Project: Organizing your car this summer

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 11:12 AM PDT

The summer months are a good time to tackle many projects, including organizing your garage and closets. Today, we’re sharing organizing tips on how to shape up your car. Though some may walk, ride a bike or scooter, or take public transportation to get about town, many people (raising my hand) travel by car. For some, it’s a second home or main “office.” When you spend a lot of time in your vehicle, keeping it organized is a necessity as you’ll need to not only feel comfortable, but also find what you need with relative ease.

To begin a car uncluttering and organizing project, take everything that doesn’t belong in your car out of the car (check under your seats), looking for things that are obviously trash (empty water bottles, food wrappers). Next, categorize the remaining items (chargers with chargers, first aid supplies with first aid supplies). Then…

Head over to unclutterer.com to read the full article on organizing your vehicle.

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Volkswagen Passat: Luxury and utility wrapped in one

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 06:16 AM PDT

ONEIGHTURBO

Volkswagen Passat: luxury and utility wrapped in one

The Volkswagen Passat is the perfect mix between a car designed for luxury and a car designed for utility. If you want the look, feel and class of a Lexus or Mercedes without the price tag, the Volkswagen Passat is the way to go. It’s a four-door car that has the sleekness of a much more luxurious vehicle. The Volkswagen Passat is perfect for a family that wants to ride in style.

The Passat is slightly larger than other cars in its class. That means there’s more leg room in the car and that the driving experience is more comfortable overall. It’s better for kids and for families, as well as for long outings and road trips.

In 2012, Volkswagen has made the Passat even more appealing by lowering the price yet again. It’s catering even more to the everyday family that wants both comfort and a taste of class.

Engine, Power and MPG

The Passat comes in three different engine types.

First off you have the standard 2.5 liter five cylinder engine. This is the engine most people pick. If you’re using the car mostly for everyday driving, this engine more than does the job. It gets 31 MPG on highways and 22 MPG in city.

For the environmentally conscious, or for heavy drivers for whom gasoline costs are a big expense, you have the diesel engine. The turbo deisel engine gets 31 MPG city and 43 MPG highway. If you’re driving long distances frequently, the difference in mileage can make a big difference on your costs.

Finally, you have the 280 horsepower 3.6 liter six cylinder engine. This engine is a beast. If you’re looking for some serious power for off-road driving, uphill driving or driving heavy loads, this engine is the way to go.

Under the Car & the Ride

The car itself drives spectacularly well.

The Passat’s suspension is precision tuned. You won’t feel too much of the road when you hit bumps and the ride overall feels extremely smooth. The car’s steering also feels quite smooth. Even on sharp corners, you never feel like your body is being hurled against the side.

The brakes are strong enough to stop a car quickly in a pinch, but don’t feel like they “snap.” Overall, the ride quality is extremely high.

Safety and Security

The Passat comes with a whole host of security features to relieve even the most paranoid of parents. It’s relentless commitment to safety is what got the Passat the coveted five-star Euro NCAP rating.

The Passat comes with airbags on the driver side, the passenger side and throughout the entire car. One downside to the Passat is that it doesn’t have knee airbags, though experts agree that knee airbags are only nominally useful in a real crash.

The Volkswagen Passat also comes with built-in protection for whiplash, to reduce the impact of the car “jerking” to a stop.

Of course, you can also get a whole host of theft protection instruments, including alarms and car remotes.

The Inside of the Car

The Passat is very highly adjustable. Seats can scoot forward or backwards, as can the steering wheel. The larger size of the car really makes a difference once you’re inside. It’s clear that the car was built with the rider’s comfort in mind.

The trunk itself has 565 liters of storage capacity. That’s more than enough for moving, stocking supplies for a long trip or for storing sports equipment.

Volkswagen Passat: luxury and utility wrapped in one

The Bells and Whistles

Even the lower end versions of the car come with all kinds of bells and whistles, including allow wheels, plug-in auxiliary audio jack and electronic parking brake systems.

Once you get to the higher levels, you get some very nice added features. Higher end models support hands free Bluetooth, cruise control driving, satellite navigation systems, multi-zone air conditioning and more.

All in all, the Volkswagen Passat is a fantastic car for the right kind of driver. It’s not quite German luxury, nor is it a racecar, nor is it strictly a family car. It’s a hybrid of several different styles. If you’re a family person who needs a roomy car but still want to drive in style, you can’t go wrong with the Volkswagen Passat.

Author Bio: The author of this article is Emma Green, working for Auto Trader, New Zealand. For latest car Volkswagen news & reviews or if you’re looking to buy a Volkswagen Passat, visit their website today.