Vw Beetle Dune Release Date – Is there room in the world for a beetle equipped to cross the Sahara? At this year’s Detroit Auto Show it was at least in the form of a concept car.
The revised VW Beetle Dune Concept takes its cues from the off-road dune buggies of yesteryear while showing what an all-terrain version of the Beetle could look like in the near future. It’s a different take on the idea of a Beetle sports car – one geared towards the outdoor adventurer lifestyle.
Vw Beetle Dune Release Date
Standing five inches higher off the ground than the traditional Beetle, the Dune Concept is both longer and wider than the Beetle R-Line on which it is based. However, it is equipped with the same 210 hp four-cylinder turbocharged engine and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It’s only available as a front-wheel drive model with multi-link rear suspension and an electronic XDS differential lock designed to increase traction on less stable surfaces.
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In keeping with the all-terrain theme, the Dune Concept features a chrome skid plate on the underside, a larger air intake and the Dune logo. The skis are attached to the car via a tricky spoiler that attaches to all storage compartments in the fender. You’ll also find VW LED daytime running lights and xenon headlights, as well as LED fog lights gracing the face of the concept car.
Inside, the dash-mounted bin has been replaced with a handle and the interior features soft-touch materials. The sport seats are upholstered in “Titanium Black” leather and “Ceramique” fabric.
The infotainment system has been updated with “Volkswagen Sideways,” a new feature for VW products that not only displays POIs on the navigation screen, but also shows if your friends are there.
VW claims the Dune concept is a “21st century bug” that blends the brand’s bygone days with today’s modern technology. It looks almost production-ready to us. Or is it just wishful thinking? The latest Volkswagen Beetle, the Dune Edition, is colorful and just as cute as… ok, cute as a bug!
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That’s where I said it. But to be honest, I really liked this dark yellow mustard metallic Beetle with blackened wheel studs and rear spoiler. It looked sharp and fun, and it was.
VW has installed a new 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine in its sporty compact car, and the improvement increases the fun factor enormously. Power is 174 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. That means low-end torque that helps the Dune get out of traffic lights with a little panache. And it gets even stronger when you put the 6-speed automatic into Sport mode.
I’ve done this many times when hopping on the freeway, and the Beetle got up to freeway speeds with ease.
I also like the Dune’s wider and taller stance, about half an inch taller than the standard model. The stance of the car gives it more stability than most small cars and improves the Beetle’s handling. It looks sporty, like it would be great for a few laps at Road America.
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It’s fine on the highway or slick roads, but the bumpy back roads and streets of the southeast Wisconsin neighborhood can make for a bumpy ride at times. It didn’t help either that the February weather turned cold about halfway through my trip and the whole car got stiff.
The Beetle is front-wheel drive and I’ve let the tires spin a few times on wet roads, but the Dune also helps itself by using standard 18-inch tires, rather than 16-inch on the base model and 17-inch on the standard model. Pd. VW offers four versions of the Beetle: S, Coast, SE and Dune.
In addition to the bigger tires, the Dune also has a rear-view camera, bi-xenon headlights, blacked-out hubcaps and a fancy Fender 400-watt audio system with subwoofer in the trunk. This frees up a bit of cargo space, but it’s still a hatch and the rear seats split and fold down to increase cargo space. The Beetle has just over 15 cubic feet of trailer room in the rear.
The inside of Dune looks just as youthful and exciting as the outside. The dashboard adopts the exterior color, as does the top of the door panels. This dark mustard yellow hue is also repeated in the color patterns above the instrument panel gauges.
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There’s also satin chrome trim on the door handles and on the doors, as well as a gloss black finish that surrounds the touchscreen radio and climate control panel at the bottom of the center console. The best part for me was the seats, patterned gray fabric cushions with black faux leather trim and yellow piping and stitching. In addition, a yellow stripe on the leather gear lever and stitching on the soft leather steering wheel. Sharp!
There’s also a push-button start button and a large sunroof, so it looks just as good as a convertible. As a reminder, convertibles cost about $5,000 more than hatchback coupes. More on pricing in a minute!
In addition to the sunroof, the Dune has three-stage heated front seats and the steering wheel has a sporty D-shaped model to increase knee room and improve the vehicle’s appearance. The bike can also be tilted/telescopic.
This reversing camera helps when reversing out of a parking space, and the roof blind can be slid to protect the driver’s eyes from the sun and glare – another safety factor. You see, VW also has what is called an Intelligent Crash Response System. What?
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ICRS will cut off fuel consumption, unlock the doors and activate the hazard warning lights if you are involved in an accident in which the vehicle’s airbags deploy. Reasonable, and I don’t recall ever testing other cars with this feature, regardless of price.
The dashboard is clean and uncluttered, and all buttons and knobs are within easy reach. The beautiful Fender audio system sounds great too.
The front seats are well shaped, supportive and manually adjustable, including a pump handle on the driver’s seat for raising and lowering. I found it easy to get into the riding position and the bucket seats have another benefit – the release handle on the top rear. This allows you to simply fold the seat forward so children can crawl behind. Rear seat headroom is limited so no one taller than 1.70m would want to sit there.
Although the Beetle is fun to drive, the test car had one major drawback: a loud roar in the rear. It appeared to be mostly on the passenger side, but it was hard to tell. Still, it rumbled over every bump, big or small. I hope this isn’t a standard feature.
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Fuel economy is good, however, and the Turbo happily drinks regular fuel. I got an impressive 32.5 mpg in a week’s drive on a roughly 50/50 mix of highway and city. The EPA rates the Beetle at 26mpg city and 34mpg on the highway, which seems easy to achieve.
The price is also on the Beetle side. The base Model S starts at $21,070, including shipping. The Coast model, which features a surfboard-style wood top, starts at $23,970, while the SE model is $24,870. It is equipped with a blind spot warning system. The top-of-the-line Dune with spoiler, side stripes and Fender audio system is $27,640 including shipping. The test car’s special yellow metallic paint costs an additional $250, bringing the list price to $27,890.
Compared to other small hatchbacks, that’s a pretty good deal. Its main competitors include the Mini Cooper and the Fiat 500. The Mini is just as fun to drive, but the VW has more horsepower than the base Mini and costs less. The main advantage of fiat is the lower cost.
It’s hard not to like the VW Beetle, fully loaded, with beautiful paintwork, stereo and boot spoiler, it was very easy to drive and shouldn’t it be fun to drive?
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Pros: Pretty, great color, wide stance makes handling easier and also offers plenty of power. An S mode on the shifter increases power, there’s a large sunroof, three-level heated seats, a D-shaped leather steering wheel that feels good, and sliding visors. In addition, a reversing camera, a chic Fender audio system and an intelligent crash response system.
Cons: The ride can be rough at times and the test car had a lot of rear end chatter. Rear seat headroom is limited. VW shows what is best done with the Beetle Dune with the corresponding pictures and videos: skiers are strapped on or the car is shooed over the dunes on Sylt. Sure, with the Dune you want to convey fun and lifestyle.
The fact is that the Dune has more ground clearance thanks to the 50 mm lift, there is also an all-terrain look (as VW calls it) and the car is also wider compared to the normal Beetle. The overall width is 1,856 mm (plus 48 mm). The Beetle Dune is 4,290 mm long (plus 12 mm). In line with the larger body width, the track has been increased by 29 to 1,607 mm at the front and by 29 to 1,573 mm at the rear. For this reason it is for this reason
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