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Volkswagen premieres off-road capable Beetle in Detroit

Volkswagen premieres off-road capable Beetle in Detroit

Akram_saheed

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With the world premiere of the Beetle Dune at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Volkswagen gave the public the chance to see a Beetle with a cooler, off-road look. Finished in an 'Arizona', yellow/orange metallic paintwork, the flared wheel arches are finished in a contrasting black. It is no Land Rover for sure, but it looks tough enough to take on the gruelling Dakar Rally don't you think?

 

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Overall, the Dune has grown compared with the R-Line model - on which it is based. The overall length has increased to 4,290mm and the car is both 50mm higher off the ground and 20mm taller. The wheel housings widen the body by 27mm per side to give a total width of 1,864mm.

 

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Mechanically, the Dune uses the running gear from the Beetle R-Line. Under the hood, there's a 210bhp rated turbocharged 2.0-litre TSI engine running the front wheels. Combined with a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission, the Beetle Dune has a manufacturer estimated fuel economy rating of up to 12.3km/L. As with all U.S. Beetle R-Line models, the electronic XDS differential is also offered as standard.

 

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The wheel arch extensions transition into brushed aluminium sill trim panels, between which there's a chrome plated underbody skidplate. Meanwhile, the distinctive Dune logo is placed ahead of the rear fenders. The bottom of the door mirrors are in black, with the rest of the mirror being vapour-coated in aluminium.

 

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The front end is revised by the adoption of a new hood, which has a raised centre section, flanked by prominent air vents. Similarly the redesigned front apron features a large central air intake.

 

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The Dune team also revamped the interior, with two particular areas of attention. The dashboard is painted in the body colour, while the classic Beetle bin has been replaced by a grab handle that features contrasting black soft-touch material with 'Arizona' and aluminium accents.

 

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The outer surfaces of the front sport seats and the two rear seats are upholstered in 'Titan Black' leather, while the centre surfaces are made of 'Ceramic' coloured 'Gobi'breathable sport fabric. The leather and fabric areas and the front and rear of the head restraints have decorative body coloured stitching.

 

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6 Comments


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No roof rails, no cabin space. And No 4WD!

 

Its an impractical machine to bring off-road.

 

Its obvious that this will not make it into mass production if they are indeed targetting the off-roader crowd.

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One thing that's not on the equipment list, however, is all-wheel drive. The Beetle Dune concept is based around the R-Line's running gear, meaning it gets a punchy 210-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder, six-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission, and front-wheel drive.

 

WOOHOO!!! Beetle running in all terrain! Shiok shiok!

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No roof rails, no cabin space. And No 4WD!

 

Its an impractical machine to bring off-road.

 

Its obvious that this will not make it into mass production if they are indeed targetting the off-roader crowd.

I doubt they are taking this seriously. Still a concept car thou.

 

The space inside a beetle is miserable. Still would like to sit on a land rover range rover if were to go for road trip or off road.

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Quite an interesting take on the bug.. Doubt can last the harshness of the Dakar Rally though.

 

Now all it needs is quattro power and maybe it could impress in WRC!

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Off Road Beetle? Surely there are better options like Cross Polo, or Tiguan.

 

Maybe VW will come out with a track ready Sharan next

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