2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible

2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible

Episode 3237 , Episode 3251
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

After what has been very long winter for most of the country, warm weather is finally here. And what better way to fully enjoy it than dropping the top in a convertible and finding that less travelled road to nowhere. Well, open air motoring is what this special edition of MotorWeek is all about. So, let’s start with a near perfect cure for the winter blues, the all-new Volkswagen Beetle Convertible.

Following last year’s intro of a more masculine 3rd generation Beetle Coupe, comes the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. But, even after the manly makeover, the Beetle remains what it has always been; a cute, little car that turns heads wherever you go. 

Impressively enough, all of the Coupe’s powertrain options are available, including the TDI Clean Diesel, which was our choice for this test. And after a few weeks of wheel time, we had mixed feelings on the 140-horsepower oil burner and its 236 lb-ft. of torque.

While you’ve gotta love the torque, it may not be as impressive as you’re expecting and we hate paying extra for both the engine and the fuel to put in it. Especially when there are so many other engine options. Still, we did enjoy watching the range indicator decline very slowly. 

The new Beetle drop-top’s handling is still on the soft side, but that’s just fine, as this Bug is at its best on gentle highway curves and straightaways while running the tank dry. When driven at a moderate clip, it feels entertaining, if not roadster fun. Pushed harder, this convertible starts to feel overweight; curb weight is up about 120 pounds over the TDI Coupe; and the sunny bug just doesn’t dart in and out of cones or traffic as eagerly as you think it should. 

In a straight line, it has no problem launching with a healthy amount of grunt; but shortly thereafter, the diesel settles into to a relaxed procession down the track. No matter what you try, this Beetle just wants you to take your time and enjoy the ride. Our TDI’s DSG was A-OK with managing its 6-gears all by itself smoothly, if a little slowly, taking us 9.3-seconds to hit 60 and 17.3-seconds to hit 82, and the end of the ¼. 

The interior of the Beetle convertible is familiar with the same wide dash and good German fit-and-finish as the Coupe. Rear seats are actually easy to get into, and even when the top’s up there’s a surprising amount of headroom, but unless the front seat occupants scooch fairly far forward, there’s little leg room. Similar to the coupe.

Trunk space is the same whether the top is stored or not, and is actually good for a compact drop top, down from the Coupe’s 15.4 cubic-ft. to 7.1. The opening is fairly small, but the rear seats backs do still fold for good practicality. Top operation is smooth, quiet, and quick taking about 10-seconds at speeds up to 30 miles-per-hour. 

We drove in a variety of weather conditions, including very hard rain, and found the 3-layer top to be so well insulated; it was hard to tell you were in a convertible. And when the top is stored, it does so more compactly than before, increasing rear visibility and giving this bug a trimmed down look. 

The extra curb weight comes mostly from chassis reinforcements. A-pillar and windshield header supports are thicker, there’s additional bracing under the B-pillars, and there’s a new structure for mounting the Automatic Rollover Support System. 

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are quite good as you would expect for a diesel coming in at 28-City, 41-Highway, and 32-Combined. We topped off the tank and hit the road for a long weekend road trip and averaged a fine 36 miles-per-gallon.  

There are relatively few affordable drop-tops on the market, and the Beetle’s $25,790 entry point certainly makes it one of them. TDI pricing begins at $28,690. 

It’s a true testament to the Beetle’s near universal appeal and longevity that you still see plenty of the original open top Beetles trolling the streets. But the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible offers more than just retro style. It packs good comfort, decent practicality, and everyday livability into an enjoyable, fun-looking package that puts smiles on our faces every time we get behind the wheel. And, that’s what a convertible is all about.

Specifications

  • Horsepower: 140
  • Torque: 236 lb-ft.
  • 0-60 mph: 9.3 seconds
  • 1/4 mile: 17.3 seconds @ 82 mph
  • EPA: 28 mpg city/ 41 mpg highway
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance 1

2024 Audi RS 7 Performance

Up For Grand Touring Around A Racetrack

Episode 4329
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

In recent years, Audi has done an increasingly better job at merging luxury, high tech and sportiness equally into all of their vehicles, but that doesn’t mean they all have the same priorities. So, if you’re wondering what this car is all about… well, it’s right there in the name, the Audi RS 7 Performance!

