Abt ahead of its time
Only in October will the new Beetle model be available in dealers’ showrooms. But this has not prevented Abt Sportsline from giving us a hint of what is to come with their version of the new creepy-crawly made in Wolfsbburg. There is a lot of hectic work being done at Abt’s headquarters and it can be assumed that since they are preferred tuners for products of the Volkswagen concern they have plenty of insider knowledge which puts them well out in front of rival firms.
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- Abt also do something for the car’s look with an aerodynamics kit comprising front spoiler, rear fascia, rear skirt unit and side skirts. The housings for the lighting arrays as harmonize well with the design of the Beetle.
Power upgrade for petrol and diesel motors
A further advantage is the fact that Volkswagen will be installing in the Beetle only motorizations already deployed in other recent VW models. The tuner is not releasing precise data but there are reliable forecasts concerning the power enhancements that are in the works. Take, for example, the two litre turbo: In standard trim it has 200 horsepower, but Hans-Jürgen Abt promises “that an Abt version will deliver 230 or 240”. The standard version of the 105 horsepower 1,2 TSI will be boosted to 140. The increase for the 1.4 TSI… in standard trim producing 160 horsepower… will after tuning be 210. Fans of diesel motorization will also be happy with the enhancements on the horizon. The 1.6 TDI will be upped from 105 to 125 horsepower and the two litre TDI will jump by 30 horsepower to 170.
Big wheels
With a set of new springs the Beetle’s suspension will offer greater agility. And Abt also do something for the car’s look with an aerodynamics kit comprising front spoiler, rear fascia, rear skirt unit and side skirts. The housings for the front and rear lighting arrays as well as the new end muffler harmonize well with the design of the Beetle. The DR alloys will be available in sizes up to 19 inches. One might be slightly concerned when learning that… as for the A1… Abt are offering decorative sets. These will demand of the car’s occupants a degree of self-assurance if they contemplate being seen in an auto boasting the ‘Splodge’ or ‘Aloha’ graphic treatment. However the finish shown in the photos is perfectly acceptable in our view… with this attitude an Abt Beetle would cut a fine figure on the Motorvision test track.
