Hello present, future, and past Volkswagen owners!
My name is Esther, and I’m a Volkswagen Product Specialist. I currently travel to different auto shows and consumer events across the U.S. to inform consumers about the brand and the benefits of being an owner. Once a week, I will be writing on behalf of Stohlman about anything Volkswagen related, and updates from the Stohlman Automotive family.
A little bit about myself and VW…
I’ve been a Volkswagen owner/lover since 2007 when I purchased my 2008 Laser Blue Volkswagen Jetta. The 5 cylinder naturally aspirated engine delivered more power than my previous whip, yet had such comfort when driving with great handling. How could I not fall in love? Being the enthusiast that I am, I did modify it by upgrading it’s ECU (Electronic Control Unit) with software provided by Unitronic (based out of Montreal, Canada). Their Stage 1+ program changed my power levels from the stock 170 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque to 185 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque.
As a company car, I drove a 2012 Black TDI Touareg Sport with Nav. TDI stands for Turbo Direct Injection, and is associated with our clean diesel engines. It is quite the amazing vehicle, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the market for a luxury SUV. I averaged in the low 30’s on the highway for my fuel economy, and loved the full color navigation display which provided turn by turn directions on the center console as well. It was definitely an awesome vehicle to cruise down the West Side Highway in New York City, as it absorbed all the craters and horribly maintained streets of the “Concrete Jungle”.
I currently share a 2012 Candy White Golf R with my boyfriend. It’s a very special generation Volkswagen that is limited production, and is available only every 4 years. Based on a GTI, it’s kicked up with a more powerful 2.0T FSI engine that pushes out 256 hp and 243 lb ft of torque. The R also comes standard with 4-Motion All Wheel Drive, versus the GTI’s Front Wheel Drive. Only available as a 6-speed manual transmission, the Golf R will do 0-60 in 6.2 seconds. Because that’s not enough power for us, the ECU has been upgraded with software from APR (based out of Opelika, AL) to deliver 310 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. Needless to say, it’s fast. It’s also a great city car since it’s compact enough to fit in those pesky small parallel parking spots in Northwest DC.
I’ll be looking forward to sharing with you my knowledge and stories about Volkswagen. Check back every week for updates and tweet us @stohlmanauto with comments or questions! Until then, auf Wiedersehen!
Esther Cho
Volkswagen Product Specialist@esther_ch5