First and foremost, the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance is absolutely fantastic looking. A gorgeous car from all angles. But this posh performer is a lot more than just a visual treat. Under its silky skin lies a menacing sounding V8 that delivers insane amounts of power and, as we discovered, a gloriously intoxicating driving experience.

RS elements added to Audi’s S7 five-door coupe include new aero treatments with a matte gray finish and silver 21-inch Audi Sport wheels. Those silver wheels are wrapped with 275 Continental summer performance tires and allow for seeing plenty of the enormous brake rotors with black-painted calipers. Up front, there’s a wide grille inhaling all kinds of air and headlights with uniqueness that’s pure Audi. This five-door coupe with frameless door windows speaks a true hardtop design.

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Now that we’ve gotten that out of our system, time to hit the corners of Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway, and it’s been quite some time since we’ve had anything here or on any road course that exhibited this much body roll. It didn’t matter what drive mode we had dialed in, it just liked to roll. You could sense that soft suspension in our acceleration runs too. Bystanders got a clear view of a lot of its hardware, thanks to major rear-end squatting as it exploded off the line. Those explosions resulted in a quick 3.7-second trip to 60 miles-per-hour and full quarter-mile runs of 11.9 seconds at 118 miles-per-hour. Fast indeed, though we’re sure both times would improve in warmer temps than our 40-degree test day.

Drive modes have been recalibrated and shifts by the eight-speed Tiptronic in Dynamic Mode are quick. Indeed, noticeably quicker and firmer than in the RS6 wagon we tested just a few months ago without the “performance” treatment. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard.

We’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners.

The driving force for that acceleration is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 cranking out an additional 30 horsepower from the standard RS 7 thanks to installing bigger turbos. That makes for a 621-horsepower rating, with an even more impressive boost in torque from 590 to 627 lb-ft. And Audi was kind enough to remove a little sound deadening material so we can appreciate it even more through the optional RS sport exhaust system.

For what is really a Grand Tourer built for blasting you away on luxurious adventures, the RS 7 performance is amazingly track capable. Steering is very direct with great feel, and all four wheels are engaged in the process. They’re connected to a new mechanical self-locking center differential that is not only capable of handling the additional power but is lighter and quicker to respond. Chassis software has been recalibrated to make it all work together seamlessly. There must be some serious engineering wizardry happening in the RS-tuned air suspension as we’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners. Brakes were truly phenomenal too; there was some significant nosedive happening, but no wandering or fading no matter how hard we worked them.

And yes, it’s hard to call this actual work, considering this work environment is far from hostile. Absolutely nothing has been compromised when it comes to delivering the luxury car experience you expect from a six-figure Audi. Whether it’s the fabulous real metal, leather, and detailed woven carbon-fiber materials or the fine stitch-work and the always impressive comprehensive digital gauge display, the RS 7 performance feels truly special inside.

2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Dash
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Shifter
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Seat
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Trunk
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Engine
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Dash2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Shifter2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Seat2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Trunk2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Engine

The front seats were supremely comfortable and were only mildly bolstered yet held us in place just fine out on the track. Plenty of room for rear seat passengers too, and there’s even a great 24.6 cubic-feet of cargo space with hatchback versatility. Less practical is all touchscreen all the time for just about every cockpit control.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 14 City, 22 Highway, and 17 Combined. That’s a below average Energy Impact Score of 17.5 barrels of yearly oil use with 8.8 tons of CO2 emissions.

Pricing starts at $129,490, and Audi knows they have a good thing going with the RS 7 performance; so much so, it’s now the only RS 7.

So, could they have just made the RS 7 better instead of tacking “performance” onto the name? Sure, but there’s just something about adding performance to a car name that draws people in. And when it backs it up by delivering more actual performance, well, that’s what we call a win-win. We’d be happy to run some victory laps in the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance anytime.

Specifications

  • Engine: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8
  • Horsepower: 621
  • 0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
  • EPA: 14 City | 22 Highway | 17 Combined
  • Transmission: 8-speed automatic
  • Torque: 627 lb-ft.
  • 1/4 Mile: 11.9 seconds at 118 mph
  • Starting Price: $129,490