With a concept car VW two years ago gave a look at a new design variant of the Beetle. Now the higher-placed compact in desert look is available as a Beetle Dune for at least 23.630 euros from the dealer.
Compared to the normal Beetle, the surcharge is over 5.000 euros, depending on the engine. There is a body slightly modified in the direction of a crossover: the chassis is one centimeter higher, the track has been widened by 1,4 centimeters and a new front and rear apron as well as a lush spoiler give the new Beetle a more independent appearance. In order to give the driver and front passenger a bit of a desert feeling away from California highways, Volkswagen has given the Dune its own styling package for the interior: the dashboard painted yellow matches the exterior paintwork in Sandstorm Yellow. If that's too conspicuous for you, you can choose from a handful of other colors with coordinated cockpit furnishings.
With black decorative parts and an indicated underride guard in silver, the Dune looks more robust. The equipment on board includes air conditioning, an automatically dimming interior mirror, cruise control, rain sensor and seat heating in the front. For a surcharge, there are extras such as xenon headlights, a fender sound system, smartphone connection or a panoramic roof for the coupe.
The Dune, which is available both as a coupé and as a convertible, is available with all five engines of the standard Beetle. The three petrol engines produce 77 kW / 105 PS, 110 kW / 150 PS and 162 kW / 220 PS. When it comes to diesel engines, customers have the choice between 81 kW / 110 PS and 110 kW / 150 PS - the dual clutch transmission is also available for the Dune, but all-wheel drive that would go well with the crossover look is not.