Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI is America's most fuel-efficient convertible

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/volks...photo-4836128/

What's better than driving with the top down and the wind in your hair? Cruising in the open air while saving a ton of money at the pump.

The EPA has just released its figures for the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, and the numbers don't lie. The Beetle Convertible TDI, with its 140 horsepower diesel four-cylinder, gets 21 miles per gallon city and 41 mpg highway when paired with the six-speed manual transmission. That highway number makes the Beetle Convertible TDI the most fuel efficient convertible in America.

Want more power and still want to save fuel? The turbocharged 2.0-liter gas engine puts out 200 horsepower while returning 21 mpg city and 30 highway.

By comparision, the Smart ForTwo Cabriolet gets 34/38, with a combined rating of 36 mpg. That's good enough to beat out the Beetle Convertible TDI's 32 combined MPG, but if you do more highway driving, no other droptop will rival the max fuel economy of the Beetle.

The Tesla Roadster, which would have been far and away the most fuel-efficient convertible on the market, is sold out and not in production in the U.S. for 2013.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/06/2...fficient-conv/

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

Cool, finally something fun to drive that finally takes the title off the boring/slow Smart for two convt.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

pretty darn good fuel economy

mmarshall

Yep.....so much for the Beetle being a feminine car. Go to it, guys.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

so is this the only diesel convertible around?

mmarshall

VW also has the small Eos retracting-hardtop convertible. They don't sell a TDI version in the U.S. (a marketing error, IMO), but they may (?) in some other countries.

Fizzboy7

I don't see how the redesign is any more masculine. But that's not the problem. What's going on here is VW cannot change this car much, and the new version looks too much like the old. The problem with that is the car is not fresh enough and will have to endure another 7-8 years in this form. At a quick glance, the car looks like the first gen to most passer-bys. This is not going to cut it. We've seen all these lines and shapes since 1998.
VW has a big problem here and I'd hate to be the one in charge of it's body. I wouldn't even know which direction to take it to keep it fresh. Maybe an entire new direction is on order, where the next model strays from the heritage of the original. I dont' see this same old body lasting another ten years and making the company a big profit. Time to think out of the circle.