Local Volkswagens miss out on extra Beetle juice

Volkswagen has upgraded its new Beetle line with five new engines for European customers.

But Australian supporters of the iconic car miss out on changes designed to improve performance and efficiency.

The new-age bug has received an early Christmas present in Europe in the form of three new petrol engines and two diesel engines to help it keep pace with the competition.

A 2.0 TDI diesel duo offers a choice of 81kW or 110kW tunes that use 4.3L/100km and 4.6L/100km respectively. A new 1.2-litre TSI motor blends 77kW of power with 5.5L/100km efficiency, while a 1.4-litre motor uses 5.8L/100km to produce 110kW.

The headline act is a heart transplant from the brand's seventh-generation Golf GTI that pumps 162kW and 350Nm through the front axle.

Australia's Beetle uses a superseded twin-charged 1.4-litre motor that produces 118kW and 240Nm.

A spokesman for Volkswagen Australia says there are no engine upgrades in the model's short-term future, despite foreign changes taking place before 2015.

Volkswagen's local arm has kept the latest Beetle Cabriolet on the sidelines, leaving the ageing Golf Cabriolet – based on an older version of the company's popular hatch – as its only drop-top offering.

The revised Beetle also features tech upgrades including a new rear vision camera with guide lines, rear traffic alert and blind spot warning systems and the ability to drop into neutral when automatic models coast to a stop.