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You’ll notice that Volkswagen AG is driving directly into the oncoming traffic of convention when it comes to business practices. While other automakers are trying to shrug off – or outright kill – struggling brands, VW is just picking them up whenever it pleases. According to AutoNews, VW is still trying to pull Alfa Romeo out of Sergio Marchionne’s grasp.
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The Volkswagen scientists at MTE recently decided that their Golf R32 BiTurbo just wasn’t quite up to snuff. While the company had already managed to drag staggering amounts of power out of the little German hatch, the project simply lacked that certain muchness that a true tuner purebred needs in order to stand out of the crowd. The solution? Yank 785 horsepower and 586 lb-ft of torque from the car – a 55 horse jump over the previous iteration of the project.
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Since we took delivery of our 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition – henceforth know as the Jetta TDI Cup, for the sake of brevity – we’ve managed to rack up a little over 1,100 miles on our long-term Salsa Red tester.

We’ve bounced around the Bay Area, made it out to the coast, logged several trips into San Francisco and made the trek to Infineon raceway. In the process, we’ve experienced the normal post-delivery phases: honeymoon, discovery and finally, annoyance. On the whole, however, the Jetta TDI Cup has proven to be a perfectly balanced package, with a smattering of tech-rich amenities and a surprisingly sporty demeanor – diesel or not.

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