The online chatter box a.k.a. the Internet has been a buzz of late
detailing the possible demise of the legendary dome-ish designed
Volkswagen Beetle.
At the 2018 Midwest Automotive
Media Association Spring Road Rally held annually prior to the Memorial
Weekend
at Road America, this intrepid question was
posed to Mark Gillies Senior Marketing Manager of Product
Communications as to speculation surrounding the iconic
Beetle.
"It's in production for the foreseeable
future," was the tepid response.
The
German automaker sold 15,166 U.S. units in calendar year 2017,
qualifying the Beetle as a niche rather than a high-volume choice,
adding additional fuel to the speculation fire. However, the Bug has
been here before.
The Beetle first
entered the U.S. market way back in 1949 in rear-wheel, front-engine
form. Europe's largest automaker tapped into a nostalgic frenzy when
reintroducing a front-wheel-drive version in the 1990s dubbed the "New
Beetle" after a 20 year absence from the U.S. market. A
next-generation platform arriving in 2012 featuring a longer hood, wider
stance and lower roof profile. This week's tester is based off this
platform
The Beetle three-door hatchback is THAT
vehicle, historically bridging generational and gender gaps better than
just about any other diminutive offering; but time may be limited for
this sixth generation platform.
The last time we
tested the Beetle (circa 2016), a 1.8-liter turbo four cylinder was
under hood delivering 170 horses. Numbers and output get
tweaked up for 2018 with a 2.0-liter in-line turbocharged four cylinder
delivering 174 horses and powering all 2018 trims teaming with a very
smooth shifting standard six-speed automatic transmission. Regular, 87
octane fuel fills the 14.5-gallon tank.
Volkswagen
pegs its Beetle as a compact, but dimensions skew it closer towards a
quintessential subcompact. Wisely, VW markets the Beetle as a
four-seater with two dedicated bucket-type seats in row two. Front seat
headroom remains bountiful thanks to the dome design and in back, my
six-foot, one-inch frame surprisingly enjoyed ample head space. A
throwback looped strap hangs near the near static rear windows in place
of a traditional ceiling handle.
A
well-equipped Dune edition came onboard in the 2016 model year. For
2018, Dune represents the top-tier, trim and this week's
tester. Rounding out Beetle trim levels in 2018; S, SE, and
all-new-for 2018 'Coast,' available with a deep-sea teal blue exterior.
All four trims are available with power convertible soft
tops.
Volkswagen smartly simplifies the purchasing
process. Each of the three lower trims offers a single factory option
package and no stand-alone factory extras while Dune comes loaded for
bear. All hardtop trims sans the base S include a power
retracting sun roof
Dune sets itself apart from the
Bug Brigade with its golden exterior hue, a gentle visual reference to
gently glowing beach sands. Circular wheel wells include black
composite cladding protecting the sandy-colored surface from road pings
and extending along bottom side doors and front/rear fenders.
A prominent ebony 'Dune' decal adorns side door
bottoms.
Old-school, Beetle-esque oval headlights
return, with Dune trims sporting higher-intensity B-Xenon treatment
interspersed with bejeweled LED running lights for 2018. Gently curving A
and C arches help shape the familiar dome-like upper regions with
chrome striping along window bottoms. Some folks compare the silhouette
to a baseball cap, others an inverted bath
tub.
Push-button start comes standard in Dune and an
easy reach for drivers. Rather than a traditional dashboard
location just right of the steering column that's sometimes blocked by
the steering wheel itself, Beetles locate the electronic push button
near the floor-mounted automatic transmission
shifter.
The refreshingly simplistic instrument panel
includes a three-leaf clover layout with circular, center speedometer
and two smaller gauges clinging towards the larger orb's bottom (an
easily visible analog fuel gauge houses the lower right spot).
The prominent speedometer includes a narrow rectangular multi-panel
digital window in its lower third, controlled via a right-side push
button on the three-spoke manually tilt and telescoping steering
wheel.
The center dash includes a rather diminutive
6.3-inch in-dash multi-function screen. All trims include
upfront auxiliary and USB ports and a compact disc player. Below a cadre
of diminutive buttons three multi-function circular dials monitor HVAC
controls.
The sandstone exterior hue appears
prominently inside stretching atop the entire door length and across the
dashboard's upper portion, contrasting nicely with black solids. All
four black bucket seats include sandstone stitching and
piping. Golden-hued stitching also adorns the hand-operated
parking brake and automatic transmission gear shifter.
Cloth-and-leatherette front buckets easily slide
fore and aft when occupied with the pull of an inboard circular pull
loop below the seat cushion. When riders enter row two, backrests tilt
forward while the entire seat/backrest combo slides forward with a
hearty push. Backrests in back include 50/50-split seatbacks,
opening up 29.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind first-row
buckets.
Shut gun passengers have access to not one,
but two glove boxes; a traditional pull-down design and a smaller, upper
storage area within the sandstone color swath, hinged atop and opening
upward to reveal rather a shallow space. Both large but relatively
lightweight side doors swing open wide, and include a sizeable grab bar
to help reign back into place.
While traversing the
highway, expect a fair amount of wind noise as domed exteriors never
quite reach aerodynamic Karma. The relatively short wheelbase
(distance between front and rear axle) is less effective at smoothing
out road imperfections than a longer style.
Our
fully-loaded Dune hardtop checked in at $26,790 ending at $27,890 after
$850 destination charge and $250 for the Metallic exterior finish. A
Dune soft-top convertible starts at $32,090. Pricing for a base 'S' hard
top starts at an attainable $20,220 sans the $850 destination
charge.
The stacked, world-renowned V atop W circular
logo performs double duty in the center of the rear hatch
door. In addition to obvious PR benefits, the disc-like design
lifts up from the bottom like a flat pancake, unlocking the top-hinged
hatch. Below the square rear window resides a black and gold
spoiler.
Looking to make nice with the next wave of
shoppers, VW introduced a six-year/72,000-mile "People First" warranty,
covering 2018 Volkswagens sold in America. 'People First' is a
bumper-to-bumper, limited warranty including the powertrain,
transmission and mechanical parts. Prior coverage
was three-years/36,000-miles. Another perk, 24-hour roadside assistance
covering towing, jump starts and lock-out situations for three years or
36,000 miles.
Volkswagen needs all the good will
creatable with the ongoing diesel engine escapade, which VW delicately
frames as 'testing irregularities.' Deceptively effective
onboard software programing helped mask particulate pollutant output
during testing phases, releasing higher levels of Nitrogen Oxide
emissions from diesels than what's permitted by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency during non-testing times.
2018
Volkswagen Beetle Dune
Price as tested: $27,890
Engine: 2.0-liter turbo four
cylinder
Horsepower: 174
Fuel estimates: 26 mpg city/
34 mpg highway
Length: 168.4
inches
Wheelbase: 100.0
inches
Height: 58.5 inches
Width: 71.2 inches
Curb weight: 3,093
pounds
Drivetrain warranty: Six years or
72,000 miles
Assembly: Puebla,
Mexico