When I was writing up my review for the 2016 Beetle Dune Convertible, I was considering cramming it full of painfully geeky Dune references, but I talked myself out of it. But I still sort of want to, so let me just get it out of my system real quick right now, in a few paragraphs. So, you know, brace yourself.
Okay, here goes: as many Dune-related references as I can cram in and still talk about cars:
The best part about the Beetle Dune is that it’s currently the only car available on Arrakis that has a real, viable stillsuit integration system, which VW calls StillLink. You just plug the input and output tubes of your suit into the provided ports on the seat, and the motion of the car handles all of the suit’s pumping needs.
The reclaimed water flows into a common resovoir, where it’s filtered – a great addition when it comes to drinking your own recycled urine.
Plus, the Beetle Dune’s use of a Spice-enhanced GPS system lets you find out about traffic situations before they happen, thanks to the limited prescience.
The Bene Tleilax-sourced slig-leather upholstery is great, and since it’s still technically living, manages to stay warm on those cold Arrakeen nights, though the sweating is a little weird. VW has also recently started using real Ixian-sourced transmissions, and you can really feel the difference in the smoother shifting when compared to the old ones made on Richese.
Also great: the car has deployable Maker Hooks so you can ride the giant sandworms of the desert without leaving the comfort of the car! Finally, right?
Holy shit, that was geeky. I’m so sorry.