The Volkswagen Jetta Wins The Ideal Vehicle Award For 2017

Since 1938 the Volkswagen Beetle has been an iconic automobile.  From pop culture references to the German engineering that drivers have fallen in love with, the Beetle is in a class of its own.  And in spite of turning 80 years in only a couple of months, this car has some new tricks up sleeve.  Here are few things to look for in the updated 2018 Volkswagen Beetle. more New Engine All trim lines of the 2018 Beetle will feature a new 2.0-liter four cylinder, turbo-charged, direct-injection TSI ® engine.  This new engine will increase the Beetle’s horsepower from 170hp in the 2017 model to 174hp. Volkswagen’s People First Warranty This new warranty from Volkswagen will be available with the 2018 Beetle.  This is a six year or 72,000 mile bumper-to-bumper New Vehicle Limited Warranty.  It can be transferred to subsequent owners until it expires. New Beetle Trim Lines Beetle Coast This is a brand new Beetle model that is inspired by the ocean.  The beachy features include a surfboard wood-look dashpad, houndstooth cloth seats, monster mats, sunroof, and scuff plates.  This line also has an exclusive color option, Deep Sea Teal. Beetle Dune This trim line includes the addition of bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED license plate lights, Fender® Premium Audio System, and as standard in all 2018 models, KESSY® keyless access with push-button start. Beetle S The Beetle S features the new Style & Comfort Package.  The package features: a 6.3” Composition Media touchscreen with Volkswagen Car-Net® App-Connect, heated leather seats, rain sensing wipers, KESSY® keyless access with push-button start, and more. Beetle SE The Beetle SE will offer many standard features that were once only options.  Climatronic® dual-zone automatic climate control, exterior chrome trim, panoramic sunroof, and blind spot monitoring are only a few that are now a part of the Beetle SE. While the Beetle continues to evolve, the same sophisticated engineering and dedication to safety and performance are still at the core of what makes a Volkswagen a Volkswagen.  To learn more, or to set up a test drive, visit the VW experts at Southwest Volkswagen in Lafayette.

In its first year on the market, the Volkswagen Atlas is already living up to the reputation of safety that comes with the Volkswagen name. The Atlas, when equipped with available Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking, debuts as a top safety pick by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS). It joins the Golf family, the Jetta, and the Passat on this year's IIHS list. more The 2017 top safety pick award is issued to vehicles that have earned “Good” ratings in IIHS crash tests evaluated in five categories: frontal impact moderate overlap; frontal impact small overlap; side impact; roof strength; and head restraints. It must also offer an autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) that earns at least an advanced rating for front crash prevention. The 2018 Atlas earned a “Superior” rating on the AEB test. “Volkswagen’s commitment to safety and driver assistance technology is unwavering. We take great responsibility to ensure our driver assistance technologies get smarter,” said Hendrik Muth, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing and Strategy. “ The Atlas is an example of our ongoing commitment to offering these features, and we are proud it has been recognized as an IIHS 2017 top safety pick.” The Atlas is the only vehicle in its class to offer the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which is standard across all trims. This system builds on the premise that a collision is rarely a single, instantaneous action, but rather a series of events that follow the initial impact—the most significant of which can cause additional collisions. The Automatic Post-Collision Braking System addresses this by applying the brakes when a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, thus helping reduce residual kinetic energy and, in turn, the chance of additional damage. If you would like to get a closer look at the new Volkswagen Atlas, or schedule a test drive, please contact our team at Southwest Volkswagen and we will be happy to help assist you.

Summer time is upon us. That means vacations, road trips, and stepping away from it all. But, it also means relying on your car in different circumstances than your normal commute. The familiar routine of car pooling to school and work is replaced with the potential for adventure or escaping the stress of your busy schedule. That is why we recommend taking a few precautions before getting behind the wheel and exploring unfamiliar territory in your Volkswagen this Summer. The last thing you want is to have a vacation ruined by car trouble. To help you avoid that, here are five summer tips for maintaining your Volkswagen. more Check your tires Summer in South Louisiana means a lot of rain. Driving in the rain is difficult to begin with; and is even more so when you don’t have proper traction. Check to make sure you have enough tread on your tires. Most experts recommend “the penny test.” Hold a penny with Abraham Lincoln’s head facing out. Place it in the tread of your tires. If there’s enough tread to cover Lincoln’s head, you don’t need new tires. Replace your windshield wipers With the rain we experience in South Louisiana, you want to make sure your wiper blades are functioning properly. Did they age or rot over the winter? When you turn them on, do they clearly wipe away all the water, or do they leave streaks that can impair your vision? If you see any streaks or water left behind after the blades pass, it is time to change your windshield wipers. Check your headlights Though the days are longer in the summer, you still want to make sure your headlights are working properly. Not just for night time, but this goes back to the rain as well. If your wipers are on, your headlights should be on as well, and having both headlights working helps make sure that other drivers can see you as well as you can see them. Along with making sure your headlights work, you also want to make sure the casing they are in is clean and unobstructed. If there is any condensation built up inside, you want to wipe that out to guarantee your headlights perform at their optimum level. Check your air conditioning We don’t have to tell you how hot and humid it gets around here. This, of course, means your air conditioner will be put to the test throughout the summer months. If you feel that it isn’t blowing out air that is cold enough, or if the fan isn’t blowing as hard as it should (or is making a noise), you want to have that serviced by a professional sooner rather than later. The last thing you want when heading out on vacation is to have the a/c go out as soon as you hit the road. Check your coolant Along with your air conditioner being tested, the cooling system for your engine is put to the test during the summer. Fortunately, we are coming out of a relatively mild winter, so you shouldn’t have experienced any problems, but you want to check your coolant levels to make sure there are no leaks, and everything is in working order. When you schedule regular maintenance through Southwest Volkswagen, we help you stay on top of these and many other items before they become a reason for concern. If you have not been serviced regularly, you can easily schedule an appointment and get your car ready for the summer in one easy visit to Southwest Volkswagen.