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The heated Beetle’;s a bit of a gem, but it is no GTI.
When the current Volkswagen Beetle launched for 2012, the company produced Winnetka-grade noise about possessing constructed a retromobile that would finally appeal to males. Yet the common consensus of men we know who’ve driven the new automobile seems to be, “Well, it’s an enjoyable automobile, but I nonetheless wouldn’t acquire a single.” Probably in an attempt to sway mentioned males over to the “would purchase” side, VW revamped the Turbo model, in the approach dubbing it the R-Line. See? It’s got that snappy “R” badge correct there on the flat-bottomed steering wheel. For the princely sum of umpteen Roman talents, Porsche will slap an unsightly ducktail on your new 911, but the R-Line’s little flip is included in the cost and truly appears correct at home on the Bug.
The Beetle’s interior design remains some of the best obtainable beneath $ 50,000. The detailing is note-ideal, and the all round treatment isn’t slavishly retro. In addition, the diminutive VW refrains from the overly cartoonish, and it is built of decent stuff. The only 2 dings go to an armrest that intrudes on 1 of the console-mounted cup holders and VW’s unfortunate infotainment method. The seats are all-day comfy, and the Fender-branded audio method delivers decent sound, even though we don’t get the Fender/VW synergy. We suppose it tends to make a lot more sense than a B.C. Rich–branded stereo.
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On the road, we located the nuevo-Käfer an absolute treat. It’s largely a previous-generation GTI underneath, a auto that landed a spot on our 10Best list final year despite getting ripe for replacement. The brakes are not the most communicative we’ve sampled, but you’re not specifically jamming your foot into a puddle of physique-temperature custard, either. Shift action from the 6-speed manual is positive and satisfying, although the light clutch is typical Volkswagen (study: not particularly feelsome). The steering is nicely weighted and the car turns in with confidence-inspiring precision. A higher-speed flow comes effortlessly on a serpentine mountain road, and you will find your self jinking hither and thither in Zen-like style until the brake pedal starts to succumb to mushiness.
Mushy? Why? We were hardly on the brakes! It is because of how the automobile manages that impeccable turn-in. Volkswagen’s XDS brake-based restricted-slip-differential facsimile is the culprit. Via a protracted series of higher-speed left/proper corners more than the Sierra Nevada’s Monitor Pass, the brakes were often functioning even if we weren’t on them to do significantly a lot more than balance the automobile prior to turning into a bend. This is all a lengthy-winded way of suggesting that hard-core canyon rats would do effectively to install a set of pads capable of withstanding greater temperatures.
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But what difficult-core canyon rat is going to splash out for a Beetle? Neglect the cheerful-cheerleader body style for just a moment. The R-Line has some very heavy internal competitors in the type of the new GTI, a automobile that is simply a generation ahead of everything in the C-segment. The new über-Golf smacked down the belligerent Ford Concentrate ST in a comparo of 2 Euro-spec automobiles final year. The GTI’s functionality numbers trump almost everything this Beetle laid down, save for observed fuel economy, which we credit to a lot of leading-gear highway cruising in the Bug. Under identical conditions, we’d count on the GTI, with its 4-mpg-greater EPA highway rating, to greatest the R-Line right here as well.
The Beetle’s a specific type of fun car. Some of the far more perverse among us like it best with a diesel hooked up to a manual. The entire torquey, jaunty knowledge of the TDI model is just a lot more relaxed than the R-Line, more in maintaining with the car’s joy-bringing mission. The oil-burner/stick combo is also just off-kilter enough to meld nicely with the car’s distinct-but-not-weird image. The R-Line, in contrast, despite the fact that nicely executed, doesn’t do something better than the GTI does, and the value distinction is negligible. Our rather-loaded tester sailed by means of checkout at $ 31,115. An equivalent GTI comes in $ 700 significantly less spendy. We located the R-Line to be enjoyable, yes, but who couldn’t use an additional $ 700?
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2014 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line Manual Tested: A Bit of a Gem, but No GTI
