The Volkswagen New Beetle RSi attracts loads of attention, but it’s not the kind you really want. Even in Germany most people don’t know Volkswagen built a super Bug. Motorists and passerby quickly write off the RSi as a basic, diesel-slurping New Beetle with oversized alloys, soda can-sized exhaust pipes, and an aftermarket body kit that would fit right in at the SEMA show. They don’t know what they’re missing.
What is it?
The New Beetle RSi started life as an outrageous concept introduced during the 1999 edition of the Detroit Auto Show. At the time, members of the press assumed it was a simple design study built to turn heads on the auto show circuit. It could have remained a concept, but the public’s response was surprisingly positive so Volkswagen began turning its retro icon into a seriously quick hot hatch.
The RSi concept’s futuristic design was noticeably toned down. No longer cute, the production car landed in 2001 with a body kit that included flared fenders, large air dams up front, a pair of spoilers out back, and an air diffuser built into the rear bumper. The RSi looked like a street-legal version of the cars that competed in the New Beetle Cup.
The hot-rodded Beetle was limited to 250 examples and only available in silver. The model displayed in the Volkswagen museum (and featured in this article) is an exception because it was special-ordered by Ferdinand Piëch for his collection of blue cars. If anyone had enough influence at Volkswagen to bend the rules it was Piëch. Besides, he played a key role in helping the RSi make the jump from the show floor to the showroom floor so a custom paint job was the least the factory could do to thank him.
Power came from a 3.2-liter, 24-valve VR6 engine that made 225 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 234 pound-feet of torque at 3,200 rpm. The six spun all four wheels via a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission derived from the unit found in the Audi TT, and Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system.
In short, the RSi isn’t a silly tuned Beetle plucked from the set of The Fast and Furious. It’s the car that every R-badged Golf to date traces its roots to.
A race car in disguise
On paper, the RSi is impressive. It hits 62 mph from a stop in 6.4 seconds and it doesn’t stop accelerating until it reaches 155 mph. To put that first figure into perspective, it’s about as fast to 62 mph as a 986-series Porsche Boxster with the 2.7-liter engine. The VR6’s power is overwhelming for the standard New Beetle chassis so Volkswagen comprehensively upgraded the braking system and the suspension.
The RSi is even more impressive with your foot buried deep in the throttle. The VR6 is a lively, linear, and responsive unit. It generates power the old-fashioned way – with sheer displacement – so there’s no waiting for the turbos to spool up, but it really begins to push hard after the tach needle crosses the 3,000-rpm mark. The crisp six-speed manual is commanded through a short-throw shifter that’s rubbery to operate yet surgically precise.
There is a phenomenal amount of grip thanks to the wide tires and the 4Motion system, which uses a Haldex-type coupling to transfer the six-cylinder’s power where it’s needed most. And, the suspension is much stiffer than stock so there’s virtually no body lean, the RSi corners flat no matter how fast you toss it into a turn. As expected, the trade-off is that it gives the impression that it’s trying to break your spine one cobblestone at a time while driving through small German villages. This is a 16-year old car, so there is no mother-in-law-friendly comfort mode to soften it up. It’s all performance, all the time.
The steering is click-in perfect and it offers plenty of feedback, so it’s easy to point the RSi where you want it to go. However, 4Motion adds weight and the RSi tips the scale on the wrong side of 3,300 pounds. The mass makes its presence known on twisty roads, where the RSi feels nowhere near as nimble as other hot hatches from the same era. It’s excellent to drive, but enthusiasts looking for a retro-styled GTI will be disappointed.
The view from the cockpit
The muscular, track-ready treatment continues in the cabin. Notably, Volkswagen wisely decided not to equip the RSi with the flower vase found in the regular New Beetle.
On a more serious note, the RSi greets the front occupants with a pair of heated Recaro bucket seats upholstered with soft leather. They’re true sport seats, not boilerplate units developed to make Average Joe drop a few grand on an option package to feel like Juan Manuel Fangio. The passengers sit in them, not on them.
The rest of the cabin feels familiar if you’ve driven a New Beetle, but there are a handful of RSi-specific add-ons including door panels made out of carbon fiber, billet aluminum trim pieces, and an ignition button installed right next to the handbrake on the center console. A metal plaque engraved with the RSi’s serial number discreetly reminds the occupants of the car’s rarity; the model tested here is number two, and it’s one of the very few painted in blue.
The area normally occupied by the radio is home to three gauges that display the oil temperature, the oil pressure, and the voltage, respectively. A quick look up reveals the radio has been relocated to right behind the map light, where it’s surrounded by an Alcantara headliner. We recommend bringing tunes along for the ride. The exhaust emits a nice growl low in the rev range, but the engine drones loudly for miles on end on the highway.
The bottom line
The Volkswagen New Beetle RSi is a street-legal race car in a Beetle suit. It’s also the wildest the Beetle is likely to get. Granted, today’s model is available with a GTI-derived 2.0-liter turbo four that delivers 210 horsepower, but it’s nowhere near as hardcore – or as fun to drive – as the RSi.
Get in line and start saving up if you want one. It’s outstandingly rare in Europe, and the odds of seeing one in the United States are slim to none because it was never sold here for a handful of reasons. First, homologating such a low-volume model was deemed too costly and time-consuming. Second, Volkswagen believed few Americans would warm up to the idea of paying more for a Beetle than for a base Porsche 911, even with a six-cylinder crammed between the fenders.
from Hemmings Daily – News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/2faA6r5
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