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  • DukeOfUndersteer

    Nov. 4, 2009 2:14 p.m. DukeOfUndersteer Dork

    finally coming... i would drive the SNOT outta it!

    When we saw the TDI Cup "Street" Edition at SEMA last year, all we could say was "build it." It seemed like a great idea to us. Combine the torquey and efficient 2.0-liter TDI with the dynamics of the sporty GLI, and the combination would be pretty enjoyable. It took Volkswagen a while, but during SEMA week 2009, the company has officially announced a date--well, a month--when the special edition will go on sale. That month is January, 2010.

    We'll start with the most obvious components of the new package. The "Street" Edition wears all the same bodywork as the racecars, which means it gets the Cup Kit front bumper with a big gaping maw, side skirts, and a new rear valence. Some of you might know it as the "Thunder Bunny" kit that debuted on a SEMA Rabbit a few years back, but Volkswagen has since changed its name to connect it with the racing series. Additionally, the Cup Edition wears a set of 18-inch Charleston wheels with performance all-season tires.

    This isn't just an appearance kit though, thankfully. While the street car doesn't get the track car's massive Audi R8 brakes, it does get upgraded brakes and red calipers from the GLI. That car also donates other parts, including larger sway bars and a sport-tuned suspension with a slightly lower ride height. Still, if you want a full-on race appearance, you'll want to hit the aftermarket for an even lower suspension kit. Inside, the Cup Edition gets the GLI's Interlagos cloth sport seats, a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, and, with DSG, wheel-mounted shift paddles--something not offered with the basic TDI.

    Under the hood, the TDI's 140 hp, 236 lb-ft turbodiesel goes unchanged, likely because of the cost and effort to certify the race car's 170-hp version of the engine. Transmission choices are the same as other TDIs, with a six-speed manual as standard and the dual-clutch automated transmission, DSG, as an option. It has the same $1300 tax rebate as other TDIs, which will be useful for getting a little money back from the $25,000 base price the TDI Cup "Street" Edition will carry.

    We've been quite impressed with the latest Jetta TDI's power band and overall driving experience, but this new edition makes the car, already a model that dealers can't hang on to for long, even more desirable for people who care about both fuel economy and driving pleasure.

  • Ian F

    Nov. 4, 2009 2:27 p.m. Ian F HalfDork

    Interesting... if they offer that package on the wagon...

  • DukeOfUndersteer

    Nov. 4, 2009 2:28 p.m. DukeOfUndersteer Dork

    thats what my co-worker said!

  • Nov. 4, 2009 2:33 p.m. klipless New Reader

    Please don't think my goal is to be a d*ck when I say this, but I'm not so sure that this forum is the best place to post all of this stuff. Maybe the off-topic area might be better. I'm guessing a lot of people here are checking autoblog or jalopnik or whatever on a semi-regular basis and will see a lot of this news there. Again I come in peace, but maybe I'm off-kilter on this and more people like to see it than not.

    I see this part of the forum as more of the "will trany A bolt up with engine B", or "how in the heck can I do this...", or even the dreaded "talk me out car M, I, A, T, or even car A again.". Just my two cents.

  • PHeller

    Nov. 4, 2009 2:42 p.m. PHeller HalfDork

    Disagree:

    Jetta TDI Cup = Grassroots Racings

    Therefore

    Jetta TDI Cup Street = Grassroots Daily Driver

    Not any worse than people talking about their $50,000 garages, E46 M3 track cars and other higher priced daily activities that are included in grassroots motorsports.

  • RossD

    Nov. 4, 2009 3:01 p.m. RossD HalfDork

    I like the idea of a sporty diesel that's not $40k+ (BMW, M-B)

    (Side note: I dont go to the two websites quoted above so its news to me and I think its relevant to this forum .)

  • DukeOfUndersteer

    Nov. 4, 2009 3:03 p.m. DukeOfUndersteer Dork

    Well, im actually thinking about getting one. It would be my first "New Car Purchase" since every car that i have owned has been second hand. The only problem i am running into is that Fiat has just announced, they are releasing the 500 Abarth early next year for around $18,000. So that is 7 grand cheaper then the Jetta, but the Jetta can carry a family comfortably. Dunno if the Fiat could do the same... So if im going to buy a new car in the next year, its down to the Fiat or the Jetta...

  • Appleseed

    Nov. 4, 2009 3:19 p.m. Appleseed Dork

    My brother is going "Oooh-oooh" as I type this.

  • Ian F

    Nov. 4, 2009 4:43 p.m. Ian F HalfDork

    PHeller wrote:

    Disagree:

    Jetta TDI Cup = Grassroots Racings

    Therefore

    Jetta TDI Cup Street = Grassroots Daily Driver

    Not any worse than people talking about their $50,000 garages, E46 M3 track cars and other higher priced daily activities that are included in grassroots motorsports.

    Yup. And if one takes a few hours to dig back a year or two, there was a pretty good discussion (with input from the GRM folks) about what "GrassRoots" means...

    Clif-notes version: Different things to different people with differing $$$$ levels...

  • Fit_Is_Slo

    Nov. 4, 2009 9:05 p.m. Fit_Is_Slo Reader

    Ian F wrote:

    PHeller wrote:

    Disagree:

    Jetta TDI Cup = Grassroots Racings

    Therefore

    Jetta TDI Cup Street = Grassroots Daily Driver

    Not any worse than people talking about their $50,000 garages, E46 M3 track cars and other higher priced daily activities that are included in grassroots motorsports.

    Yup. And if one takes a few hours to dig back a year or two, there was a pretty good discussion (with input from the GRM folks) about what "GrassRoots" means...

