10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Volkswagen Golf Tees Off on Taos

Manual-transmission enthusiasts aren’t exactly gonna be stoked at some of the automotive news coming outta Los Angeles the past week. In fact, you might say Volkswagen is really sticking it to ’em. The updated-for-2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R hot hatches are dumping the clutch, so to speak, and those who insist on rowing their own gears are unlikely to find an automatic as stimulating. But before you go getting teed off about the Golf, it wasn’t all bad news for the hatchback’s performance variants, as Cars.com learned getting up close to the GTI and R at the 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show, which runs through Sunday.

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Toyota Sienna Shows Pros, Kia Carnival Fares Well

In one of our most popular articles of the past week, we soothe your sorrows with the reassurance that the automatic transmission will make for a quicker sprint to 60 mph anyway; the Golf R’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gets a horsepower boost over the outgoing model to 328 hp; both models favor physical controls over touch-sensitive ones on the steering wheel and doors; the new touchscreen display is user-friendly; the seats are both comfortable and bolstered for action; and the return of the models’ signature sporty upholstery means buyers needn’t be aboard Spaceball One nor own a Tesla to “go plaid.”

For our full report on getting up close with the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R in person on the L.A. Auto Show floor, follow the link below to the No. 2 news story of the week.

Also at the L.A. exhibit was the 2025 VW Taos. Our introduction to the updated subcompact SUV was indeed a pleasant one, as we found it to be a well-executed application of the VW SUV house style to its smallest member; appreciated its surprisingly usable touch-sensitive climate controls with haptic feedback; luxuriated in spaciousness somehow greater than its dimensions for both people and cargo; and looked forward to driving it with a 16-hp increase over the outgoing model to 174 hp for its turbo 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine.

For our full take on our first meeting with the 2025 Taos, follow the link below to the No. 4 news story on this week’s countdown of most read articles.

Beyond all that, we’ve got headlines on the Kia EV9, Honda Passport, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Ioniq 9, Acura ADX, Toyota RAV4, additional L.A. Auto Show excitement and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. We Charged Our 2024 Kia EV9 at a Tesla Supercharger; Here’s How It Went

2. 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R Up Close: No Manual Needed, Allegedly

3. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy

4. 2025 Volkswagen Taos Up Close: Atlas Shrunked

5. 2026 Honda Passport Up Close: Broadcasting Its Intentions

6. 2024 Kia Sorento Review: There Isn’t Only 1 Highlander

7. 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show: Best in Show

8. 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show: Winners and Losers

9. 2025 Acura ADX Up Close: Who Wants an Integra SUV?

10. What’s New for the 2025 Toyota RAV4?

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