Before driving the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line, I struggled with the fact that the Volkswagen Golf GTI, costing about the same, is roomier (holds three in the back), is more utilitarian, has more torque (258 lb-ft) and is always on TFLcar’s list as one of the best hot-hatches for the money. How could the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line compete with that? Surprisingly, it proved itself to be a playful little car with just enough masculinity to make it endearing to me.
Setting itself apart from the Beetle with the 1.8-liter turbo, the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line tester I drove came with Bi-Xenon headlights, R-Line front and rear bumpers (with an opening on top of the front bumper for an air-scoop), Panoramic sunroof and 19″ Tornado wheels. The overall look is purposeful and more athletic than the regular Beetle. It sits low, on top of a sports-tuned suspension and the dual exhaust tips hint at the power without looking obnoxious.
Speaking of power: the award-winning 210 horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder makes 207 lb-ft of torque. The sweet spot for the turbocharger to spool up and give you great power is around 2,200 rpm. Leading up to 2,000 rpm, there is a bit of turbo-lag. My tester was fitted with a six-speed manual transmission. The clutch is a bit soft, but the throws are just-right giving it a very sporty feel and it’s a breeze to shift in traffic.
Although well put-together, the interior is one of the places where Volkswagen should have been more creative. Given the variety of ways a Mini Cooper’s interior can be configured and livened up, the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line is a bit of a let-down. Still, the front seat feel is an ideal compromise between sport and comfort. The back seats are tight and best-suited for people under 5’6″.
The hard plastics look nice, especially the door trim. Unfortunately, sound deadening material is thin as road noise was prodigious. Fortunately, the 8-speaker, 400-watt Fender Premium Audio System fixes all external noises. It is one of the best sounding systems in this price range. Another cool touch is the flat-bottom steering wheel. Looks nifty, but it needs more padding.
Acceleration and braking are not quite as impressive as the Volkswagen GTI, but the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line surprised a lot of drivers on various on-ramps and red lights. It has no problem hitting 60 mph in (just) under seven seconds and, once you let the power spool-up, hard launches turn into a fun mix of tire spin and a bit of torque-steer.
I averaged a mediocre 25 mpg, but that was combined with a lot of spirited driving.
Performance, real-world performance is where the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line shines. It scurries around corners, feeling light and easily controllable. Traction is an issue, but even when the inside wheel is clawing for grip, it never seems to upset the chassis. I always felt in control and throwing a hard corner at the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line never worried me. This is one of those rare cars that’s fun to drive on an errand.
While the overall package would never suit me, (the GTI is still a better vehicle) I think the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line is silly fun, attempting to be serious while truly having a fun soul. It’s not a real hot-hatch, but it is the best interpretation of Volkswagen’s current Beetle that I’ve driven.
If you need to drive your car in Arizona, chances are you’ll have a great experience.
Five Arizona cities made it onto the top 10 list of best cities for driving by WalletHub, a personal finance website. WalletHub looked at commuting times, gridlock, auto repair shops per capita and gas prices of the 100 most populated cities in the U.S.
The website ranked the cities from one to 100, with one being the best and 100 the worst. Scottsdale, Arizona ranked as the number one best city while the nation’s capitol ranked as the worst at 100.
Besides Scottsdale, the other Arizona communities that ranked within the top 10 included Tucson in second place, Gilbert in fourth, Mesa in fifth and Chandler in sixth. Nevada and Texas also had two cities each that placed in the top 10. In Texas, Corpus Christi ranked third and Laredo ranked eighth. In Las Vegas, Reno ranked seventh and Las Vegas ranked ninth.
Rounding out the top 10 list was Tampa, Florida.
On the flip side, on the top 10 worst cities California had two cities to receive the dubious recognition with San Francisco ranking third and Oakland as seventh.
The other cities that made it as the worst in the nation were Washington, D.C. in first place; Detroit, Michigan in second place; Chicago, Illinois in fourth; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in fifth; Baltimore, Maryland in sixth; New York, New York in eighth; Seattle, Washington in ninth; and Boston, Massachusetts.
WalletHub also compared some of the best to the worst in specific categories to see how they stack up against each other.
For example, 12th-ranked Lubbock, Texas had the fewest average annual hours of traffic delays per car commuter at 12, which is about seven times fewer than Washington, D.C., data from WalletHub indicated.
