When I adopted Shiva this past June and posted it to the Collective, someone commented asking how I liked the Turbo S as opposed to Gringo. At the time I deferred answering because I wanted to drive my “newer” NB for a while before comparing the two. It's been nearly 2 months now and I feel I can at least give a preliminary answer, “I like it, but ....” I know that's not very definitive but let's start at the beginning.
History
When I turned 16 in 1972, I bought my first Beetle from my neighbor across the street. It was a bright yellow 1960 euro model with semaphore turn signals, a black rag top sunroof, black pen stripping, adapter-mounted chromed Corvette rims and hubs, and Nerf bars for bumpers. You know the model: 36 HP engine, no gas gauge save for a foot-switch to flip to the “reserve” when the engine started to sputter from lack of fuel, 6 volt electrical system, AM radio, barely existent heat.
I don't know how many folks have driven a way-underpowered car but it teaches you a lot of things like: the value of a running start, gravity (downhill acceleration), timing (not only gear shifting but red lights as well), etc. All-in-all, Herman represented fun, friendship, and most of all, freedom!
But it's tough having a hot-looking ride that can't get out of its own way. That was easily rectified though for I had an after-school and weekend job with no expenses other than my car and a mechanic friend who worked at an auto parts store. He got me a 1300cc engine and we took it to an independent VW shop for a few mods including a Holley 200 cfm two-barrel carb on a split manifold, a rocking street cam, heavy-duty valve springs, centrifugal advance distributor and a 4 into 1 header. A 200cm clutch, rear air shocks and a Spark-o-matic short-throw shifter got added to the car as well.
Whoa Nelly! That Bug would go so fast that the front end got light from the aerodynamics of the car. We went everywhere; I drove through the woods, on the beach, in and out of a ditch, everywhere and then some including to court for a Willful Speed Competition ticket.
Eventually, I put that engine in a ‘66 Blue Bug, “Boris,” (Mistake #1), and changed to over-sized rims that actually fit in the wheel well. A bit blander than Herman but still worthy. Then, sometime in ‘77, I made traded Boris for a BMW 2002, (Mistake #2), and never drove another Beetle until some 36 years later when I got Gringo March 1, 2013.
15.5 Months with Gringo
At the end of February, 2013, my son informs me that his Blazer has blown up with smoke pouring out the exhaust, etc. Naturally, as he was still in college, we had to get him another car (don't ask why). I was commuting to work in a 1999 Expedition 5.4L and decided that he could drive the Ford as his commute was shorter and we were paying for the gas anyway and I'd get something more fuel efficient.
I decided to price 3 different types of vehicle that I was interested in: Subaru Outback, the Mini, and the New Beetle. (I should note that when the NB first came out, I disliked them - front wheel drive, front engine, water cooled, chick car that wasn't a VW Beetle. Yeah, I was one of those.) Anyway, I had cash but all the used Outbacks and Mini’s that - to me - were worth buying were too expensive so I went for a test drive in a NB I found about 35 miles away from me.
It wasn't love at first sight though I was taken with the Cyber Green color. What it was, was love at first drive! It took me a few minutes in Raleigh's Capital Hill Blvd traffic to get used to a manual again but once I hit the on ramp to 70mph Hwy 540, it was all over -- I was bitten once again. So, I bought the one-local-owner German car made in Mexico from a Colombian saleswoman at an Arab-owned used car lot with 96,000 miles on it and never looked back.
It was like I was 16 in the ‘60 again. Ed tagged me in May and I joined the Org as Gringo which my NB immediately insisted was his name. In June wife and I went to Asheville and did the Blue Ridge Parkway. We went to Charleston in July, watched the 4th’s fireworks from Battery Park and toured the USS Enterprise. I had by first B4B and back road ramble with Ed, Dylan, and Kenny ending up at the NC Zoo (everyone had a turbo but me). And then we did the Grandfather Mountain GTG sans Dylan but with the addition of Jose, (wife and I did the Diamondback, The Devil's Whip and NC-181 the next day on the way home). Then a GTG to some festival in SC adjacent to the beach (I forget the name of the place). In October, we did the Back of the Dragon (VA-16) run with Ed, Lorna and Steven. Fall and Winter included the Black Forest show, one at Apex Tuning (where I met Jessica, Bill, and Chris), and going to see all the Porsches on display at the NC Museum of History.
