I'm not the kind of guy who libels law
enforcement at every turn. In fact, my experiences with state, county
and city officers of the law since making South Carolina part of my
routine has been pretty positive. But, I must admit, one of the
reasons Virginia was never on my list of places to which I might
relocate is because of its jackbooted enforcement of its speed limits
– many of which are downright unbearably low.
Among my fellow members of the motoring
press, stories of being pulled over and some times even ticketed for
doing three or four miles over the speed limit are quite common. Such
behavior is obviously revenue driven, but come on.
Carmakers sporadically choose Virginia
as the host of a media event. Typically these are in northern
Virginia, near D.C. Such was the case with the recent Volkswagen 2015
full-line media event that was headquartered in Middleburg, Virginia.
Let me say that, in nearly every other
respect, I love Virginia. I spent a lot of time there when working on
the “Discover America” TV series. There is no other state – or
commonwealth in the case of Virginia – in the country containing
the history Virginia legitimately claims. I have always been a Civil
War buff, and that alone makes Virginia a Mecca of sorts for me. But
there is so much more history there as well from the homes of the
presidents it provided to The Crooked Road music trail celebrating
the birthplace of country and bluegrass music. Incredible!
I hadn't been to Middleburg since my
days editing a couple of car magazines for American Media. We did an
SUV comparison that had several of us piloting assorted SUVs through
much of Virginia. Among our overnight stops was Middleburg. It's a
quaint little town that's been around since 1787. Its Red Fox Inn
dates back even further to 1728.
Main entrance to the Salamander Resort and Spa punctuated with Volkswagens. |
Volkswagen, though, chose the somewhat
newer Salamander Resort and Spa that opened in 2013 to anchor our
visit. Roughly a half-hour's drive from Washington Dulles Airport, it
sprawls across 340 acres at the threshold of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. Guests staying in one of its 168 rooms not only have
access to its full-service spa, but also a state-of-the-art
equestrian center. It's a gorgeous property with room rates beginning
at $495 a night. My only disappointment was the puny selection of
bourbons and tequilas. My local Ruby Tuesday matches it. Apparently
Virginia gentry isn't into small-batch bourbons.
One of the seating areas in the resort's lobby. |
This Volkswagen event was a quick in
and out. We arrived the afternoon of the first day and flew home late
afternoon/early evening of the second day. Our driving consisted of
various routes through Virginia's stunningly beautiful horse country
– the longest requiring more than an hour and the shortest roughly
20 minutes.
Enjoying sunrise on the terrace....by myself. |
I arrived at breakfast the second day –
my birthday by the way – around 6:15 a.m. We had a rollicking good
time the night before. I hung out long enough to throw back a
celebratory birthday shot of Patron at midnight. Others apparently
stuck around much later than I. Sitting on the patio I watched the
sun come up by myself. I mean not one other soul showed up for the 40
minutes I sat there. If the serving staff hadn't been hovering
around, I might have jumped to the conclusion the Rapture had
occurred as I slept. Then I remembered we were talking members of the
automotive press who were M.I.A.; so, it couldn't be that. It was
really strange, though.
2015 Jetta. |
The big news at this event was the
redesigned Jetta with the availability of its all-new 2.0 TDI clean
diesel engine or a 1.8-liter turbocharged four. I've always liked
Jetta. Volkswagen's sales have been struggling of late, but it's not
because the cars aren't solid. They certainly are. It's difficult not
to like the spunky 1.8L turbo with its 170 horsepower. It's a blast
to drive. The 2L TDI with its 46 highway mpg and 236 lb-ft of
line-busting torque, is a terrific addition to the Jetta engine
stable. Jetta pricing really begins with the $17,325 2.0L S. There is
an even more affordable Jetta Base, but it must be special ordered
and probably won't be in any significant number.
2015 Eos Final Edition. |
We had the opportunity to drive Jettas
equipped with all three of its engine offerings – there is also a
2-liter four-cylinder – along with every other member of the
Volkswagen family. One car that is taking its final lap in 2015 is
the Eos. This hardtop convertible is a wonderful little car. Its top
raises and lowers in less than 30 seconds. It utilizes a
200-horsepower 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine for its go.
A driver-shiftable, six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is
standard for its $35,795 price tag. I recently spent a week in
Greenville with a 2014 version. I loved every second of it. My only
caveat is the price. At its price point, there are a lot of options
out there. In every other respect, though, I can't think of a car
I've driven lately that I've enjoyed more. It's energetic, athletic
and nicely appointed. The top operates flawlessly and when raised,
keeps the cabin remarkably quiet. It's the ideal, year-around
convertible.
My driving partner and I rotated in and
out of several other models over the course of the day. It was a
great way to sample all of Volkswagen's wares. If only we could have
felt comfortable driving them a little faster.
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