Why Can the 1999 Volkswagen Diesel Bug Not Go Over 60 Miles Per Hour?
The 1999 Beetle Volkswagen offers great fuel mileage, a surprising amount of space and a vintage look. But while the VW Bug delivered in acceleration and fuel efficiency, it fell short in passing power and became very noisy at higher speeds due to the diesel engine. The '99 diesel Beetle was great for long hauls, but not ideal for someone who wants speed.
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History
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The Volkswagen Beetle first made its way to the market in 1938 and as of 2011 over 21 million of these cars have been manufactured, making this car the one on the road the longest. When the New Beetle came out in 1998, Volkswagen provided the only diesel option and was trying to create a market for it in the face of the rising cost of gas. The diesel engines get more miles per gallon, but have trouble accelerating past 60 mph.
Features
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The 1999 Beetle was modeled after the architecture of the 1999 Golf. Some of its features included rear-wheel drive, air-cooled four cylinder box engine, side airbags, turbo acceleration, 5 speed manual transmission, and 4 Speed Optional Automatic. The diesel engine could go from 0 - 60 in 11 seconds and, with its 14.5 gallon tank, got 45 miles per gallon.
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Drawbacks
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The New Beetle had its setbacks, which related directly to the TDI (Turbo Direct Injection) engines.The Beetle produced 115 horsepower at 5200 rpm, and the engine got 122 foot-pounds of torque at 2,600 rpm. Because of the combination of the high-torque and low-horsepower, the car ran shakily when accelerating beyond 60 mph and was not good for passing cars on the highway.
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References
- Photo Credit yellow car image by JoLin from Fotolia.com
