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By EWAN KENNEDY
22 March 2010
Volkswagen's New Beetle just keeps on keeping on. The car that was
launched as a youthful, way-out fashion statement almost 10 years
ago has now become middle-aged – no, elderly – in automotive
terms. Yet various facelifts and new suits of clothes have let it
retain its presence on the road, as well as outside cafes, even in
the few remaining drive-in theatres Australia wide.
Much as we are tempted to use the phrase ‘mutton dressed up as
lamb’ in our description of the 2010 special edition VW New
Beetle BlackOrange, there's no denying this is a car aimed at
those who like to be noticed and don’t care what other people
think.
Grab a look at the colour scheme; orange and black complement the
outstanding shape of the Beetle both inside and out. And just in
case you hadn’t noticed the colours(!) there are giant signs
screaming out ‘ORANGE’ on the sides of the doors. Front
foglights are part of the package.
Unusually for a special edition, the New Beetle
BlackOrange is offered in two colour combinations: a Black Gloss
exterior with silver door mirrors, silver alloy wheels and lower
body side decals in silver. Then there's a Red Rock Metallic
exterior with black roof and exterior mirrors, black painted alloy
wheels and lower body side decals done in Black.
In coupe format the VW BlackOrange gets 17-inch alloy wheels,
whereas the cabriolet has 18-inch units. In both cases the
slightly firmer sports suspension has been specified on the
understanding that people who love the colour combo are also the
types who want to pedal just that little bit harder. And the
pedals are done in alloy as part of the sporting package.
Inside the trim is done in a material Volkswagen calls
Leatherette, which looks suspiciously like vinyl to us. Seat
styling is strong and certainly suits the outrageous nature of the
BlackOrange’s body.
Volkswagen Australia is selling the New Beetle BlackOrange in both
turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel format. This comes as no surprise as
the company is very keen on promoting the economy of diesel as a
fuel.
For the BlackOrange edition, VW has added $800 to the price of the
standard New Beetle in coupe format, but the cabriolet version
comes at no extra cost.
Shy and retiring types should probably shop elsewhere, but those
who don’t mind a bit of fun in their automotive lives should
head to their local VW dealer quick smart because we reckon this
special edition New Beetle BlackOrange won't hang around
Australian showrooms.
Prices, excluding on-road costs, are:
New Beetle BlackOrange coupe: $27,500 (manual), $30,000
(automatic)
New Beetle BlackOrange convertible: $37,700 (manual), $40,200
(automatic)
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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