I recently began working in a VW dealership and I have been fortunate enough to test drive all the hottest cars that VW has to offer. i.e. GTI 1.8T 180hp, Jetta 1.8T, and most recently the fastest car Vokswagen makes. The 180hp, 6 spd, Turbo Beetle S. Having driven previous 150 horse TB's The difference in performance between the two cars was very noticable. The Turbo S is very stiff, very fast, and a tremendous perfromance bargain at $23k. Although more expensive than a 1.8T GTI, it's lighter curb weight, closer-ratio 6 speed, and super stiff underpinnings make it a serious threat on the street and track. Just my opinion. But I wanted to express it here since we have many educated drivers and auto enthusiasts on this forum. Mods forgive the OT.

 

So let's see... compared with the ITR:

Cost - roughly equal (within $1K)
Power - ITR has 15 more hp
Weight - VW weighs over 3000 pounds!!!

This is a no brainer. Looking forward to passing them if they dare show up at the track (with or without a flower in their stupid bud vase).

 

when did this come out
any pics????

 

Maybe not.

Curb weight of 1.8T GTI: 2932 pounds
Curb weight of New Beetle Turbo S: 3005 pounds

 

lol...Ken and the magazines, at it again. JK bro.

it would make a worthy competitor to something like the Civic Si due to its performance specs, but the price puts it in the same $trato$phere as the RSX-S and WRX, so it doesn't look so appealing anymore. Plus it's a complete chick car.

 

nsxtcjr, your smart alleck comment stands corrected. A Turbo beetle S weighs 2891 dry. VW is serious about performance with this one. I've already seen a bunch of "Beetle cup" literature, leading me to believe that VW is attempting to enhance the beetles image as a conteder in the segment. Oh BTW 201hp, 4 valve-per-cylinder, 6 spd, VR6 Jetta's and Golf's arrive in mid Feb. I'll give a full report once I get my mits on one.

 

I knew the turbo was going to be cool, but the new 6-cylinder is the one to watch. But the weights of those cars bring them down a lot. They need to slap in one of those 1.8T 225-hp engines from the Audi TT and see what happens...now that would be sweet.

 

Beetle RSi
a nice article http://www.roadandtrack.com/RoadAndT...eetle_rsi.html

 

VW

 

Ignorance

 

How much Torque is the Beetle S making?

 

Technical
Brakes
Anti-Lock Braking System
Power-assisted front vented disc brakes, rear
solid disc brakes
Engine
1.8L, 180 hp, 162 lb-ft torque, 4-cylinder,
in-line, 5V, turbocharged, gas engine
Side Impact
Anti-intrusion side door beams and protective
padding inside side doors
Steering
Power assisted rack and pinion steering
Suspension
Independent front McPherson struts
Independent track correcting torsion beam rear
axle
Traction Control
ASR (anti-slip regulation)
EBC (engine braking control)
EDL (electronic differential lock)
ESP (Electronic Stabilization Program)
Transmission
6-speed manual transmission
Exterior
Antenna
Roof-mounted amplified flexible black whip
antenna
Bumpers
Body-color bumpers
Horn
Dual-tone horns
Lights
Clear lens halogen front fog lamps
Projector lens halogen front headlamps with
chip-resistant polycarbonate lenses
Mirrors
Driver & passenger side power mirrors, heatable
Roof
Power glass sunroof, tilt and slide, tinted
glass, with sunshade and power lock operated
convenience closing feature
Spoiler
Rear spoiler located on top of back window
Tires
17-inch all-season tires
Wheels
7 J x 17-inch alloy wheels
Wipers
2-speed windshield wipers with 4-speed,
vehicle-speed-sensitive intermittent wipe feature
Heated windshield washer nozzles
Interior
Air Conditioning
Air conditioning, CFC-free
Alarm
Anti-theft alarm system with warning LED
Armrest
Front center armrest, adjustable/folding with
storage compartment
Assist Handles
Silicone-dampened return assist handles, 2 front
and 2 rear
Cruise Control
Cruise control
Lighting
2 rear reading lights
Locks
Automatic locking feature (Dealer programmable)
Remote central power locking system with
selective unlocking and key operated convenience
open and close feature
Ornamentation
Brushed alloy trim for shift ****, vase, glove
box handle, door locks and pedal cluster
Radio/Audio
Monsoon ® Sound System with amplifier
Restraint System
Height adjustable front 3-point safety belts,
color coordinated
LATCH (Lower Anchorage and Tether for Child
Seats)
Rear outboard three-point safety belts
Safety belt pre-tensioners with load limiters,
front seats only
Seating
"Easy entry system" allows front seat to move
forward for easy access to rear seating area
Heatable front seats
Seat height adjustment for driver and front
passenger seats
Steering Wheel
3-spoke padded leather wrapped steering wheel
Height-adjustable and telescoping steering column
Storage
Center console with 2 front beverage holders and
one rear beverage holder, color coordinated
Front seatback magazine/storage pockets
Upholstery
Leather trimmed seating surfaces
Windows
Power windows with pinch protection. Front
windows with automatic one-touch feature,
operable from driver's side only.
Limited Warranty**
Corrosion Perforation
12 year unlimited distance Limited Warranty
Against Corrosion Perforation
Powertrain
5 year/60,000 mile (whichever comes first)
Limited Powertrain Warranty.
Vehicle
4 year/50,000 mile (whichever occurs first)
Limited New Vehicle Warranty. Wear and tear items
and adjustments excluded after initial 12
months/12,000 miles (whichever occurs first).

