Volkswagen BEETLE TDI PD
Common Sense Used To Mitigate Against The Purchase of a
Volkswagen Beetle. Until The Arrival Of The TDI Model. Jonathan Crouch Reports
Buying a diesel-engined car is something you do for very sensible reasons. Its something of a shock then, to find that arguably the most frivolous family car you can buy comes fitted with such a powerplant. Its a toe-in-the-water exercise of course. Volkswagens Beetle, unlike the MkIV Golf and Bora models its based upon, gets only one diesel option.
But still, you might just like it.
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The unit in question is Wolfsburgs 1.9-litre 100bhp TDI PD. As anyone whos tried it over the years in Golfs, Boras (or indeed
Audi A3s or A4s) will testify, this is a very strong engine, despite its lack of the latest common rail diesel technology.
Volkswagen have preferred to perfect the direct injection route, developing revolutionary Pumpe Duse units supposed to combine high power and torque with low fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
And sure enough, the on-paper figures look rather promising. The bald statistics say rest to sixty in 12.4s on the way to 111mph, but as ever with diesels, its much more relevant to look at the torque (read pulling power) figure, in this case an impressive 177Ibs ft (240 Nm). Enough to ensure that youre not constantly having to hunt up and down the gearbox to get yourself into the powerband, as was the case with diesels of old.
Fuel consumption will be uppermost in your mind of course or else youd be buying the 1.6 or 2.0-litre petrol-engined Beetles. And here again, you shouldnt be disappointed.
Expect over 40mpg around town, up to 64mpg on the open road and over 50mpg in normal day-to-day use. No clouds of black smoke either, thanks to an emissions figure of 143g/km.
"This is a very strong engine"
In fact, the only thing you could reasonably object to is the price - £14,335. Its basically the same as the infinitely more practical MkIV Golf version and only just undercuts the 115bhp 2.0-litre petrol Beetle, even though you only get almost the same specification as the much cheaper entry-level 1.6-litre version (with the addition of air conditioning).
Still, that does include ABS, ESP (Volkswagens Electronic Stabilisation Programme), remote central locking with an alarm, electric windows, heated mirrors and a three year warranty. But hold on. Were back to being sensible. And if you wanted to be sensible, then youd have bought a Golf or the equally excellent
Citroen C4 HDi or
Ford Focus TDCi alternatives.
Modern Beetles, unlike their post-war predecessors, are of course bought as fashion accessories, as second or third cars for the weekend jaunt or the trip to the squash club. Early US buyers included Beverley Hills celebrities, a presidents daughter and exclusive car rental establishments. In the UK you see them zipping about with advertising agencies names on the doors. Or parked outside fashionable restaurants and nightclubs.
And in the parking slots of exclusive gated residential estates. To therefore complain about the lack of bootspace, the missed opportunity for extra doors in the rear, or even the price is meaningless. What matters is that this car has style and plenty of it. Dont buy one if youve a tendency towards the shy and retiring.
Even now with thousands on the road, you park one and people stare. Drive one and people drool. If anything, the Beetle interior is even more of a shock than the outside; full marks to the design team for doing the job properly, rather than filling it with Golf and Polo dials from the Volkswagen parts bin. Of course, there are plenty of tell-tale Volkswagen signs; the switches, the firm seats, the positive gearbox but you dont really notice them.
What you do notice are all the natty stylish touches. The big central circular instrument cluster with its huge numbers and cute little built-in rev counter. Plus, of course, the vase (yes, you read that right), ready for you to fill with flower power. More macho buyers can pretend its a pen holder or something.
As youd expect from the bubble-like shape, theres enough room inside to wear a top hat should the mood take you. More practically, that high roofline does make travelling in the rear reasonably palatable though legroom is at a bit of a premium. Like all modern Volkswagens, the Beetle feels like its hewn from stone, with the kind of build quality youd expect from something twice as expensive. The little touches help too; the lovely blue instrument lighting which illuminates only the figures on the speedometer; the beautifully designed unique-fit stereo.
On the road, the ride is Germanically firm and the handling competent but generally uninspiring. On the safety front, theres twin side and front airbags built around a platform thats still one of the safest things this side of £30,000. Nice touches include folding rear
seat that increases boot space, the height adjustable seats and the three 12V power sockets installed around the car. Options include a CD changer, leather upholstery, a sunroof, a winter pack with heated front seats and headlight washers and, for easy city driving, a four-speed automatic transmission.
If you really want to make an impression, £18,125 buys you the Cabriolet version. In summary, the Beetle TDI makes no sense and all the sense in the world at the same time. If you can understand that, then youll understand why you might buy one.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Volkswagen Beetle TDI PD
PRICE: £14,335 - £18,125 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 9
CO2 EMISSIONS: 143-145g/km
PERFORMANCE: (saloon)Max Speed 115mph / 0-60mph 10.9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 41.5mpg / (extra urban) 64.2mpg / (combined) 53.3mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (saloon) Length/Width/Heightmm 4081/1836/1498
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