What's Wrong With This Picture: And The Beetle Goes On Edition
What was old has become new… again! After letting the old New Beetle languish on the market for a remarkable 13th year, VW has revisited its ’90s retro hit with a longer, lower, wider update on the new Jetta’s platform [The 2012 Beetle is 71.2 inches wide (3.3 inches wider), 58.5 inches tall (.5 inches lower) and 168.4 inches long (6 inches longer)]. The engine options are largely the same as the Jetta’, with TDI, 2.5 liter five-cylinder and 2.0 Turbo mills on offer, with a 200 HP range-topper offering an electronic limited-slip diff and dual-clutch gearbox.
Convertible and Hybrid versions should be coming down the pipe shortly, but for now all VW wants to talk about is the Beetle’s return to an original-style profile, its status as a “new original” and its ability to “respect the past while looking to the future.” Which is all well and good, but no matter how well the New New Beetle may tickle the Boomers’ retro sensibilities, it’s got nothing to to do with original Beetle’s values. If anything, the New New Beetle should do some of its best work by making at least a few sub-Boomers just a little bit nostalgic for the late 1990s, a simpler time when retro cars didn’t even have to be faithful to the original as long as they offered a plastic flower vase. Now those were some special times…
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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200 HP with an optional more potent engine in a 2-door coupe that actually looks like a 911 which is a little taller and heavier, essentially a usable backseat. The only issue I have is that it's going to cost more than 20K to start. If it started at 12-14k it would effectively compete with other econoboxes. With it being essentially a mid-priced coupe with fair power but not great power like dedicated sports cars like the Z (which mangled the cheaper porsches in the 1970s) it will always be a 2nd best player. On a total side note: This car is going to become my modern 914. I'll be picking one up in a decade and cranking up the turbo. Maybe switching it out for a V6 from the passat replacement.
I first saw the official pics on vwvortex this morning. I liked it immediately, including the LED headlights. But I'm not a fan of the bling bling rims. I was considering a Golf TDI for my next car, but now it might be a Beetle TDI. VW has removed it as an option to build your own on vw.com at the moment. So I have no idea how much it might cost. But if it's under $30000 in TDI form I might be interested. Apparently all the trim levels come with 4 wheel discs (unlike the Jetta) but only the 2.0T is coming with independent suspension at all 4 corners. The 2.5 and TDI get the twist beam rear axle like the A4 generation had. But you can also get cloth and "leatherette" along with a lot of other configuration options. Of course I'll probably wait a few years to buy one because I have to wait and see what parts are prone to fail quickly.