Comments on: A more mature Beetle?

By: yarddog82abn

yarddog82abn — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:34:43 +0000

LOL you got me……

By: Need4SSpeed

Need4SSpeed — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:02:37 +0000

You’re right A4, I forgot about the RSi!
It’s a shame that it couldn’t cost less…. If VW was able to offer a beetle like that for let’s say under 30k, haha I’d probably get it…. Although it would probably compete with the R32 (GTI-R now)

By: A4

A4 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:36:54 +0000

NeedforSSspeed they actually had that EXACT beetle made to the tune of 250 units for everyone but us, called the New Beetle RSi… heres a brief wiki rundown of it:
Between 2001 and 2003, Volkswagen produced 250 limited edition New Beetles, with the designation RSi, in Mexico for the rest of the World. The RSi was powered by a 225 hp 3.2 liter V6 engine, mated to a six-speed gearbox, and Volkswagen’s four-wheel drive system 4motion. It had a Remus twin-pipe exhaust. The suspension was tuned by Porsche, featuring a severely altered rear suspension geometry more geared to the race track, and a rear cross brace behind the rear seats. Visually, the RSi differed in its 80 mm (3.1 in) wider fenders, unique front and rear bumpers, a rear diffuser, large rear wing, and 18×9 OZ Superturismo wheels with 235/40ZR-18 tyres. Inside, it was trimmed in carbon fiber, billet aluminum, and bright orange leather. The front seats were Recaro racing buckets. Notable disadvantages found were loud cabin noise and low rear tyre life. Curiously, in Mexico, although being a country very attached to Volkswagen, there are RSis that have not been sold since 2001. This is probably due to its US$58,000 price tag, and because Mexico is the country where most Beetle RSis stay.

By: autonut

autonut — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:29:57 +0000

I have a good thing to say about New Beetle: it paved the way to New Mini

By: ktulu

ktulu — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:22:36 +0000

beetles R cool. They R nbot girly

By: VWgrouP

VWgrouP — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:33:18 +0000

Yeah, I liked the first gen. Beetle better than the current model. Its such a womans car, its not even funny.

By: IVIIVI4ck3y27

IVIIVI4ck3y27 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:37:17 +0000

Oh and I should add… a rear engine platform for the Up and Beetle and 356 (i.e. a sub-Boxster/Cayman) could also spawn a new Microbus too. If they wanted to get crazy daring too… you could even have a new VW Thing and/or VW Karmann Ghia.

By: IVIIVI4ck3y27

IVIIVI4ck3y27 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:31:45 +0000

yarddog82abn said
Remember the off road Baja looking Bugs, or the Low Rider style looking Bugs, the one’s that where cool, YA… this will not be one of them……

And that would be unfortunate as VW could highly benefit from making the Beetle more gender neutral while also still providing some of the cheekiness of the original. The current Beetle, stock, is too feminine to draw many straight men. Even the Turbo Beetle isn’t enough.

After seeing the new Golf which looks like a very bland/generic update to the current Golf/Rabbit… I’m not holding out for a whirlwind of improvement in the design department. I’m not even that thrilled by the Sciorocco despite everyone seemingly getting excited over it (it looks like someone squished the new Golf/Rabbit, both in roofline as well as in the rear haunches). I still think the best kept secret in the VW group would be to bring Seat over, esp. if VW’s design is going to go numb/bland on us. At least their cars have a visual character to them.

Yet if VW were to bail on the UP project’s move to FWD, make the UP, a new Beetle, and maybe even the mid-engine 914 and potentially even a modern Porsche 356, VW/Porsche could definitely be onto something. Perhaps with Porsche taking over majority control, maybe they kicked the beancounters in the shins and are returning things to some form of sanity. Sometimes building something that’s thinking outside of the box is exactly how you get runaway sales. After all, it’s hard to beat the dealer down the road if you’re selling another variation of the same product.

GREEN BUG! Socked you in the arm! Ha,Ha

::socking you back in the arm:: Punchbug green, no returns!

By: andy

andy — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:54:54 +0000

i once saw a guy who drove a beetle… turned out he was a pedophile… just sayin is all

By: yarddog82abn

yarddog82abn — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:29:57 +0000

Remember the off road Baja looking Bugs, or the Low Rider style looking Bugs, the one’s that where cool, YA… this will not be one of them……

GREEN BUG! Socked you in the arm! Ha,Ha,

By: inline6

inline6 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:23:51 +0000

Agreed. And this LLN thing mentioning the possibility of a rear-engine next-gen Beetle seems a bit like they forgot that the Up!, off of which the next Beetle might be based, is getting a front engine.

So unless VW plans on building a unique platform just for the Beetle, it’ll most definitely be front-engined.

By: TomF

TomF — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:00:50 +0000

It’s funny to me that an old-gen, antique Beetle can still be driven by a man without shame, but not the New Beetle. It’s so clearly a toy based on the old shape, full of stupid design fillips (flower vase) that make it a total girlmobile.

If VW could at least make the next generation gender-neutral, that’d be a big step.

By: Goose

Goose — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:33:27 +0000

the Porsche developed into a handsome car from the original beetle design. why VW had to make a plastic bubble for a updated version is beyond me.

By: HoosierHero

HoosierHero — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:30:43 +0000

I don’t care what anyone says, I still chuckle when I see a dude driving one…

By: Need4SSpeed

Need4SSpeed — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:45:23 +0000

The only thing that will make the Beetle more mature is if they drop an AWD drivetrain in it and give it the turbo V6 from the R32… Hey it’s still a Beetle, but it’d be a quick one at that…

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:37:03 +0000

No comment. My skirt’s at the cleaners.