Considering that we were already well and truly impressed by the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle during our recent review of the re-styled (read: manlier) automotive icon, we didn’t think VW could please us much more. But lo and behold that’s not the case as the German automaker has announced that it will add a diesel version of the beefed-up Beetle for the 2013 model year.
The oil-burning 2013 Beetle TDI will start at $23,295 and feature a standard six-speed manual transmission across the car’s three trim levels. For added style and substance, customers can upgrade their TDI with a sunroof — which also upgrades the price to $24,895 — or add sunroof and navigation for roughly $2,000 more. The 2013 Beetle TDI will slot in next to the existing Beetle lineup that includes both a 2.5-liter five-cylinder and a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engines.
If you’re the impatient type then no need to worry because VW has you covered. The 2013 Beetle TDI will hit dealerships this August and feature Volkswagen’s acclaimed 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct injection Clean Diesel engine capable of spitting out 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque.
Obviously one of the greatest benefits of diesel engines is their improved mileage rates. The 2013 Beetle TDI continues that trend with Volkswagen estimating fuel economy to sit at 41 mpg on the highway and 32 mpg in the city with a manual transmission. For those keeping track, that’s an 11 mpg increase to highway mileage and 10 mpg increase in the city over the gasoline-powered 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.
Of course if manual transmission isn’t your style VW will offer a six-speed automatic tranny across all trim levels for an additional $1,100. But seeing has how much fun we had with Wolfsburg’s six-speed DSG, we can only imagine the sorts of trouble we can get into with a much more engaging stick shift.
