Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle Volkswagen Beetle
Cape Rock met a sharp rain, but suddenly the sky over the Atlantic was colored by the rays of the setting sun. Ah, where are my twelve years and the desire to swim endlessly to the horizon! Such thoughts got into my head, it was worth stopping the Volkswagen Beatle on the westernmost point of the European continent. How this car can cause emotions!
I turned the wheel to the left of the steering wheel - I changed the color of the instrument backlight. You can enjoy the sky above your head, you just have to order a panoramic sunroof …
Compared with the New Beatle, which saw the light in 1998, the current one is 152 mm longer, 84 mm wider and 12 mm lower. The car did not lose its charisma despite the fact that all body parts were changed. The result was a completely independent model, but with a hint: the big-eyed kid from the 1930s is still remembered. Fashionable bi-xenon headlights, LED running lights and 17-inch wheels blend seamlessly into the classic look. After all, change is inevitable. And now curious policemen are looking at the car from a large pickup truck, braking the Porsche Panamera … The Beetle, like a bait, attracts large fish!
FLIGHT OF THE BEETLE
In the range of models there is a version in the Sport package: a 200-horsepower TSI engine with a capacity of 2 liters, a red leather interior and a front panel for carbon. Above is only the 224-horsepower New Beatle RSi, made in 2001 in a small batch. Fans grabbing on the "Northern Loop" can install additional dials on the front panel of such a "shell" - hours, oil temperature, boost pressure.
The color front panel follows the body color. Blue inserts on the steering wheel and doors also fall into the general palette. Seats can be fabric or leather
The color front panel follows the body color. Blue inserts on the steering wheel and doors also fall into the general palette. Seats can be fabric or leather. The color front panel follows the body color. Blue inserts on the steering wheel and doors also fall into the general palette. Seats can be fabric or leather.
The engine of 1.2 liters of my "Beatle" even starts in an adult way - at the touch of a button. He develops a maximum of 175 N.m from 1, 550 rpm. It picks up cheerfully from the traffic lights, and the Beatle confidently runs without annoying the noise, and I enjoy the sound of the Fender audio system. By the way, they say: for the first time they put “music” of such a high level in a car of this class.
The nature of the taxiing and a little harsh suspension novelty reminded "Golf". Actually, it is based on the Golf platform, only the year before last generation. The chubby steering wheel is just as informative. Using the gear lever is a pleasure. I use the eco-friendly sixth gear only on the freeway: there are plenty of five-speed boxes in the city, and it’s more interesting to drive. The final 6.4 liters spent on the trip, I think a very good result. On a mountain road leading to the castle of the Moors, which is near the city of Sintra, the engine has to be tightened up. This would be the 1.4-liter TSI, where the compressor and turbocharger complement each other. At low revolutions, the torque of such an aggregate is increased by the Roots mechanical compressor, and a turbocharger starts at 3, 500 rpm. That's how the "Beetle" grow wings! I think this particular unit will become the most popular.
The dashboard is correct in German. The shape of the visor is sufficient so that the dials do not glare. Do not complain about their markup
The dashboard is correct in German. The shape of the visor is sufficient so that the dials do not glare. Do not complain about their markup. The dashboard is correct in German. The shape of the visor is sufficient so that the dials do not glare. Do not complain about their markup.
The diesel engine turned out to be very economical. The Germans thought that a car would need only one refueling from Lisbon to Frankfurt. And this is about 1200 km! I wish I could try …
IN THE SEA OF THE MARKET
Sales of the new Beatle have already started in North America and Europe. In Germany, a hatchback is sold for 16, 950 euros. As for Russia … I think at the end of the year we will still be able to see a pretty dandy in our salons. True, the 1.2-liter engine and diesel are likely to bypass us. The Russians are not ready to drive an image car with a diesel engine, and with a tiny low-volume car too. The American 2.5-liter version will also not be accepted: nevertheless, it is a nimble hatchback, and not a business sedan. Much more reasonable to offer engines 1.4 TSI and 2.0 TSI with mechanics and a 6-speed DSG.
As for the positioning of the model, then most likely it will rise just below the Volkswagen-Cirocco. In general, the new "Beetle" has become, perhaps, a little more pragmatic than the previous one. It is as if he says: youth cannot be returned, but something can be started anew. And then it will be pulled to the horizon again …
POSITIVE WAVES
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For Beatle, they offer a premium Fender audio system, developed jointly with Panasonic. Eight speakers (four high-frequency and the same low-frequency), a subwoofer with a double voice coil and a ten-channel amplifier with an output of 400 W are ordered as an option. In the United States, the system is recognized as the best car audio this year. Soon the same "voice acting" will receive "Jetta" and "Passat".
DON'T HIPPY BUT A NATURE CHILD
Even before the start of sales, Beatle tried to consolidate the image of an environmentally friendly car. Indeed, small engines with low CO2 emissions dominate in the engine range. And in the future, the car will be assembled on the MQB modular platform (the new Golf will be the first to receive it), which allows installing hybrid units (Plug-in and e-Drive technologies), engines running on natural and liquefied gas, bioethanol.
