Car and Driver wrote:The design brief was simple: Make it look sportier and more purposeful than the New Beetle. So instead of evolving the previous version, Klaus Bischoff's design team went back to the original design conceived in the 1930s. What they came up with is a car that’s six inches longer, 3.3 inches wider, and 0.5 inch lower than the New Beetle, and one that truly looks more aggressive. The new proportions imply motion, whereas the previous one always looked like it was standing still.
A three-engine lineup provides the power. The smooth 2.5-liter five-cylinder is the base engine. It produces 170 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque; output is routed through a five-speed manual or a six-speed slushbox. It’s here that we’ll note that the Beetle is based on the latest Jetta, and as such, the base Bug will have that car’s simple and inexpensive twist-beam rear suspension. We will say that, in the Jetta, the setup performs well enough in all but the most aggressive driving. If more-sophisticated mechanicals are your bag, though, you’re better off with the Beetle 2.0 TSI, which gets 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque from its 2.0-liter turbo four. It comes with a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch-transmission, and the rear suspension is upgraded to a multilink arrangement (likely very similar to the forthcoming Jetta GLI’s). The TSI is visually distinguished by a rear spoiler and red brake calipers, and it also gets VW's XDS, a brake-based system that approximates a limited-slip differential.
Between those two gasoline-powered models in terms of sportiness, but far superior in terms of economy, is the excellent 2.0-liter TDI diesel. With 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, VW says it will return 33 mpg combined. Transmission choices are identical to the 2.0 TSI’s, but the rear suspension is the base model's.
Options include a large panoramic roof, wheels up to 19 inches in diameter, a navigation system, an upgraded Fender audio setup, bi-xenon headlamps, keyless entry and start, and “performance-handling packages.” Personalization options similar to those offered by Mini (which would seem to be the Beetle's natural target) will ensure huge profit margins for the Mexico-built and Jetta-based car. VW also marked the Beetle’s arrival by announcing it will be producing annual theme models; we’ll let your imagination run wild.
The new Beetle will be at U.S. dealerships in September or October at prices starting around $20,000, with sales in Europe and Asia to follow. While this version isn’t the design breakthrough its predecessor was, it’s also not an unabashed chick car. Consider the Beetle’s appeal broadened.
Update: Volkswagen has confirmed that it will be bringing both a convertible version and a high-performance R model to the U.S.
Pour plus de renseignements sur le nouveau système audio Fender: http://ca.autoblog.com/2011/04/22/new-y ... o-systems/
