Volkswagen calls the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI the "most fuel efficient 21st Century Beetle" because those old veedubs managed impressive fuel economy feats before safety was an issue. Legal precision aside, shoving a diesel in a new-but-not-New Volkswagen Beetle gives American men a shot at an affordable diesel coupe.
If you live in the United States and love diesel motors but want to limit yourself to a coupe body style your choices are sort of limited. Or nonexistent. You could get a truck or you could get a three-door Volkswagen Golf, neither of which count. The outgoing Beetle TDI was meant for men or women, but only purchased by women for some reason.
This latest Beetle will offer a respectable mix of 29 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway when it goes on sale later this summer. Like the Golf TDI, it uses the company's 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injection "Clean Diesel" engine. It's good for 140 horsepower and a typically-diesel 236 lb-ft of torque.
Pricing and detailed performance specs should come out closer to the car's Chicago Auto Show launch, but we're guessing the hilariously German "TDI with Sunroof, Sound, and Navigation" trim is the top-of-the-line. Here's hoping that goes on a badge.