When looking at car thefts, two California cities were polar opposites. Irvine, which ranked in the middle of the pack at 63, had the lowest rate of thefts per 1,000 residents, or 0.52, which is 31 times lower than Oakland, which was the highest at 15.90.
For average gas prices, motorists saw the best deal in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which ranked at 51. In Tulsa, the lowest average gas price was $2.04, which is about 1.5 times lower than Chicago’s, which had the highest at $3.02 per gallon, data from WalletHub Indicated.
Visit WalletHub’s website to view the 100 cities and where they ranked.
A TFL staffer has a friend who received the following letter from the dealer who sold him a 2015 Passat TDI that was affected by the scandal commonly known as “dieselgate.” You know it’s serious when it ends in “gate.” Anyway, see the letter below.
Hello Everyone,
I thought I would try to give everyone an update on what we know about the VW TDI issue. I am flying to Dallas next week on the 20th to meet with Volkswagen in regards to details of how this moves forward.
Here is what I do know :
1) An agreement was made between Volkswagen, EPA and CARP and others and in this agreement. There will be an offer of a settlement of at least $5100 (this is the minimum amount) for owners of affected cars (must have owned the car prior to last September).
2) Volkswagen has agreed (if the customer wants) to offer to repurchase the affected cars based on a valuation of NADA clean trade as of September 2015 (I am hoping to get more details next week).
3) Customers will have an option to keep their vehicle (if they choose not to take the buy back) and have it repaired (we are still unclear of when these vehicle will be repaired or how the will be repaired) and will still receive the Cash settlement offer of a minimum of $5100 (some vehicles will be higher).
I have included a link below that may be helpful, I am recommending that everyone go on the https://www.vwcourtsettlement.com/en/(see below) website and put your vehicle VIN number in the Vehicle Lookup tab and put in your contact information as I believe this will be what VW uses to proceed forward.
I have personally spoken to several of you and know that everyone is eager to move forward. We as a dealership are as well. Thank you for your patience and hopefully soon we will have more specific information so that everyone can have a better understanding on what this agreement is and what it means to everyone. https://www.vwcourtsettlement.com/en/
While it seems the dealer does not have much new information for owners of affected cars, this is the latest piece of information we have related to the remedy that was announced several weeks ago. For details on VW’s plans watch the video below in which Andre and I do our best to cut through the legal jargon and explain the meat and potatoes of the “dieselgate” settlement.
Dodge is saying goodbye to the Viper, maybe this time for good.
The company will release the 2017 Viper as the last model year for the iconic vehicle, which was introduced in 1992 but has seen some years where it’s been discontinued.
TFLcar’s Roman Mica was in Chelsea, Michigan recently getting a look at the new Viper and seeing some limited-edition models that will commemorate some of the best models of the Viper over its 25-year history.
A representative from Dodge gave an overview of the four limited-edition models, which included a Voodoo Two, ACR 128, GTS-R and GTC models.
Dodge expects to only produce 31 of the Voodoo Two models, which commemorate the first Voodoo from 2010; 28 of the ARC 128, which commemorates Dodge’s track record at Laguna Seca; 100 of the GTS-R, which commemorates the original model released in 1998; and 25 of the GTC, which commemorates the Viper’s most highly customizable model.
Will 2017 be the end of the Viper? And, is it still a fun car to drive that stays true to its American heritage? Find out by watching the full TFLcar video above.
The Toyota Camry is the best-selling passenger car in the land, and it has been for quite some time. Last year, the Camry racked up well north of 400,000 sales, and despite a strong push from the all-new Honda Civic, the Camry is on pace to get close to 400,000 sales this year too.
But despite this ubiquity, I’ve never driven one. So I was very excited when a 2016 Toyota Camry SE with the Special Edition package was dropped off at my door.
Styling is always a subjective thing, but to me, the current generation Camry is a pretty good looking sedan. I actually like the looks a lot better than its most obvious competitor, the Honda Accord. I always thought the last few generations of Accords were rather lumpy and frumpy. The Camry’s smoother lines and subtle use of black accents work to make this by far the best-looking Camry in its long history. Of course, neither one could hold a candle to the Mazda6, which to me is one of the best-looking sedans in the world, regardless of market segment or price.
