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I encountered three of the mid-cycle refresh Genesis luxury sedans. Hyundai's current top U.S. model will get a nose job and a tummy tuck at the rear. Read about the shoot in Spied: 2012/13 Hyundai Accent/Verna, 2012 Hyundai Genesis, and Ram 1500 2-Mode Hybrid.
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We have 79 guests online| Spied: 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI 5-door Hatchback |
| Written by Chris Fierek and Rich Truesdell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Friday, 22 August 2008 14:35 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Another fruitful day in the California desert. We're here putting miles on the Nissan Nismo 350Z (more about that later) and we hit pay dirt, encountering what at first appeared to be the next-gen R32 version of the upcoming Volkswagen Golf Mark VI. But based on input from members of vwvortex.com and golfmk6.com we have been able to determine with a great deal of certainty that what we shot was the 211-horsepower turbocharged GTI version. As soon as we entered our favorite hunting ground we caught this subject heading in the opposite direction and by the time we could hang a U-turn and catch up, the VW engineers and chase drivers had the car, whatever it might be, completely covered. Unfortunately, they had to continue their test program and we just waited them out, knowing that once they were rolling, there was virtually no way they could block us from getting hyper-clear car-to-car tracking shots. The chase vehicle protecting the next-gen Golf, an Infiniti FX, tried its best to block our shot but to no avail. Getting tracking shots was actually easier than stalking around trying to get a static shot, which we were able to get anyway. Looking at the photos before uploading them, we were able to make out an extra-large front air intake along with a bump on the hood, which we thought indicated the narrow-angle V6. That's probably not the case as the V6 is slated to be eliminated on the next Golf. On the rear of the car, two items caught our attention. The first was the dual exhausts. We were so close that if you look at the close-up you can easily make out the butt connectors going into the exhaust temperature sensors as well as the spoiler concealed by the car's extensive camouflage. This Volkswagen was zippered tighter than any car we have previously encountered in our spy photo forays. They really didn't want us taking this close a look. What is so interesting is that Volkswagen is is offering a 4-door version of the upcoming GTI and at the same time incorporating some of the design cues of the outgoing R32. For more views of the 2010 VW Golf Mk. VI GTI 5-door hatchback, visit the Automotive Traveler Future Volkswagen Gallery.
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