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VW Golf R, Ram Power Wagon and Subaru Forester | Autoblog Podcast #591

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Road Test Editor Reese Counts. After some talk about sponges and other randomly received oddities, this episode is all about the cars we've been driving, including the new Subaru Forester, VW Golf R (which is going on hiatus), BMW M340i xDrive and Ram Power Wagon. Then, they take to the mailbag to help a listener pick a sporty new car in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #591 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Sponges, really? 2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2019 Volkswagen Golf R 2020 BMW M340i xDrive 2019 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:  

Volkswagen reveals Beetle GSR, R-Line convertible and two special GTIs

Volkswagen has chosen to really expand its performance-tuned portfolio at this year's Chicago Auto Show, bringing along a couple of new Beetles destined for model year 2014, as well as a pair of freshened GTI packages that you'll be able to buy almost right away.
The first, and splashiest of the Chicago goodies on the VW stand has got to be the 2014 Volkswagen Beetle GSR. Don't lose your temper, Acura Integra geeks; in this case, GSR stands for "Gelb Schwarzer Renner" or "Yellow Black Racer," and harkens back to a sport-tuned classic Beetle from the 1970s. For the 2014 iteration, the GSR gets a 210-horsepower version of VW's 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder. That engine is enough to push the Beetle to 60 miles per hour in 6.6 seconds, and up to a top speed of 130 mph.
Of course, you'll have long-since noticed the shockingly yellow-and-black livery before you stumble across the Turbo badge on the rear deck. The GSR gets 19-inch alloy wheels, 235-section tires and a tea-tray rear spoiler, but it's the paint and graphics package that will decide if this is your (lemony) cup of tea. Things don't get any subtler inside the car, either, as VW has carried the colorway through to the interior, as well. Only 3,500 Beetle GSRs will be produced, with just more than half of those going to the US - call your dealer today, Wiz Khalifa.

Mueller named Audi boss, too

Matthias Muller, chairman of the board for the Volkswagen Group, has officially taken the role of chairman of the supervisory board for subsidiary Audi. Muller takes over the role from the disgraced Martin Winterkorn. This appointment should come as a shock to no one, and not just because we told you about it last week. Since Audi is part of the Volkswagen Group, which Muller leads, he's effectively been the head of the subsidiary brand since his appointment in late September. This news simply formalizes his positioning at the Ingolstadt-based company. This, of course, is not Muller's first go-around at Audi. He previously served as Head of Product Management Audi (along with Lamborghini and Seat), before taking the lead on product planning at the entire VW Group. Check out the official press release from VAG. MATTHIAS MULLER BECOMES CHAIRMAN OF THE AUDI SUPERVISORY BOARD Ingolstadt/Neckarsulm, December 7, 2015 – The Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Matthias Muller, has joined the Supervisory Board of AUDI AG and becomes its Chairman with immediate effect. Berthold Huber will continue to be Deputy Chairman. Furthermore, the two vacant seats for members representing the shareholders will be newly occupied by Julia Kuhn Piech and Josef Ahorner. Matthias Muller has been a member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG since March 1, 2015 and its Chairman since September 25, 2015. After completing high school in Ingolstadt, he did a toolmaker's apprenticeship at Audi. He then studied informatics at the Munich University of Applied Sciences. After graduating in informatics, Muller continued his career at Audi in 1978, progressing to become the Head of Product Management for the Audi, Lamborghini and SEAT brands. From 2007 onwards, Muller was Head of Product Management for the Volkswagen Group and the VW brand as well as Executive Vice President of the Volkswagen Group. From 2010 until September 2015, Matthias Muller was Chairman of the Board of Management of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Josef Ahorner (55) is the chairman of the supervisory board and main shareholder of Emarsys AG, and was a member of the shareholder committee of Salzburger Porsche Holding from 1996 until 2008. Julia Kuhn-Piech (34) is a real estate manager and a member of the supervisory boards of MAN SE and the Truck & Bus division of MAN AG.