What's it like?
On the road the Dune is surprisingly well polished. Any worries that the added ride height might corrupt the handling are quashed within the first few miles of country road. Body roll is minimal, the steering is well weighted (if a little vague off-centre) and, thanks to a widened track, there are impressive levels of grip.
Unfortunately, ride quality isn't as good as that of a comparable Golf; a problem no doubt exacerbated by the 18-inch wheels. However, once up to speed the Dune settles down nicely and the damping is just about spot on for British B-roads.
In the UK, Dune buyers get the choice of two engines: a 1.2-litre 104bhp petrol or a more powerful 2.0-litre 148bhp diesel. We had the former and were impressed with its gutsy nature and appetite for revs. Disappointingly, throttle response was rather poor around town, but that’s to be expected from such a small-capacity turbocharged engine.
Interior wise, the cabin is fairly similar to the standard car, with some nice touches to set it apart as a premium model. The bold paint scheme is carried over into the cabin thanks to wrap around inserts, the seats receive attractive contrast stitching and the multifunction leather-trimmed steering wheel gets a decorative 'Dune' insert - just in case you forget where you are. Ultimately, this is a far more characterful interior than you’ll find in the Golf or Scirocco.
Ergonomically, the car is typical Beetle: plenty of space up front, good visibility and a decent driving position. The boot is also plenty big enough for the odd trip to the beach, at 310 litres. However, rear space is limited, with only two seats and not much leg room.
Should I buy one?
On paper the Dune doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It’s £2395 more than the similarly equipped Beetle Design and offers no extra practicality. But you don’t buy this car for its off-road prowess or sporting credentials, you buy it because you want something a bit different. Something to stand out in.
Ultimately, the choice for most will come down to personal circumstance. If you have a family and want some (very) light off-road ability you’d be better off with a Fiat 500X or Mini Countryman. But if that’s not a factor, we'd pick the Dune. It’s better to drive, looks infinitely more distinctive and in 1.2 TSI guise manages to be impressively frugal.
Neil Winn
Volkswagen Beetle 1.2 TSI 105 Dune
Location Surrey; On sale Now; Price £18,330; Engine 4 cyls, 1197cc, petrol; Power 106bhp at 5000-5500; Torque 129lb ft at 1400-4000rpm; Gearbox 6-spd manual; Kerb weight 1486kg; 0-62mph 10.9sec; Top speed 110mph; Economy 54.3mpg (combined); CO2 rating/BIK tax band 122g/km, 21%
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rmcondo
Takes retro way too far. This
FMS
rmcondo wrote:
So... retro is symbolic of the past...so, meant to show the heritage of previous models...don't like it, don't buy it, don't whine about it.
Beastie_Boy
I really like that....
abkq
I think this New Beetle 2 is
Andy1960
Just wondering when....
hedgehopper
Why not?
bowsersheepdog
hedgehopper wrote:
Good shout. And if they kept it in this colour and upholstered the seats with denim they could call it the Ripped Jeans Beetle. Back in the seventies a workmate and myself, teenagers at the time, used to go for weekends in the Lake District in his mum's green 1500. His dream was to put a Porsche engine in the back of it. I don't know if he ever managed to do it as we lost touch after both changing jobs. We had enormous fun in that Beetle.
I don't need to put my name here, it's on the left
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