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"           Justified or not, has been loosely termed a &amp;quot;chick car.&amp;quot; It&amp;#039;s cute, not particularly powerful and, let&amp;#039;s face it, how macho can you be in a cockpit outfitted with a bud vase?   VW understands this and hopes to make things right early next year with the 180-bhp Turbo S package.   But there&amp;#039;s an even more powerful image antidote called the Beetle RSi. Unfortunately, this pumped-up Bug is a limited edition of 250 destined for Europe only. And like the ads that said the New Beetle is descended from UFOs, the RSi has an out-of-this-world price tag of $80,000. Now, 80-large may seem mighty stiff, but after a week-long stint at the wheel, I can say the RSi feels more like a million bucks.   This package is all about attitude. The RSi has a hunkered-down stance, new front and rear fenders as well as rocker extensions that add more than 3 in. to the car&amp;#039;s width. Massive 18-in. wheels are 9 in. wide and shod with rubber-bandlike P235/40ZR-18 Michelin Pilots.   The RSi has huge air inlets below the front bumpers, xenon high-intensity-discharge lighting and badges that proudly wear the company&amp;#039;s white and blue colors. The rear sports two spoilers: A boxed airfoil at the top of the backlight funnels air directly down onto a large wing that juts out from the middle of the hatch.   Twin chrome tailpipes tip off the presence of a 3.2-liter VR6 at the other end of the car. This engine cranks out 225 bhp at 6200 rpm and 234 lb.-ft. of torque at 3200 rpm. Power is delivered to all four wheels through VW&amp;#039;s 4Motion drive system that features a Haldex coupling incorporated in the 6-speed manual transaxle. VW says the combination is good for a 0\u2013100-km/h (0\u201362-mph) sprint of 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph.   The wild exterior is but half the fun. Inside, a new instrument binnacle is clad with real carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is also used to trim the doors and the shells for the Recaro racing seats. The buckets and rear bench are covered with orange-brown leather, while the door pulls, window cranks (there are no power lifts here), passenger dash-mounted grab handle and even the sun visors are trimmed with billet aluminum pieces.   The deep-dish bucket seats are adjustable only fore and aft. You sit very low in the cabin\u2014head room is astounding and the headliner-mounted radio is a bit of reach, but still cool. Like any Beetle, the first impression is that the windshield is a mile away. But, it&amp;#039;s amazing how quickly I adapted to the environment. Even though I sat at a lowrider altitude, outward vision is good, the seats are snug and wonderfully supportive.   As an eye-popping exercise, the RSi is definitely a hit, but even more so is its eye-opening performance. The 3.2-liter V-6 revs freely and pulls strongly when the well-weighted clutch is released. The throws on the 6-speed are inchworm long and watchlike in precision. A nifty series of sequentially activated lights, set in a small aluminum panel between the main gauges, goes from green to yellow, with a large red light indicating when you&amp;#039;ve hit the rev limiter. The exhaust has a throaty rasp that invites downshifts just to hear the engine bark.              The close-ratio 6-speed and the 3200-rpm torque peak make the car feel as if it has a giant sweet spot in every gear. You can cruise by traffic all day at Autobahn speeds without the need to drop the car out of 6th, or if you want a little extra drama, select a lower gear and rocket away. The disc brakes provide ample stopping power through a solid and easily modulated pedal.   Even though the 4Motion system distributes power to all four wheels, the front wheels will torque-steer slightly on really aggressive launches, but there&amp;#039;s no mistaking the extra thrust coming from the rear of the car. The huge contact patches of the tires along with the lowered and stiffened suspension give the Beetle RSi a tremendous amount of stick.   Despite being a tall car, there&amp;#039;s little in the way of body lean. The steering is rock-solid and provides excellent feedback from the road surface. For such a high level of grip, the RSi offers a refined ride.   Certification costs and a high price for all the enhancements have conspired to keep this Beetle RSi from these shores. It&amp;#039;s too bad because it takes just one drive to be bit by this Bug. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a9430/volkswagen-new-beetle-rsi/>