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Volkswagen Golf Variant will make a lovely Jetta SportWagen

In addition to several other versions of the Golf, Volkswagen is debuting the new Golf Variant (read: wagon) here at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. And if this bigger version of the Golf looks like it might fit right at home in the States, it's because we could possibly see some version of this car as the next-generation Jetta SportWagen here on our shores.
Volkswagen is debuting the Golf Variant with two efficient diesel engines, rated at 110 and 150 horsepower, the smaller of which is good for an impressive 71.3 miles per gallon on the European cycle (when mated to a six-speed manual transmission). The Golf Variant also gets a version of Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, making it incredibly all-weather capable.
It's a handsome estate, and it wears the new Golf's design language well. We can't say for sure if this car will actually make its way Stateside, but given the fact that the current Jetta SportWagen still rides on the old Golf platform, the odds look to be in our favor.

VW Golf GTI wrung out by Chris Harris

Enthusiasts like nothing more than to crucify modern interpretations of their favorite performance models for failing to live up to some imagined ethos. Even the Volkswagen GTI has suffered its fair share of slings and arrows for growing in size and curb weight. Chris Harris recently spent some time with the all-new MK VII GTI to find out if growing up means giving up on what makes the machine so special.
Judging by his comments, Harris certainly doesn't think so. Yes, the new GTI is considerably more comfortable than its predecessors, but that's hardly a bad thing. The multitude of driving modes actually seem to add depth to the car rather than simply try to force one tool to do many jobs, and Harris even finds the machine's electronic power steering tolerable. As a result, Harris goes so far as to call the Volkswagen GTI "one of the best cars to actually own." How's that for high praise? You can watch the video for yourself by scrolling below.

Volkswagen to 'refit' 11 million diesel vehicles [UPDATE]

UPDATE: This post has been updated with an official comment from Volkswagen of America. In response to its devastating diesel-emissions scandal, Volkswagen will ask some 11 million of its customers to report into dealerships to have their diesel-powered vehicles "refitted," Reuters is reporting. According to new CEO Matthais Muller, customers will be asked to report in "in the next few days" for the refit, although it's not entirely clear exactly what the 'refit' entails. Mueller apparently made the announcement during a closed-door meeting with 1,000 of the German company's top managers, although he didn't explain exactly how the emissions-cheating software would be sorted out, or what impact it would have on the performance of mileage of the company's diesel-powered products. It's expected that the refit work will cost VW $6.5 billion, Reuters claims. "We are facing a long trudge and a lot of hard work," Muller allegedly said. "We will only be able to make progress in steps and there will be setbacks." Autoblog reached out to Volkswagen of America to see when American consumers would be asked to report to dealers, what the refit involves, how long it's expected to take to repair all the cars in the US and globally, and what impact this fix will have on the performance and fuel economy of its diesel-powered cars and SUVs. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, VWoA wasn't too forthcoming. "We don't comment on media speculation on internal meetings," Volkswagen of America spokesman Mark Gillies told Autoblog, adding, "We don't have any information on what the remedy might be at the moment, but we are working on it as a matter of the utmost urgency."