The Special Edition package adds to the already attractive lines with a striking color of blue that Toyota calls Blue Streak Metallic. Outside, the package also adds stunning black-and-silver alloy wheels, a tasteful rear spoiler, and a sunroof. Inside, the package adds blue inserts on the seats, blue stitching everywhere, blue accents on the dash, blue numbers and pointers on the gauge cluster – well, it’s all very blue, but not in an overwhelming way. The accents tie the whole theme together. The package can be had with other exterior colors besides blue, but blue is the best. They should’ve just called it the blue package and been done with it.
Under the hood is the same 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine as in the Toyota RAV4 tested earlier. It makes 178 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 170 lb-ft of torque at 4,100 rpm. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.
Whereas that engine felt sluggish and pokey in the RAV4, it feels lively and quick in the Camry. Of course it’s not going to embarrass a Hellcat at the drag strip, but it never feels wanting for acceleration. The transmission shifts quickly and decisively and it responds well to the paddle shifters. It can also be shifted with the stubby, leather-clad shifter, but Toyota should take a cue from their business parters at Mazda and change around the shift pattern to the proper racing style of forward for downshifts and back for upshifts.
The Camry Special Edition has the same sport-tuned suspension as the regular SE trim level. I don’t know quite what that means or how it’s tuned, but whatever Toyota did works. The steering has the typical numbness found in most electric systems, but at least it’s direct and accurate with decent weighting. The suspension keeps the car planted in hard corners with minimal body roll and good control. There’s a slight trade-off in ride quality, but not enough to be too harsh. What’s also refreshing is that there’s no sport mode to turn on – it’s always in sport mode, and that is much appreciated.
Despite the added sportiness, the Camry doesn’t forget that it’s an economical sedan. It’s rated at 25 mpg city and 35 mpg highway with 28 mpg combined, but for the week I had it, the Camry got a little over 30 mpg. That’s with at least 85 percent in-town driving, and I wasn’t exactly light on the throttle.
The Camry surprised the hell out of me with its road manners. It’s a genuinely fun car to drive, but that leads to the elephant in the room. That stubby shifter is the perfect size and shape and is in the perfect location to be attached to a manual transmission. It needs to be on a manual; it’s begging for it. It’s the shifter’s reason for being. For those looking for a sporty, affordable, mid-size sedan with a stick, the only real options are the Honda Accord Sport and the Mazda6 Touring. If Toyota added a manual to the SE, it would put it in a segment with few choices, which could add sales, or at least add to its cachet as a sporty sedan. Plus, it would really make the car come alive. It’s a great car with an automatic; it would be a fantastic car with a stick.
Interior space is cavernous for four people. The front seats are very comfortable, and with the eight-way power driver’s seat it’s easy to find a perfect driving position. The steering wheel is wide, but it has the right amount of thickness and leather trim. The dash is simple and attractive, with a huge center console and a cell phone cubby with Qi charging. The cubby didn’t fit my huge iPhone (I have the big one) in a way that would allow me to use the charger, but since I couldn’t use the Qi charger anyway, it didn’t matter. Regular-sized cell phones should fit just fine.
The infotainment system is typical Toyota and is identical to the RAV4’s. Curiously, while the RAV4 had the optional JBL sound system, the Camry didn’t, but it sounded much better. In fact, it’s one of the best-sounding factory stereos I’ve heard, at least to my ears.
The Camry SE has the usual options for a car in its price range – cruise control, power locks and windows, satellite radio, Bluetooth, navigation, etc. – but one curious omission is the lack of automatic climate control. The manual controls are easy to use, and in a way it’s nice to have more control over the HVAC, but it’s something that is usually included in a $27,000 car.
The Camry has a large trunk with 60/40 split folding seats, but the passthrough is narrow and the seats don’t fold very flat. There’s also no ski passthrough in the seats, which would allow four people to take their skis to the slopes without the need of a roof rack. This is such a narrow use case, though, that it doesn’t detract much from the Camry’s utility, and the trunk is so large most people will rarely fold the seats down anyway.
Base price for the Camry SE with the Special Edition package is $25,715, but with the updated stereo and destination, the out-the-door price is $27,075.
When the Camry SE is compared with its competition, though, it starts to feel a little lacking. Compared to the other sporty, four-cylinder, midsize cars, the Camry is a little on the expensive side. The Mazda6 and Accord Sport can both be had for less money with a manual transmission, but comparing apples to apples, the automatic versions of both are about the same price but with more content and more power.
