You can't beat a Beetle

The Beetle remains Volkswagen's icon but others in the stable are also making their mark, writes ALASTAIR SLOANE

New Zealanders think of Volkswagen as a value-for-money European carmaker, offering the best of reliability. Or at least that's what the carmaker found out from a survey last year.

The results of the study must have been reasonably accurate because VW sold 1253 vehicles in 2000, to be the leading European brand.

Further research showed 50 per cent of those sales were conquests from the Japanese-dominated mass market, 35 per cent came from other European brands and 15 per cent from repeat VW customers.

The Beetle accounted for 526 sales, or about 42 per cent of overall numbers. And it is expected to continue as the dominant VW model now that it is to be joined by the Beetle Turbo.

The boosted Beetle is part of VW's new lineup, which includes previously unseen Golfs, a new-look Sharan people-mover and the commercial carry-all Transporter.

The Beetle is powered by the outgoing Golf GTi powerplant, a turbocharged 1.8-litre engine producing 110kW and a zero to 100 km/h time of about 9 seconds. The standard model uses a 85kW 2-litre unit.

The Turbo comes with the choice of a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission and is fitted with 17-inch alloy wheels and front foglamps.

It also has a speed-activated rear spoiler and an electronic stability programme (ESP) to help to prevent the careless driver from going sideways. The manual model costs $48,990 and the automatic $50,990.

"The Beetle is a hugely important icon car for Volkswagen in New Zealand," said Dean Sheed, the VW division manager for importers European Motor Distributors Ltd.

"Not only has it captured and retained the innovator's market, but it has added fun and excitement to the Volkswagen brand, providing a ruboff effect on the rest of the range." A new lineup of engines and transmissions has given the Golf range (sales of 350 last year for 44 per cent of the hatchback market) a lift in appeal.

The 1.6-litre Golf and 1.8-litre GTi have been replaced - the 1.6 by a 2-litre manual ($36,490) or automatic ($38,490) and the 1.8 by the 2.3-litre V5, a sporty powerplant delivering 125kW through a five-speed manual ($45,990) or five-speed clutchless Tiptronic ($48,990).

The new Golf range also includes for the first time the 1.9-litre TDi, a turbo-diesel. It comes with either a five-speed manual ($36,990) or four-speed automatic transmission ($38,990).

Topping the Golf lineup is the 150kW 2.8-litre V6 4Motion, a $59,990 four-wheel-drive hatchback with six-speed manual gearbox.

The Sharan, the seven-seater people carrier, returns to the local market with updated styling and more features. At $62,990 it is also cheaper than the model it replaces.

It is powered by the same 150kW V6 engine as the Golf 4Motion. A five-speed Tiptronic transmission is standard, along with ESP and climate control air-conditioning with a separate rear heater.

Available options include a front-loading CD player, integrated child seats with their own safety straps, Xenon headlamps, sunroof, side airbags and separate air-conditioning for the rear. An all-wheel-drive 4Motion model is also available for $69,990.

The workhorse Transporter will be available in both long and short wheelbase variants, with a choice of petrol or diesel engines and manual or automatic transmissions.

Passenger-carrying Kombi versions are part of the range, with either nine or 11 seats, depending on wheelbase. Recommended retail prices start at $38,990.