 

Umm. I hope you cut and pasted that.

I ran up against a turbo beetle at the track last year. The guy said he had an upgraded turbo and a factory upgraded suspension and some fat slicks, and damn I couldn't pass him. I was quicker in the straights, but his suspension was so tight, he could carry more speed through the corners. I was impressed.

 

USDM ITR's don't have 195HP.....heh heh starting up the debate again.

 

so, h-pimp says 4v, last post says 5v. hpimp says 2800, another says over 3000lbs. awful lot of discrepency in all this.

now, speaking of h-pimp, is this the same guy who swore the rsx had nuttin to offer, and it would never compete with the itr? didnt the rsx place 2nd or 3rd in a few recent japanese road racing events, only to be beaten by the skyline i believe it was? (i believe the itr was 7th or so)

so now, the man who despises the rsx, lusts after the new beetle. whats wrong with this picture? did VW hire you as a salesman?

 

Not as far as I can tell, it doesn't.

First of all, no one legitimately measures weight dry. Weight is measured as "curb weight", with full fluids. Any time you hear a manufacturer quotes a weight "dry", you can assume that they are trying to hide the true weight of a car.

I looked through VW's website and they don't show any weight spec for this car. (Hmmm...) Edmunds quotes it as 3005 pounds here. And the 2932 pound weight for the GTI also comes from Edmunds, here.

Amazing how people will try to twist the truth. Bottom line is, for a little car, this bug thing is pretty darn heavy. Heavier than the better-equipped RSX-S, which has 20 hp more, at a lower price, and Honda reliability. And no stupid bud vase.



[Modified by nsxtcjr, 8:22 AM 1/22/2002]

 

Forgiveness....let things go...don't hold onto what people say in the past

 

Yes, they did. Exact quote: "I recently began working in a VW dealership"

 

but if i recall he was in insurance or accounting work... i think vw has more than salesmen

guess its not a far stretch, fair enuff.

 

WHO IN GODS NAME WOULD PAY $80,000 FOR A CAR THAT PUTS OUT 225 BHP, DOES 0-62 IN 6.2 SEC. Who cares if they are making 350 of them! You have to have a lot of $$$ on your hands to waist it like that! You can make a lot of cars, foreign and domestic, look alot better and perform alot better with a hell of a lost less than $80,000.

 

What car are you talking about?

 

There are cars coming that DO have the potential to be the next cult track car. The Nissan 350Z, with 280 hp and a cost of $34K for the track version. The new version of the Neon that's coming, with 205 hp, a sticker under $20K, and a weight that's probably about the same as the 2600-lb Neon ACR. The Evo, depending on what the North American version looks like. And maybe the RSX-R, if Honda decides to bring it here. But AFAICT, nothing from VW can run with this crowd.

VW = Overweight, overpriced, and undersexy.

 

Dont really give a chit about VW's but they are highly under rated in terms of HP. Case and point, dyno day in Tampa last weekend. Bone stock with 1K miles "180hp" claimed from VW laided down a fat ***. 167HP and 171lbs.....

Heavy? yes
lots of small problems? yes
Windows motors break all the time? yes
Top heavy? yes

potiental to haul ***? yes

One word sums up the 1.8T love from me........TURBO!

I'm done

 

Bottom line is also: VW was very conservative on those power ratings. A friends bone stock GTI 1.8T (2002) with 1,000 miles on it put down 167whp/169ft lbs (edit: err maybe it was 171, Yack was there) of torque. The TQ is more than VW quotes at the FLYWHEEL. And 167 is obviously more than 180flywheel normally equates to.

And the GTI 1.8t is a hell of a lot more fun to drive than a rsx-s.



[Modified by Dave-ROR, 10:00 AM 1/22/2002]

 

Having been a 5 time VW owner, there is some truth to the thumbs down. Fun cars, but terrible reliability & warranty and absolutely awful service. Translation, great car until you have to get it repaired (kind of like the old Jags).