At least the apples-to-apples comparison puts the Camry slightly ahead of the Accord (and the Nissan Altima SR, too), largely because it has an actual automatic transmission, not a CVT. A good CVT is better than a bad automatic, but a good automatic will win out every time. The Mazda6 is still a better option for those looking for a sporty sedan, although the Ford Fusion SE is around the same price and can be had with much more powerful, turbocharged engines.
On the TFLcar scale of:
Buy It,
Lease It,
Rent It,
or Forget It,
The 2016 Toyota Camry SE Special Edition gets a Buy It!
With the SE Special Edition, Toyota finally has a car that competes on more than just the company’s reputation for quality. This car is genuinely fun to drive, it looks good, it gets good fuel economy and it’s reasonably priced.
My only fear is that the Special Edition package is the only thing making this Camry special. I look forward to driving more Camrys in the future, plus there’s a new one on the horizon for 2018 based on the new TNGA platform that made the new Prius a better car to drive, so hopefully the new-found sportiness will only get better.
Check out this related TFLcar video where the V-6 Camry was mashed up against the hybrid:
They came in red, white and blue, and an assortment of colors in between.
Mini owners had the chance to show off their vehicles and their Mini pride while enjoying the beauty of the U.S. during the 2016 Mini Takes the States rally, which started on July 9.
TFL’s Roman and Tommy Mica caught up with some of the participants during day three recently as the rally was heading toward Baltimore, Maryland. This year marks the 10th year for the rally, which ends in Palm Springs, California after 14 days and 4,000 miles.
During their third day, they drove a 2016 Mini Cooper S convertible that came equipped with a 189 horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Roman and Tommy were at the rally for three days, having also driven a Mini Clubman and a JCW.
Throughout their travels, they talked to people from different parts the country who decided to participate in the rally and drive along with their fellow Mini enthusiasts.
Both Roman and Mica noticed this rally was much different from the others, and that the people and some of their special guests they brought with them were fun and friendly.
Which Mini did Tommy and Mica like best? And, who were some of the special guests the Mini owners brought along with them? Find out by watching the full TFLcar video above.
It’s been a while since TFLcar checked in on pony car sales, but now that the half-year mark is past, it’s time to see how the quintessential American muscle cars are doing.
In a word, abysmally.
The Ford Mustang is still the king of the pony cars and has a nearly insurmountable 26,000-sale lead over the Chevrolet Camaro, but numbers are down nearly 17 percent for the month and nearly eight percent for the year.
Despite being the second-highest seller for the year, the Camaro dropped way down in June. Sales were off more than 42 percent for the month and are down 13.5 percent for the year. Both numbers are the sharpest declines of the bunch.
The Dodge Challenger has the smallest yearly drop so far, only six percent for the year, and its monthly decline of 20 percent puts it right between the other two.
It just doesn’t look like a good year for the pony/muscle car, no matter how good they are. Enthusiasts are spoiled by the competency of both the Mustang and Camaro as not only straight-line racers but cars that can handle a track or a twisty road. The Challenger may be more of a stoplight drag racer, but with an available 707-hp Hellcat engine, not much can beat it.
Pony Car Sales – June 2016
June 2016 #
June 2016/2015
YTD 2016 #
YTD 2016/2015 %
Ford Mustang
9,776
-16.6%
62,965
-7.8%
Dodge Challenger
5,479
-20.0%
34,607
-6.0%
Chevrolet Camaro
4,969
-42.3%
36,834
-13.5%
Check out this related TFLcar video of two of the cars in the segment, the 2016 Ford Mustang GT and the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS.
How fast can the new 2017 Fiat 124 Spider go from zero to 60? TFL’s Roman Mica decided to find out recently when he was at the Chargers Stadium in San Diego, California.
Roman and a special guest, Alex Dykes from Alex on Autos, took the silver convertible Spider out for a spin to see how peppy it really is.
The Spider, which is all new this year and went on sale in June, is based off the Mazda Miata platform. The model Roman was driving had a 1.4-liter Multiair turbo four-cylinder engine that makes 160 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque.
Throughout Roman’s attempts, the speeds showed different times as the Spider reached 30, 40, 50 and 60 mph.
How fast did the Spider ultimately go when Roman went from zero to 60 mph? Find out by watching the full video above.
Some exciting potential news for hot hatch fans: VW could be working on a more powerful Golf R with the Audi RS3's five-cylinder engine to launch in 2027.
