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2015 Volkswagen GTI: Driving into spring with just one regret [w/video]

If you only notice one thing in the video above, it should be this: that GTI is filthy. Yes, the grossness of winter took its toll on our long-term 2015 Volkswagen GTI, covering the Carbon Steel hatch in a mess of salt-and-slush-streaked grime. The GTI was a champ during the cold months With 225/40R18 Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires offering sure-footed grip, the hatch became a dear companion to editors slogging through unsavory weather. Front-wheel-drive cars are already pretty solid for wintertime driving, and with the added traction of these tires, the GTI plowed forward without any drama. Our biggest gripe about snowy driving involved the car's Driver Assistance Package – a $695 option that, knowing what we know now, we wouldn't have ordered. First, this option positions the front camera right in the middle of the lower grille, which looks pretty terrible. But more importantly, the system can't tell the difference between slush/snow and an actual obstacle, so it constantly feels the need to warn us that we might hit something when the camera is covered in grime. Clearing the camera off isn't a problem, but the practice grew more annoying as the season continued. The Driver Assistance Package gets you front and rear parking sensors that, honestly, we find to be a bit too sensitive. It's activated in any low-speed situation, so the car freaks out whenever you take it through a car wash, and beeps if you walk up to the rear (to, say, open the hatch) while the engine is running. And because the GTI S model doesn't get you a rear-view camera, there's no real added benefit to the noise-makers. Yes, they help while parking in tight places, but if you struggle to park a vehicle the size of a Golf with its already excellent sight lines, you've got larger problems to overcome. We have other issues with the system, too – like how the forward sensors will blink in the instrument panel to tell you you're too close to the vehicle in front of you on the road, even with a four-car-length separation between vehicles. In all, these issues just don't seem to outweigh the benefits of the safety system. To us, it's not $695 well spent. But enough complaining. Really, the Driver Assistance Package has been the only issue we've had with the GTI since its arrival in January. Now that winter has finally melted away, we've enjoyed nice, warm temperatures here in Detroit – just last week, we were took the winter tires off.

VW CEO Winterkorn issues video apology for diesel scandal

Amid rumors that he might step down from the automaker, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has issued a video statement publicly apologizing for the company's diesel emissions scandal. The boss claims that he doesn't have the answers to all of the questions yet but promises a thorough investigation to makes things right. Multiple times in the speech, he asks forgiveness from customers all over the world and asks people not to blame all of the company's 600,000 employees for this lapse. At no point does Winterkorn mention resigning, though. You can watch the whole clip above, but it's in German, so turn on the subtitles. However, Winterkorn's future with VW isn't assured, and works council boss Bernd Osterloh appears ready to make some changes. "I can assure you that we will do everything possible in the supervisory board meetings this week to ensure the matter is cleared up quickly and that personnel consequences are drawn. And that will not just affect the rank and file, I can assure you," he said in a letter to Bild, according to Reuters. Earlier today, the automaker admitted that the same engine management software is in vehicles from other VW group brands, but it claims that the Type EA 189 engine is the only one with a deviation between test results and real-world numbers. That mill is installed in 11 million vehicles across the globe. As a start, VW is earmarking 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion at current rates) to service them. The actual costs could go much higher, though.

Autoblog Podcast #406

Episode #406 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Brandon Turkus, and Chris Bruce talk about the Mustang Shelby GT 350, the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the Volkswagen Golf winning Motor Trend Car of the Year honors. We start with what's in the Autoblog Garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #406: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: Ford Shelby GT350 LA Auto Show Volkswagen Golf wins Motor Trend COTY In The Autoblog Garage: 2015 Ford Fiesta SFE 2015 Honda CR-V 2015 Audi Q3 Hosts: Dan Roth, Brandon Turkus, Chris Bruce Runtime: 01:26:07 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 - 29:21 LA Auto Show - 40:36 Golf is Motor Trend COTY - 53:50 Q&A - 01:00:42 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes