Volkswagen’s most iconic model, the Beetle, is due for an update soon and before the 2017 version is brought out properly, new images have been released that show the Bug in its most favourable situations.
The car is, after all, being positioned to tug at your heartstrings than your head and the lifestyle angle works well to establish the Beetle as a complement to that. It’s been true of the second generation Beetle (New Beetle) and has carried over to the third version (A5), introduced in 2012.
Not needing to change a strong formula, the 2017 car doesn’t change much, sharing the same Golf/Jetta platform and manufactured solely in VW’s Mexico factory. However, there are new front and rear bumpers and a couple of interesting trim pack options such as Denim and Exclusive Design. The sporty R-Line pack can also be optioned, as before, but this time replaces the Sport variant outright.
Inside, the Beetle receives more upholstery options with trim materials being revised to include more surface finishes, textures, and colours. There are also an updated dials instrument design, ambient cabin lighting, and Volkswagen’s new breed of infotainment systems which uses a 6.3-inch touchscreen display supporting Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Mirrorlink.
In terms of engines, some newly updated powerplants are on offer. A 77kW 1.2-litre TSI engine kicks off the petrol range followed by a more powerful 1.4-litre TSI and finally 2.0-litre turbo-four that generates 162kW comes in at the high end. A 2.0-litre TDI turbodiesel is also available in two levels of tune, 80kW and 110kW. A dry-clutch 7-speed DSG automatic performs shifting duties for the smaller petrol engines while all 2.0-litre units use a wet-clutch 6-speed DSG.
Safety features such that have become more prevalent in Volkswagen’s line-up surface in the 2017 Beetle too, these including Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Traffic Alert and are available to all variants as standard.
For more on Volkswagen vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
