Today, we all got keys to brand new Passat wagons. We were to drive them, via pre-programmed navigation systems, to the town of Oschersleben, about an hour away from Wolfsburg.
These are also clean diesel, turbo-charged 6-speed manual tranny speed demons. Several times, I had to look in the rear-view mirror to remind myself that this was a station wagon! When we got to Oschersleben, we ewre treated to a surprise.
We were going to ride passenger side in some of Volkswagen's hottest race cars, driving by the top drivers on the circuit! First, I rode in the Scirrocco. After a nearly two-decade absense, this little rod is back and making up for lost time. Having flown in a fighter jet, I can tell you that this experience was almost as physically demanding!
Next, we took out a diesel Jetta. And the thing that amazed me was that this car was nearly STOCK! It even had a dashboard and armrests, for cryin' out loud. To top it all off ... an automatic transmission! That didn't stop the car from pinning me to its seat and going for an "E" ticket ride on the forumla one rated track.
After the muscle, we got a chance to see some of VW's brains at work. We allowed a Toureg to parallel park itself using the new Park Assist technology. Tonight we're having dinner with the mayor of Wolfsburg and will ask him some questions about how it is to have such a major auto manufacturer as his biggest industrial citizen. - Louis Lee
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