George Gray of Pirate Radio 104.7 assisted me in a review of the Volkswagen Jetta:

Platinum gray metallic paint with titan black cloth seating for 5 – heated front buckets with console mounted shifter, weighs 2,989 lbs. and has a 105.7” wheelbase and is 186.5” long – 14.1 cubic feet of cargo space in trunk,  17” – polished and painted aluminum spoke wheels and 205/60R17 total performance all season radials, 8.5” multimedia infotainment screen for driver  – backup camera,  navigation, wireless phone charger, and VW FM/AM-Satellite stereo – Android / Apple integration, cruise control, lane change alert, rear cross traffic alert, and blind spot warning, 1.5 liter four cylinder turbo engine with 158 horsepower, 6-speed manual transmission, front wheel drive, $23,215.00  list price, fuel economy (34 city/highway combined, 43 highway)  13 gallon tank with 559 mi.range                                                                          

  

Radio review on Pirate Radio featuring George Gray and Matt Arguello:

Two liter turbo four with 228 horsepower, six speed manual transmission, 185″ overall length, four door/five passenger, 3,200# curb weight, 225/45R18 Hankook radials on aluminum rims, 33mpg/highway, 13.2 gallon tank, 14 cubic foot trunk, moon roof, Beats custom stereo with navigation, heated/air conditioned front leather buckets, made in Puebla, Mexico, $31,740.00 window sticker.

Radio Review:

 Tornado Red paint with Titan black leather seating for 5, including heated buckets – Weighs 3,127 lbs. and is 168” long – 17.3 cubic ft. of cargo capacity in hatchback area – 18” Ultra Silver five spoke aluminum wheels and 225/40R18 Bridgestone Potenza radial tires – Lane keep assist, forward collision alert, radar cruise control, rear vision, and automatic emergency braking – 8” infotainment screen – navigation, ambient door sill lighting and Fender 7 speaker AM/FM premium sound system – Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless phone charger, head up display, aluminum sport pedals, leather steering wheel – 2.0 liter, turbocharged 228 horsepower four cylinder engine with six speed manual transmission, start stop technology and front wheel drive – $37,415.00  list price  Built in Mexico – Fuel economy (Highway – 32 mpg) (City – 24 mpg)  14.9 gallon tank with 477 mi.range 

Volkswagen Beetles were built from 1938 to 2003, and  over 20 million have been manufactured and sold worldwide since the inception of the car in Germany.  A man named Porsche designed the car, and along with the rear engine placement, the car was air cooled, without liquid coolant or a radiator.

What is commonly called a “New Beetle” with coolant, a front engine, and front-wheel drive, has been marketed on and off since 1997.  Such a car is what I picked up at General Mitchell Airfield in Milwaukee to drive on a midwest vacation.  It was a 2016 Turbocharged Sandstorm Yellow metallic unit with “Dune” equipment specified, including a rear spoiler, raised suspension, ten-spoke polished alloy wheels, exclusive bumpers and air intakes, black exterior cladding, aluminum pedal covers, and special badging and decals.

Power for my front wheel drive test car was supplied by a 1.8 liter, 170 horsepower (184 lb. ft. of torque) four cylinder gas engine with an EPA mileage rating of 25/city, 34/highway, 28 combined MPG.  The fuel tank capacity was 14.5 gallons.  The transmission on hand was a six-speed automatic, and it seemed sturdy and somewhat enjoyable.  For having a turbocharger, the engine had a definite grumble to it, belying the high RPM turbo operating in the power department.  Turbochargers whir at about 150,000 revolutions per minute – roughly 30 times as fast as the engine.  They are nice in Colorado, spinning faster at that altitude and mitigating power loss that can be associated with naturally-aspirated (i.e. fuel injected) engines.  I can’t say I hated having turbocharged power in Illinois and Wisconsin – the technology is just great.

Inside the four passenger Volkswagen, a Fender premium stereo was on hand as well as heated cloth and leatherette buckets with yellow piping and stitching, Bluetooth connections, pushbutton starter, flat-bottomed steering wheel, rear view camera, and satellite radio.  The theme inside was tasteful and coordinated well with the outside styling.  Beetle “Dune” looks was great, featured a wider track, honeycomb grill, LED tail lights, and while on our trip several tourists stopped by to comment on our ride.

Acceleration of the 3,093 lb. VW was great fun, road manners were on target, and handling/guidance were fine, as well.  It’s a pretty quiet sedan and visibility is fine.  List price was $25,065.00 for the 2016 that I drove and that included freight.  The only optional uncharge was for the Sandstorm paint, at $250.00.  The Volkswagen Beetle has a niche market and doesn’t sell over 400,000 per year (in the U.S.!) like the old days, but still has a nice following and a fan in this reviewer.

I remember the first time I laid eyes on a Volkswagen Beetle, in Grant, Nebraska in about 1963.  A young man in town named Charlie Brixius had purchased a used one (perhaps a 1959), and made quite a splash driving it up and down Main Street over and over.  We all did that back then – gas was cheap, the pace was leisurely, and that was the place to be seen.  The U-turns were made at the same intersections on the north and south end of this town of 1,000 population, and some of the guys out cruising were lucky enough to have a girl sitting in the middle of the front seat for the ride.  

Charlie never had a girl sitting in the middle of his front seat, because the “bug” had two bucket seats in the front of the four-passenger, rear-engined, rear-wheel drive VW.  Neither did I, as I rode a Honda 50 scooter/cycle.

Volkswagen Beetles were built from 1938 to 2003, and  over 20 million have been manufactured and sold worldwide since the inception of the car in Germany.  A man named Porsche designed the car, and along with the rear engine placement, the car was air cooled, without coolant or a radiator.

What is commonly called a “New Beetle” with coolant, a front engine, and front-wheel drive, has been marketed on and off since 1997.  Such a car is what was brought to me a week ago for testing, a 2016 Turbocharged Tornado red unit with “R-Line” equipment specified, including a spoiler, “twister” alloy wheels, extra gauges, aluminum pedal covers, and special badging.

Power for my test car was supplied by a 2.0 liter, 210 horsepower (207 lb. ft. of torque) four cylinder gas engine with an EPA mileage rating of 23/city, 31/highway, 26 combined MPG.  The transmission on hand was a six-speed manual, and it seemed sturdy and somewhat enjoyable.  For having a turbocharger, the engine had a definite grumble to it, belying the high RPM turbo operating in the power department.  Turbochargers whir at about 150,000 revolutions per minute – roughly 30 times as fast as the engine.  They are nice in Colorado, spinning faster at our altitude and mitigating power loss that can be associated with naturally-aspirated (i.e. fuel injected) engines.

Inside the Volkswagen, a Fender premium stereo was on hand as well as sunroof, heated leather buckets, Bluetooth connections, navigation, pushbutton starter and satellite radio.  The theme inside was two-toned black and gray and somewhat kicky.  Styling was great with ten spoke polished alloys and attractive black trim work low on the outside.

Acceleration of the VW was great fun, road manners were on target, and handling/guidance were similar.  It’s a pretty quiet sedan and visibility is fine.  List price was $32,270.00 for the 2016 that I drove and that included freight.  It has a niche market and doesn’t sell over 400,000 per year (in the U.S.!) like the old days, but still has a nice following and a fan in this reviewer.