    Clif-notes version: Different things to different people with differing $$$$ levels...

    Also not stated but i'll add it.....

    DIESELS berkeleying RULE!!

  • mad_machine

    Nov. 4, 2009 10:09 p.m. mad_machine UberDork

    I still have this idea in the back of my head of dropping a TDi into a Locost. I am just waiting for my Father's Jetta to finally give up the ghost due to electrical problems.

  • BAMF

    Nov. 4, 2009 10:30 p.m. BAMF Reader

    A TDI backed by a 924/944 transaxle and torque tube in a Locost would be the bee's knees. Heck a boosted TDI in a 944 would be pretty sweet too.

    A Touareg V10 TDI in a 928 would be the frugal coke lord's whip of choice.

  • mad_machine

    Nov. 4, 2009 10:36 p.m. mad_machine UberDork

    Funny,... that was the exact formula I was thinking of using too

  • RossD

    Nov. 5, 2009 6:43 a.m. RossD HalfDork

    Its been done!

  • John Brown

    Nov. 5, 2009 8:02 a.m. John Brown MegaDork

    klipless wrote:

    Please don't think my goal is to be a d*ck when I say this, but I'm not so sure that this forum is the best place to post all of this stuff. Maybe the off-topic area might be better. I'm guessing a lot of people here are checking autoblog or jalopnik or whatever on a semi-regular basis and will see a lot of this news there. Again I come in peace, but maybe I'm off-kilter on this and more people like to see it than not.

    I see this part of the forum as more of the "will trany A bolt up with engine B", or "how in the heck can I do this...", or even the dreaded "talk me out car M, I, A, T, or even car A again.". Just my two cents.

    If the topic is cars it goes in the GRM forum, if the topic is being arrested for smuggling bacon into prison with your butt then that goes in off topic. If you are selling something then it goes in one of the sale forums and motorcycle stuff goes into sprockets and of course problems with the board or magazine go in the only forum left.

  • Ian F

    Nov. 5, 2009 10:22 a.m. Ian F HalfDork

    If something were to happen to my wagon (but the drivetrain was left relatively untouched), I'd consider a TDI locost. Although I lean more towards a mid-engine design rather than fiddling with the adapters and what-not required to put the engine in long-wise up front...

  • Travis_K

    Nov. 5, 2009 11:26 a.m. Travis_K HalfDork

    With all the new TDIs, maybe swapping them will be more affordable. supposedly the new ones are selling (running but totaled car at a salvage auction) for as little as $1600. In comparison, the going price for a engine, tranny and wiring harness from a older one is $5-6k. Someone I know that has one that just blew up already has offers of $2500 for a 300k mile engine that probably nothing but the block and crank are still good, a really worn out tranny, and wiring harness.

  • Ian F

    Nov. 5, 2009 11:42 a.m. Ian F HalfDork

    Yes, I know enough about TDI's by now (6+ years of owning one) to say buying a used "engine on a pallet" TDI would be a bad idea unless you have extensive TDI knowledge and you get it really cheap (like under a $K)... If you are looking to do some sort of TDI swap/conversion, start with a running car. You may think it will cost more, but in the long run, it probably won't... and you'll have a better idea of what you're starting with...

    These engines are so dependant on how well they are maintained, it's scary... besides the crazy-high used prices, the maintenance unknown is what drove me to buy mine new back in 2003.

  • irish44j

    Nov. 5, 2009 5:28 p.m. irish44j Reader

    whatever....red calipers are SOOOOO not Grassroots

  • Buzz Killington

    Nov. 5, 2009 5:36 p.m. Buzz Killington Reader

    very sweet. i will take mine in black.

    Duke, i thought the 500 was out next year but the Abarth wasn't until 2012?

  • ronbros

    Nov. 5, 2009 5:54 p.m. ronbros Reader

    Diesels!!! i run a business ,for 27yrs(Performance Diesels) and NOBODY would take me up on a Hi-performance diesel, had to work on old worn out junk and make low dollar money! i finally got old enough to retire,, and the whole perfomance diesel thing took off .

    Yup! a day late and a dollar short, I wore jeans in the 1940s, and they were not in style, stopped wearin im, and they went crazy.

    always been ahead of the curve!

  • maroon92

    Nov. 5, 2009 5:55 p.m. maroon92 UberDork

    BAMF said:

    A Touareg V10 TDI in a 928 would be the frugal coke lord's whip of choice.

    OMG, I have found my new project.

  • DukeOfUndersteer

    Nov. 5, 2009 6:40 p.m. DukeOfUndersteer Dork

    Buzz Killington wrote:

    very sweet. i will take mine in black.

    Duke, i thought the 500 was out next year but the Abarth wasn't until 2012?

    I read that one of the first Fiats for sale will be the 500 Abarth, we will have to wait and see...

  • Nov. 5, 2009 6:44 p.m. Shaun Reader

    Ian F wrote:

    Interesting... if they offer that package on the wagon...

    with allroad, and if the bio diesel cel/emmisions compatibility issue gets resolved. Then the wife and I would buy one to be the small aircraft facsimile/drift boat towing/elk carcass hauler. It would be the fist time ever taking a depreciation hit to buy a new car. Probably the only time. As you all prolly know they remap up to 300 ftlbs or something wonderful like that.

  • DukeOfUndersteer

    Nov. 5, 2009 7:20 p.m. DukeOfUndersteer Dork

    From: http://fiat2america.blogspot.com/

    FIAT: The new 500 subcompact will come to North America to challenge Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta and the coming VW Polo. To be built in Mexico, the Fiat 500 probably will show up in sporty 500 Abarth trim, a convertible, and other specialty versions of this European-Car-of-the-Year.

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