR 55,970 (for 2.0 TSI with 140 kW/190PS) and will be delivered from February 2020.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com