Saturn ION (2007) vs. Volkswagen Beetle (2014) Specs

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2007 Saturn ION and 2014 Volkswagen Beetle Specifications

Model Year	2007	2014
Model	Saturn ION	Volkswagen Beetle
Engine	2.4L I4 DOHC-4v 175 hp@6200 164 lb-ft@4800	turbocharged 2.0L I4 DOHC-4v 210 hp@5300 207 lb-ft@1700
Transmission	5-speed manual	6-speed automated manual
Drivetrain	FWD	FWD
Body	4dr Coupe	2dr Hatch
			Difference
Wheelbase	103.2 in	100.0 in	3.2 in
Length	185.0 in	168.4 in	16.6 in
Width	67.9 in	71.2 in	-3.3 in
Height	56.0 in	58.5 in	-2.5 in
Curb Weight	2796 lb.	3104 lb.	-308 lb.
Fuel Capacity	13.0 gal.	14.5 gal.	-1.5 gal.
Headroom, Row 1	38.9 in	39.4 in	-0.5 in
Shoulder Room, Row 1	54.0 in	55.3 in	-1.3 in
Hip Room, Row 1	49.4 in	0.0 in	49.4 in
Legroom, Row 1	42.2 in	41.3 in	0.9 in
Headroom, Row 2	36.5 in	37.1 in	-0.6 in
Shoulder Room, Row 2	51.0 in	49.0 in	2 in
Hip Room, Row 2	48.3 in	0.0 in	48.3 in
Legroom, Row 2	32.7 in	31.4 in	1.3 in
Total Legroom	74.9 in (over 2 rows)	72.7 in (over 2 rows)	2.2 in
Cargo Volume, Minimum	14.2 ft³	15.4 ft³	-1.2 ft³
Cargo Volume, Maximum	14.2 ft³	29.9 ft³	-15.7 ft³

2007 Saturn ION Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2007	4dr Sedan 145-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD	Lots of seat travel results in plenty of available leg room. Adjustable seat height results in plenty of available headroom. see full Saturn ION review
2006	4dr Sedan 140-horsepower 2.2L I4 4-speed automatic FWD	The front set has plenty of leg room. see full Saturn ION review
2006	4dr Coupe 170-horsepower 2.4L I4 4-speed automatic FWD	lots of leg room see full Saturn ION review

2007 Saturn ION Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2007	4dr Sedan 175-horsepower 2.4L I4 4-speed automatic FWD	minimal leg rom when front seat is back see full Saturn ION review
2007	4dr Sedan 175-horsepower 2.4L I4 5-speed manual FWD	Seat bottoms are too short. Not enough leg room when the front seats are set back and not enough foot room. There is a metallic bar on the bottom of the front seats that take too much space in the foot wells for the back passengers. see full Saturn ION review
2007	4dr Coupe 145-horsepower 2.2L I4 5-speed manual FWD	small seat that lacks padding even though the back support is very good. see full Saturn ION review
2006	4dr Coupe 170-horsepower 2.4L I4 4-speed automatic FWD	no room in the back for tall people see full Saturn ION review
2006	4dr Coupe supercharged 205hp 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD	Not passenger friendly but easy to access with the rear doors. see full Saturn ION review

2014 Volkswagen Beetle Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year	Comment
	Back in the 1960s VW entreated Americans to "think small." Lately, though, the German manufacturers cars have been getting bigger and bigger. The latest redesign added over two inches to the car's length (now 168 inches) and over two inches to its width (now a midsize-like 71.2 inches. Compared to the 146-by-66-inch, 2,822-pound Mini and the 140-by-64-inch, 2,434-pound Fiat, the 3,340-pound Beetle TDI convertible is a big, heavy car. As noted earlier, solidity and ride quality benefit from this additional bulk. But rear seat room does not. Sure, the Beetle Convertible's rear seat is more viable than the MINI's, but bars to clear rarely come lower. The Fiat is in the same (adults-in-a-pinch) ballpark. In addition to the space shortage, the VW's rear seat back is uncomfortably upright. see full Volkswagen Beetle review

2014 Volkswagen Beetle Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2013	2dr Convertible 170-horsepower 2.5L I5 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD	The back seat, if you could really call it that, leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe another 3 in. That being said it fits a car seat with my 6' frame in the front seat ahead of it, so it gets the job done. Once the top goes down the interior space seems adequate. see full Volkswagen Beetle review

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