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Volkwagen Reviews Beetle Eurovan Jetta Passat |
Volkwagen Reviews2002 Beetle Der Beetle becomes a lightning Bug. Base Price (MSRP) $15,900 As Tested (MSRP) $23,750 Volkswagen has kicked its retro-fad car into high gear with the introduction of a New Beetle Turbo S. Flying off the line from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a mere 7.4 seconds, the new Turbo S promises to appeal to a wider audience: guys, in other words. A true lightning bug, the Turbo S has been clocked at 130 mph and features a speed-activated rear spoiler. That sounds like more than a mere nostalgia car. Technically, competitors will include its cousin, the Audi TT, its stablemates, the Golf GTI, and, in some circles, other retro-mobiles like the PT Cruiser, the Thunderbird and the Mini. But the newest Beetle's unique looks and stand-out performance make it a species apart. The rest of the Beetle line continues to turn heads, however, and 2002 brings special color editions in Riviera Blue and Pastel Green; Snap Orange, Double Yellow, and Cyber Green come with special seats, trim, and wheel inserts. Very cool. 2002 EuroVan  V is for Volume, value. And Vroom! Base Price (MSRP) $26,200 As Tested (MSRP) $28,490 Volkswagen, Van and Volume go together very well, and have for the half-century since the first VW Transporter was made. The VW van may not have had the capacity of a full-size American van, but there was a lot of room on the inside compared to the space it took up on the road. The V-word that has never been associated with Volkswagen vans is Velocity. After years of building a van with what German engineers think drivers need, they finally built one with what American drivers want: power, 201 horsepower, to be exact. While they were at it, they lowered the price more than $5000, which brings in another V-word: Value. The price-performance ratio that had kept American buyers away in droves has been flipped, and if all is right with the world, customers should be beating down dealers' doors for this better mousetrap. Perfect it's not, but this Van has Volume, Velocity and Value, and yes, it's a Volkswagen. 2002 Jetta  Thirty more horses add jet to Jetta 1.8T. Base Price (MSRP) $16,850 As Tested (MSRP) $23,750 The Volkswagen Jetta is the best-selling European import on the U.S. market, and with good reason. It's like the Schmoo, the critter in the old Lil' Abner comic strip that was anything you wanted it to be. The Jetta is available in any guise, from low-cost sedan to compact luxury car to high-mileage diesel to station wagon. If you want the Schmoomobile to be a sports sedan, the Jetta happily obliges as a Jetta GLS 1.8T. Volkswagen retuned the 1.8-liter turbocharged engine for this little sports sedan to produce 180 horsepower, up 30 from last year's model. Starting at less than $20,000, the Jetta GLS 1.8T is a subcompact that is a lot of fun to drive, but still offers a lot of practicality. 2002 Passat  Fresh styling, more power, and a great warranty. Base Price (MSRP) $21,750 As Tested (MSRP) $22,300 Volkswagen's Passat was completely redesigned for 2002. Though the Passat gains bolder contours and new lights front and rear, this new model goes well beyond a styling revision. Volkswagen claims the only parts not changed are the roof and the doors. The chassis is 10 percent stiffer and the base engine has gained horsepower and torque, at low rpm where it's needed for quicker acceleration from intersections and robust response around town. Advances inside include new styling and new side curtain airbags. Conflicting U.S. and European laws forced Volkswagen to launch its new Passat as a 2001 model, despite the old Passat having been sold since the fall of 2000 as a 2001 model also. To deal with this, Volkswagen's marketing people dubbed the new Passat a "2001.5" model, a convention we followed to avoid confusion (though in future years completely different "2001 Passats" will sit next to each other on the used car lot). Since autumn 2002, however, the new model, almost unchanged from its mid-2001 intro, has been sold as a 2002 model. For these cars VW doubled the bumper-to-bumper warranty to four years or 50,000 miles and made changes to its powertrain and roadside assistance warranties. Also new for 2002 Passats is a cruise control indicator light, a new in-dash CD/cassette radio and an on-off switch for the GLX's self-dimming mirror. Volkswagen Reviews
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