Volkswagen Beetle Dune 1.8 TSI Cabriolet prototype: review

With production about to start, VW’s homage to the Baja Bugs of old is laden with off-road style

The new Beetle Dune gives itself a lot to live up to with its Baja-style image

30 January 2016

Beetle fans know all about the Baja Bug, a funky take on the original model whose big tyres and stripped-back bodywork made it ideal for posing on beaches or romping up sand dunes.

These air-cooled warriors were among the most successful off-road racing cars of their time, too, dominating the sort of desert rallies which are now the sole domain of million-dollar trophy trucks.

VW Beetle Dune on the road

So the new Beetle Dune gives itself a lot to live up to with its Baja-style image. With raised suspension, enhanced sills, 18” rims and flared-out wheelarches, it looks like an off-road fun machine. You can get in in Coupe or Cabrio form, too – we’re sampling a late pre-production version of the latter here, powered by the lively 1.8 TSI engine.

Stop right there, though, because that engine won’t be available in the UK. We’ll get a choice of 1.2, 1.4 and 2.0-litre petrol units, the latter producing a promising 217bhp.

For diesel fans, there’ll be a 1.6 and 2.0 TDIs developing 109 and 148bhp.

A six-speed manual gearbox will be standard throughout the range, with the option of a DSG auto.

The unique finishes on seats are every bit as good as you’d expect

That’s what our tester had but, in a Beetle that’s bigger and heavier than the standard model, the 1.8 TSI felt surprisingly gutless. Not good, when it’s more powerful than all but one of the engines we’ll get here.

We found the Dune to be quite a pleasant, laid-back car to drive nonetheless. It rides well and doesn’t misbehave in corners, with incisive steering feel and good body control.

Our test route included a few gravel tracks, too, and it dealt with them just fine. In the real world, 90% of the ‘off-road’ driving done by farmers aboard things like Defenders and Hi-Luxes is on easy tracks like these, but therein lies the Dune’s problem.

It rides well and doesn’t misbehave in corners, with incisive steering feel and good body control

It’s not a ‘real world’ car – it’s a style wagon dressed up as a toy. And for that reason, it’s not about farm tracks: it screams ‘sand dunes’ at the top of its voice.

But under all that funky bodywork is a standard Beetle – meaning the Dune is front-wheel-drive only. It’ll struggle to reach the bottom of a sand dune, let alone romp to the top. A beach, yes, so long as the sand is firm, but where traction is wanting this isn’t the car to have.

So what, though? It looks great, and that’s what matters – especially in Cabrio form. It’s cooler than standard inside, too, with a special dash treatment, soft-touch console and unique finishes on seats which are every bit as good as you’d expect.

You’ll pay something like four grand for all this. That’s the price jump you can expect from the standard Beetle when the Dune goes on sale, meaning prices will start at about £20,500 in tin-top form and £3000 more for the Cabrio.

Does that get you anything more than just a big dollop of style? Perhaps a trace, but best leave that to one side. The Dune is a fashion statement on wheels, and a very good one. And like all the best flashes of fashion, it’ll be here just in time for the summer.

Volkswagen Beetle Dune 1.8 TSI Cabriolet

On sale: Spring

Price: £23,500 (est)

Engine: 4cyl, 1781cc, turbocharged, petrol

Power: 168bhp at 4800rpm

Torque: 184lb ft at 1800rpm

Gearbox: 6spd dual-clutch automatic

Kerb weight: N/A

0-62mph: 8.5sec (est)

Top speed: 141mph (est)

Economy: 30.1mpg (est)

CO2/tax band: N/A

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