For two weeks in December when the transmission blew in my wife's Focus ZX4, she drove Gringo, I drove the Expedition and my son hitched rides. I was miserable - driving the Ford was like punishment or similar. I was so happy when the trans was replaced and I was back in my ride. My wife did say in the midst of all those trips that if she'd known we were going to do all that adventuresome travel, she'd have bought me a NB a long time ago.
When Gringo's adoption anniversary rolled around this past March, I'd put 21,930 miles on him in 12 months.
There was a Pilot Mountain GTG set up for the end of March but on the way to it, I got a cellphone call that my Mom had passed so we went back. The next day, I had to get away from everything for a bit so Gringo and I drove to Lenoir NC, then up Hwy 90 ‘til the pavement ran out, then farther ‘til the gravel ran out and Highway ended, then farther still up the dirt roads on the mountain until the way was blocked by a fallen tree on three different routes and so it was time to go home. I like to think Gringo and I ferried Mom's spirit up to the mountain -- silly thought perhaps but so what?
The next adventure was May’s Tail of the Dragon, the Org’s yearly NB extravaganza running Hwy 129 where I met so many NB owners that I cannot remember them all. Money was tight so Ed and I hatched a plan to do it all in one day; drive 4+ hours up there, run the Dragon, hangout a bit, then drive home. We both had our sons as co-pilots and backup drivers. True macho iron-men, we each drove the 22 hours, 772 mile trip without relief. It was a great trip and one that neither of us will attempt to do in one day again! I did (4) 5 hours Energy bottles that day and was so wired when we got home that I couldn't sleep but paid the price over the next two days.
There was one other long adventure with Gringo before Shiva came on the scene -- the scouting trip for the Virginia Reel Road Rally that was to be held June 23rd. Wife and I met up with Lorna in Virginia and we ran the route in advance to check it out, stopping by the Bug-out event on the way home where we met Jacquelene as well as Tiffany and Robert.
Then Came Shiva
It was 2 weeks before the Virginia Reel Road Rally and I was perusing Carguru on a whim, checking out NB’s for sale in the area and there it was -- a 2002 Turbo S with 109k miles in the next town over at a used car lot reduced to $4995. Compared to the book value, it was a deal! I had a small inheritance coming and I debated whether to take the plunge or use some of the $ instead to mod up Gringo.
It was a tough, agonizing week but in the end I decided to check out the TS as that dealer had it listed for over 45 days and was probably going to send it back to auction. To top it off, the used car dealer had just had the Tbelt/Wpump and brakes replaced along with an oil change. I drove it and I bought it including tax, tags and title for less than the asking price -- basically for what he had in it plus the 3 T’s. I figure about 1200$ or so below book for that area. I still think he made a little off me but it was worth it.
Since then I've done the VRRR (with Chris E., Lorna, Jose, Warren, Robert H., Tabitha, Oliver, Peter, Tiffany and Robert J.), the Diamondback, the Devil's Whip, NC-90, VA-56, and numerous other twisties in the TS since then as well as using Shiva as a daily and feel now I can give a more complete answer to the original question mentioned at the start of this overly-long and convoluted ramble.
The Pay Off
Shiva is a land-bound rocket -- a 180 HP turbo-charged, six speed, Super NB. It has better acceleration/speed, brakes, suspension, transmission, shifter, seats, and various other bonuses like the Electronic Stability Program and its off switch, 17” wheels, electric moon roof, etc. Driving it on twisties is like cheating it's so easy and therein lies one of the drawbacks. It's too easy, too comfortable on those roads, almost eliminating the challenge. It's very much like overkill in a way compared to the skill it takes to conquer those roads in a stock 5-speed 2.0.
Yes, Gringo rolls in tight turns and the tires squeal and shriek in protest. Yes, you have to keep the Rpm up, make the most of your gears, and go into the curves hotter to keep up with the turbos. Yes to a lot of things but my 1999 2.0 GLS is one damn fine, solid car -- so much so I trusted Gringo with my son Chris on the VRRR when Chris had only driven him a couple short times and had never driven any other stick before. A month after that Chris was driving Gringo on the Diamondback, The Whip and NC-90. (And, No, he can't have Gringo!) Plus you cannot beat the sound of that naturally aspirated 2.0 moaning up and down through the gears. (Shiva turbo acceleration sounds like an electric drill.)
Conclusion
In my (current) estimation, the Turbo S makes for a better drive overall but the 2.0 makes for a better driver.
Which is more fun? Flip a coin.
Shiva and Gringo at the Virginia Reel Road Rally