y Zac Estrada (@zacestrada)" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 8, 2015 at 12:49pm PDT
Rough edges
Hard plastics abound, as they have since this new, new Beetle arrived four years ago. It doesn’t matter so much on this more roughed-up Dune, but I expected the interior to have improved more as it has on Americanized products like the Jetta and Passat.
Turbonium-lite
I clearly remember when a Beetle Turbo was a hot, eccentric little thing. The new and prolific 1.8-liter turbo four that’s the base engine for lots of VWs is a supremely competent motivator, even if it seems to lack a real fire in its gut. But the torque is plentiful and works pretty well with the six-speed automatic – the only choice for the Dune.
For the people
For right around the $25,000 mark, the Beetle Dune is pretty well equipped, with front and rear parking sensors, backup camera, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and automatic headlights. And I haven’t really missed features like automatic climate control and keyless entry and start that much.
Despite the styling gimmick that is the Dune package, I’m sensing some honesty in the Beetle. I hope it’s not fleeting.
But what are your questions about the Beetle Dune? Sound off in the comments.