We recently received some seat time in Volkswagen's Beetle Dune theory, which turned several VW fans' heads at the 2014 Detroit auto-show. Why drive-what is, when it comes to automotive show-pieces, a somewhat early thing? Well, the Dune is slated to enter production and get to early 2016, therefore while the showcar is currently fitted using a hybrid power-train that will not actually make it to the Beetle, it was nevertheless worth nabbing some early opinions of the jacked-up Bug . . . even in the event the encounter wasn't unlike seeing foreign animation without sub-titles, in that we discovered ourselves pleasantly surprised--even amused--but mainly confused.

This Auto Is the Dune, Except It Is Not

Volkswagen calls this type of the Dune the "Beetle Hybrid Theory" due to it packing the present Jetta hybrid vehicle's powertrain. (The initial theory had a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder and no electrification.) That indicates the EA211 1.4-liter TSI turbo-four teamed with a-27-hp electric-motor; a 1.1-kWh lithium ion battery-pack created from 60 cells; and Volkswagen's seven-speed DSG automatic gear box. Complete system output is rated at 170 hp and 184 lb-feet of torque.

The automobile is also our newest look in the upcoming Dune bundle. Small has changed from way back its introduction early last year: Versus the typical Beetle, the Dune gains two inches of floor clearance, 0.8 inch of absolute height, and 2.2 inches of breadth thanks to flared fenders adapting 1.1-inch-broader tracks. The exceptional front and back fenders continue to be there, along using its rear spoiler as well as the same burnt-orange/golden paint colour that carries over to the the inner trimming. In the event you like the colour, great: It Will achieve creation within a 2-colour palette, using another option being silver.

Powertrain away, the 2 of the most noteworthy developments to the Dune in this kind will be the the increasing loss of of the "Dune" branding in and outside--although this might simply be the situation for the hybrid vehicle theory, re-appearing in the generation variant--and a big red button-design emergency-cut-off switch alongside the emergency brake in the center-console. The cut-off might be the most eccentric element in the previously-odd-ball hybrid vehicle theory, but there it's, in all its "don't strike the glossy, candy-like red button" glory. For the report, it is a safe-guard that Volkswagen sets in its concept vehicles when they are drivable, and we were able to resist.

Think of The Edition as a Bulbous Jetta Hybrid Vehicle

On the street, the style feels like the existing Jetta hybrid vehicle, which makes sense as they discuss not only powertrains but also their PQ35 design. We discovered the Jetta to be a unusual interesting-to-generate hybrid vehicle when we first examined a 2013 version; if something, the Dune is even much more. This Beetle feels faster compared to Jetta--and more excited. While the Jetta might be somewhat slow to take-off from a stop, the Beetle appears to produce its power more promptly, with no transmission-established indecision of the Jetta. The Beetle hybrid vehicle's regenerative brakes feel a little more sorted as properly, a marked improvement on among our largest gripes regarding the Jetta hybrid vehicle. Needless to say, we did not have such a Jetta on hand to assess.

The orange paint could be offputting to some in a cheesy-surf-film sort of way, but the Beetle Dune undeniably turns heads. Everywhere we continued our brief journey, the Dune had people rubbernecking to go in--it is simultaneously subtle and totally not. The sole hard information we gleaned from our time together with the theory is the fact that we have to start to see the Dune hit car dealers next February. We previously theorized that Volkswagen's 2.0-liter TSI motor as observed in in the initial theory and the Beetle R Line might have been slated for the Dune, but a 1.8-liter TSI engine with 170-horsepower and a 150-hp, 2.0-liter TDI diesel will be be what is on offer.

Why Hybridize the Dune if It Will Not Be Marketed That Way?

That prospects us to why the Beetle hybrid theory exists at all. The official term from Volkswagen is that it is "designed to exhibit the versatility of the manufacturer present MQB-Complete Hybrid module" by installing it in the older PQ35 design. That is all well and great, but we have a living, breathing illustration with this in the aforementioned Jetta hybrid vehicle, and also you may also head out as well as purchase one of these if you'd like. As mentioned, there are not any plans to produce a Beetle hybrid vehicle of all kinds, making this an extremely unusual demonstrator really.

In any occasion, what we are able to say with conviction is this: Piloting the Dune traveling undoubtedly whetted our desire to push the actual point. The looks strike a chord with followers of the Baja Bugs of the 70s, even whenever generation version is likely to be little higher than the usual front wheel drive, front-engined, more-present-than-go effort to profit on that nostalgia. That is fine, we assume; as money-ins on nostalgia go, the present day Beetle is probably the ne plus ultra instance, and there actually is an allure to the Dune that is tough to establish, hybrid or maybe not. All this to say that what is underneath the hood scarcely matters--purchasers will either adore it or they will not.