2014 Beetle TDI,,, lack of options,

[antioch01]

I hate to sound picky,, but I will anyway, maybe by chance a VW engineer might read these forums to see what consumers think about their vehicles.
Don't get me wrong,, I love most of the improvements of the Beetle but here are a few of the things I found frustrating when searching for a new Beetle TDI model:
1. Lack of a leather option, my 2000 TDI came with leather when you ordered the sunroof package, leather still looks great.
I had to have a Katzkin leather kit installed after the purchase.
2. No spoiler, had to order one, paint and install it.
3. 17" wheels with 215-55-17 tires only choice. Ordered 8 X 18 Black with 245-45-18 tires.
4. No Driving / Fog light option. I have not found any aftermarket or LED's yet either.
5. Gauge pod has timer instead of EGT gauge.
6. No rear dome light,,, can't find anything in the rear seat at night. This is all Beetles not just TDI.

Now I am not all down on the TDI or I would not have bought one, some things I think are great:
1. Plenty of power
2. Rear suspension is multi-link, same as Turbo model now.
3. Interior does not have any of the rubberized surfaces.
4. Rear hatch handle gives you something to lift it with.

It seems like they think TDI buyers are not interested in any of the options that the R-Line have available.
I actually think there are more folks interested in performance of Diesel models than the gas models,,,, at least that seems to be the case if you look at the number of Diesel performance web sites and forums.

 

[Jagal]

http://www.vw.com/models/beetle/trims/2014/premium-special-edition-tdi-trim

 

[antioch01]

That is wild,,,,, Not one salesman offered this model. And they did a national search and could not find even one TDI with leather,,, much less driving lights or wheels.
Tried Brandon and Reeves in Tampa Bay area.
Sun, Sound and Nav was as close as I could get.

 

[Hintertux]

I have been told that the dealers purchase the cars in advance of what they need. Then they get what they get no real choice. Ultimately to get a bug with the options you want you better be willing to drive 500 miles (or more) radius of where you live. I really wanted moon rock two tone seats but no way as it was too late to get those. Only moon rocks available were out west and none with two tone seats.

 

[oilhammer]

Funny, all the stuff you're complaining about, I would not want anyways.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[antioch01]

Yea, I know a lot of folks do not like Leather, it takes care to keep it up, I oil mine every 4 to 6 months.
But my 2000 TDI leather still looks great.
Personally I did not want the Sun Roof but that was the only way to get Nav and Fender Sound,,,,,,I was told.

I forgot about the spoiler,,,,, had to order that and install,,,,, also told not available on TDI.

Anyway,, it is the way I want it now except for the fog lights. And the more I look at the front end I am beginning to like it just fine without them.

 

[oilhammer]

I wouldn't want nav or extra fancy sound sytem either.

I do like sunroofs, however. But really would only want it if it were a standalone option you could get on an otherwise lesser trimmed level car, like you used to be able to get.

For me it doesn't matter, I won't ever buy a new one ever again anyways. They can make gold plated glove box liners standard for all I care.

 

[peterdaniel]

It is sad, how the TDi option has increased like crazy over the gasser version..

 

[BlauWagenTDI]

Yea, I know a lot of folks do not like Leather, it takes care to keep it up, I oil mine every 4 to 6 months.
But my 2000 TDI leather still looks great.
Personally I did not want the Sun Roof but that was the only way to get Nav and Fender Sound,,,,,,I was told.
I forgot about the spoiler,,,,, had to order that and install,,,,, also told not available on TDI.
Anyway,, it is the way I want it now except for the fog lights. And the more I look at the front end I am beginning to like it just fine without them.

The available equipment list shrinks even more when you want a manual transmission. It sounds like you've done exactly what I'm doing anyway. I'm adding everything I wanted. The only thing I likely won't add that was on my list is the sunroof. Im just not a fan of aftermarket sunroofs. I got the interior, exterior color combo I wanted, and the manual transmission in a TDi. I added the nav, upgraded stereo, spoilers, and wheels. I took a 6 hour trip today, and didn't notice the missing options. I did notice the torque I have, and the fuel consumption reading 48.7 mpg. Those can make you forget a lot of things.